Traffic transition from below: Broad alliance aims for cycling law in Bavaria

A broad alliance of parties and associations aims to establish a cycling law in CSU/FW-governed Bavaria via a referendum, following the examples of North Rhine-Westphalia and Berlin. From mid-June to the end of October, the Radentscheid Bayern alliance collected over 100,000 signatures in all Bavarian municipalities to approve a referendum and has now submitted them to various municipalities in Bavaria, including the state capital Munich. The wide-ranging initiative from parties and associations is demanding a Bavarian cycling law that would create the framework for genuine promotion of cycling traffic in the Free State and is seen as an important component for a transportation transition and more climate protection in the sector. According to the initiators, additional lists with signatures are still arriving belatedly. In just four months, they have collected four times as many signatures as required by Bavarian regulations for a referendum.

The second hurdle is significantly higher

In over 100 cities, municipalities, and administrative communities, Radentscheid activists handed over signature sheets to their city administration for verification. All signatures from registered voters for the Bavarian state election are valid. After verification by the municipalities, the collected signatures will be sent to the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior, which will decide on the approval and the 14-day entry period for the actual referendum.

In the spring or summer of 2023, the people of Bavaria will likely be called upon to register their support for the Radentscheid Bayern at their town hall. However, at that point, ten percent of Bavaria's eligible voters, about one million people, would need to sign the referendum for it to lead to a public vote—assuming the state parliament does not adopt the draft. The initiative criticizes the lack of bike lanes on half of Bavaria's state and federal roads, the complicated nature of taking bikes on buses and trains, and the frequent inadequacy or blockage of bike paths.

"100,000 people have made it clear with their signatures that cycling in Bavaria needs to be safe and comfortable for everyone. However, as long as standards, procedures, and responsibilities remain unclear, the planning and construction of good, safe cycling infrastructure will progress far too slowly. That's why we need a cycling law," appealed Bernadette Felsch, representative of Radentscheid Bayern.

Andreas Kagermeier, deputy representative of Radentscheid Bayern, expressed motivation from the collected signatures to continue pursuing the referendum path.

"In order for environmentally friendly mobility not just to be talked about but also enabled, the Free State must massively support and encourage cities and municipalities to promote cycling," demanded Kagermeier.

Munich's Mayor Dieter Reiter (SPD) received the signatures in the state capital and pointed out that efforts to improve cycling infrastructure in Munich were already underway thanks to successful local cycling referendums. He also called on the Bavarian state government of CSU and Free Voters to adopt the initiative's draft law, thus avoiding the need for a referendum. He stressed the urgent need for better cycling infrastructure, especially connecting the city to the suburbs with high-speed bike routes, to encourage as many as possible of the 450,000 daily commuters to switch to bikes. The state government must better support the municipalities in this regard, speed up processes, and also make combining public transport and cycling easier.

Grassroots Movement: Numerous Local Cycling Referendums - NRW as First Land State

To kick off in June 2022, the likely longest bicycle demo on a German highway took place. About 10,000 cyclists rode from Frankfurt to Wiesbaden over the A66, covering a good 30 kilometers, to present 70,000 signatures from the Verkehrswende initiative to Hessian Transport Minister Tarek Al Wazir (Greens). However, the draft was subsequently deemed unconstitutional by the state. Currently, the government is in talks with the initiators to come up with a constitutionally compliant draft. The government's main criticism was that the demands exceeded the state's jurisdiction and also concerned the Road Traffic Regulations and railway infrastructure.

NRW and Berlin are Pioneers

NRW has been more successful in this regard: In 2019, the "Aufbruch Fahrrad" popular initiative gathered over 200,000 supporters for the introduction of a cycling law. Consequently, the state parliament tasked the state government with drafting a law based on the initiative's demands. The draft bill was presented by the state government in March 2021 and introduced to the state parliament in June. Following deliberation in the transport committee, the final reading of the new law took place in early November 2021. Berlin, however, was the first federal state to pass a mobility law prioritizing environmentally friendly transport modes, including public transport, walking, and cycling, in 2018. This was also initiated by a civic initiative started in 2015 that eventually led to the law.

About the Alliance

The Radentscheid Bayern alliance was founded by the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) Bayern, the Traffic Club of Germany, Bayern e.V. (VCD Bayern), and 11 local Bavarian cycling referendums (Augsburg, Bamberg, Bayreuth, Erlangen, Freising, Munich, Nuremberg, Neu-Ulm, Regensburg, Rosenheim, Würzburg). The Radentscheid Bayern is supported by the Bavarian Nature Conservation Union (BN) and five Bavarian state associations of political parties (Alliance 90/The Greens, SPD, ÖDP, DIE LINKE, Volt). The goal is a cycling law for Bavaria that obliges the state government and municipalities to practically implement environmentally friendly mobility.