New paths for new wheels
- a joint project to improve the cycling infrastructure in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg
Improving the infrastructure for cycling is of great importance for road safety, the attractiveness of the region and climate protection. This is where the "Joint project: NKI: New paths for new bikes in the district of Lüchow-Dannenberg" comes in. The district's climate protection management, in cooperation with the joint municipalities of Lüchow (Wendland) and Elbtalaue, has raised over € 4 million in funding for this purpose.
Through the funding programme "Climate Protection through Cycling" of the National Climate Initiative (NKI), the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) supports model, investment projects that make cycling more attractive in everyday life, for leisure and for delivery and transport traffic. In order to achieve this, the three network partners are implementing various measures in the period from 1.1.2022 to 31.12.2025.
In 2023, within this framework Three bicycle lanes set up:
- Between the school campus in Lüchow (Wendland), via the "red barn" to Wustrow (Wendland), one of Lower Saxony's first nonurban cycle lanes is being built on the local connecting road and the road surface is being renewed. The pavement along the road will be maintained.
- Further cycle lanes are planned in Bauernstraße in Hitzacker (Elbe) and the
- Marschtorstraße in Dannenberg (Elbe) will be set up.
The rules for bicycle lanes are defined in the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO), 30 km/h applies for all road users. The use of motor vehicles must be permitted with separate clearance "motor vehicle free", this is planned for Bauernstraße and Marschtorstraße. On the stretch between Lüchow (Wendland) and Wustrow (Wendland), according to current planning, clearance is to be granted only for residents.
In addition, in 2024 two cycle priority routes arise in the district on local roads:
- Between Hitzacker (Elbe) - via Seerau and Pisselberg - and Dannenberg (Elbe)
- From Lüchow (Wendland) via the towns of Reetze, Satemin, Jabel, Schwiepke, Püggen, Zeetze, Klein Sachau and Groß Sachau to Clenze.
Priority cycle routes are similar in approach to cycle lanes. They serve to strengthen everyday cycling. However, cycle superhighways are only established in highly populated regions with at least 2,000 cyclists per working day (e.g. between Lüneburg and Hamburg) and have a special sign in the StVO. Cycle priority routes are particularly suitable for rural areas, as no comparably high utilisation is to be expected here. Mixed traffic applies on local connecting routes, but a speed limit of 50 km/h is generally introduced outside towns, and 30 km/h inside towns.
Other components of the project are
- the purchase and rental of pedelecs and e-bikes for testing in everyday mobility,
- the construction of bicycle boxes,
- the renewal of the bicycle parking facilities at the secondary schools in Lüchow (Wendland) and Hitzacker (Elbe) as well as
- Public Relations.
Figure 1: Projection of the establishment of a bicycle lane between Lüchow and Wustrow by the specialist planning office PGV Alrutz GbR (source PGV Alrutz).
Overview of project participants and funding:
Lüchow-Dannenberg District 67KBR0113A € 862,600
Joint municipality of Lüchow (Wendland) 67KBR0113B € 2,899,746
Elbtalaue joint municipality 67KBR0113C € 602,050
