Bicycle traffic Zurich City Council wants to improve the cycle priority route

SDA

19.9.2024 - 15:46

There are so many cars on Zurich's first cycle priority route from Altstetten to the city center that bicycles are being pushed to the right-hand, green-marked edge. Now the city wants to make improvements. (archive picture)
There are so many cars on Zurich's first cycle priority route from Altstetten to the city center that bicycles are being pushed to the right-hand, green-marked edge. Now the city wants to make improvements. (archive picture)
Keystone

Things are not running smoothly for cyclists on Zurich's preferred cycling route from Altstetten to the city center. The city council has therefore decided to make improvements.

At times, there are so many cars on individual sections of the cycle priority route from Altstetten to the city center that cyclists are pushed to the right-hand side of the road, which is marked in green. In a written question to the city council, the Greens therefore wanted to know whether it was doing anything about this.

The answer published on Thursday now shows that the city council is prepared to make improvements. Various options are being evaluated to reduce through traffic on Bullingerstrasse and Herdernstrasse.

No structural measures are planned. Instead, the city council wants to introduce a new turning regime so that there are fewer cars on these roads. The new turning restrictions and bans are to be introduced this year if possible. Implementation is planned for the beginning of 2025.

Cycling organizations were already dissatisfied with the opening of the first section in spring 2023 because the route is not completely car-free, but the speed of traffic will only be reduced to 30 km/h.

For the city council, the high-speed cycle routes nevertheless offer "the greatest objective and subjective safety", even if they are not completely car-free. Right of way, cycle lanes and markings should ensure this.

SDA