Some commuters who wanted to drive to the old town of Dachau as usual in the first days of October apparently overlooked the no-entry signs. Since October 1, drivers are only allowed to drive clockwise through the old town. According to Chief Inspector Knorr, the police found “a large number of violations” in the first few days. The number of wrong-way drivers is “noticeably decreasing” every week, so that there are now only isolated violations.
Even before the introduction of the one-way street, heavy traffic was only allowed to drive through the old town in one direction. A regulation that truck drivers repeatedly ignored, which is why they blocked the upper area of the old town with shunting manoeuvres. The one-way regulation made the traffic routing for trucks clearer, which, according to the police, solved the problem. In addition, there are fewer traffic jams caused by delivery traffic because cars now have more space to bypass the trucks.
In the past, those who wanted to get from Augsburger Strasse to Münchner Strasse often chose the shortcut via Karlsberg. This through traffic is prohibited by the new regulation. Significantly fewer cars have been pounding over the cobblestones since October, which is why both the traffic volume and the noise pollution in the old town area have been reduced. A census commissioned by the city showed that in July, before the regulation was introduced, 620 vehicles were on the road between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. A “very high proportion” is attributed to through traffic. Among other things, because many shops in the old town do not open before nine o’clock.
In addition, according to the police, the one-way regulation ensured more safety on the way to school. This is how the danger point on Karlsberg was defused. Children who have to cross the road at the customs house on their way to the monastery school no longer encounter the fast-moving shortcut traffic. The reduction in commuter traffic has also made other lane crossings and junctions significantly safer for children and senior citizens. With the exception of bus and train traffic, pedestrians only have to expect traffic from one direction when crossing the street.
Cycling is still possible in both directions. The one-way regulations give cyclists more space on the streets of the old town. From the point of view of the police, the situation for people parking in and out has also been improved. You only have to pay attention to the flow of traffic from one direction. To make it easier to find a free parking space, the parking garage at the Volksbank can still be reached via Augsburger Straße.
While there were 52 crashes in the one-way street area in 2019, there were only 24 traffic accidents in 2021. The police also see the reason in the corona pandemic. In particular, the lockdown measures would have reduced mobility. Since the introduction of the one-way street, public buses have been involved in three accidents. The police therefore advise extending the one-way regulation to buses.