Rheine. A new decree from the NRW Ministry of Transport is intended to ensure greater safety on cycle paths. Barriers on cycle paths, such as bollards, barrier posts or staggered barriers, are to be checked by local authorities for safety reasons and removed if necessary. Because more and more people are cycling in a climate-friendly and healthy way, cycle paths need to be made safer and more accessible. Bollards and barriers are often a source of danger and, according to the decree, should only be used in exceptional cases.
Thomas Roling, Head of the Mobility and Transport Planning department, is relaxed about the requirements of the new decree: “We already introduced a successful program to reduce the number of fixtures in cycle paths when we started implementing the measures of the cycling concept in 2020.” In the meantime, around 80 bollards, circulation barriers or barrier posts have been removed or, where they were deemed necessary as a safety measure, relocated in line with traffic regulations.
The barriers on cycle paths often pose a considerable risk of collision – especially in the dark. Low barrier posts in particular can easily be overlooked when cyclists are riding in a group. This increases the risk of accidents with serious injuries. At the same time, many of these facilities hinder people with cargo bikes, trailers or tricycles for adults or make paths impassable for them. Such barriers are also often a source of danger for children and people with disabilities.
The city of Rheine would like to encourage more people to switch from cars to bicycles. The aim is to enable fast, safe and comfortable cycling in Rheine. “We will continue our program and systematically promote cycling through small, effective measures,” said Roling, confirming the city’s goals. “Citizens can support us in this by pointing out unnecessary bollards and barrier posts. The city’s EMS incident reporting system Rheine is particularly suitable for this.” Whether it’s garbage, road damage, defective traffic lights or bollards on cycle paths, defective playground equipment or dirty park benches – here citizens can report anything they notice in public spaces or anything that bothers them. The incident reporting system Rheine is the central address for reporting defects (defect reporters), but also for suggestions for improving the infrastructure. It can be accessed via the following link: www.Rheine.de/emsRheine.