The IAA Mobility trade fair is polarizing. On September 11th, the alliance #ausstieg, which consists of several organizations under the leadership of the bicycle club ADFC, wants to organize a big bicycle rally towards Theresienwiese. The demonstrators want to protest against the fair as well as the further expansion of motorways and trunk roads and campaign for a redistribution of the public road space in favor of bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
But the district administration department has banned two planned routes that are to lead over the A 94 and A 96 motorways. The alliance has now filed a lawsuit against this before the administrative court. On Thursday, around 30 activists gathered in front of the Bavarian Ministry of the Interior at Odeonsplatz to once again demand their right to demonstrate on the motorway.
“Cycling instead of autobahn”, chanted the speaking choir, while Andreas Schön at the microphone practically acted as its choirmaster. He is the chairman of the Munich ADFC and regularly appears as a sharp critic of the current conditions on the streets. He sees a clear disproportion between car traffic and bicycle and foot traffic. And he considers the reasons that led to the rejection of the demonstration on the highways to be flimsy and politically wanted.
He rejects the argument that the demo has no material connection to the two motorway sections concerned. “The IAA demo is also very deliberately directed against the further expansion of the motorway network and the associated climate-damaging transport policy,” said Schön. Instead, “Autobahn-quality” cycle paths must finally be built – that is, wide, safe and comfortable. “We therefore consider a temporary protest on two sections of the autobahn to be legitimate and necessary.” Schön particularly criticizes the planned eight-lane expansion of the A 99, which Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) initiated last Monday with a symbolic groundbreaking ceremony.
The fact that the IAA, which now bears the addition of “Mobility”, is also turning to other forms of mobility, such as e-bikes or e-scooters, is what the activists consider to be a “shop window event” in which “greenwashing” is practiced. In her opinion, the fair has just given itself a green paint job, but continues to promote the car as the most important means of transport that is still powered by a combustion engine. Accordingly, they are also calling for an exit from combustion technology and a speed limit of 120 on motorways, 80 on roads outside of town and 30 in urban areas.
A “fundamental change in mobility” is needed, not just the conversion of cars to electric motors. “This is not a mobility turnaround, but a driving force turnaround,” says Schön. He and the other activists hope that as many as possible will take part in the protest on pedals. Especially when cycling on the autobahn, it gives great pictures.
The ADFC man does not accept the security concerns of the authorities, who warn of possible accidents and dangers for the demonstrators. With a speed limit of 30 in the opposite direction, the demo is safe. He countered the argument that families could get stuck in traffic jams because of the demonstration in the heat, by saying that traveling on the autobahn would then be fundamentally irresponsible. There are traffic jams every day, but nobody would think of banning car traffic or highways in general.
The alliance’s complaint is around 300 pages long. Should it fail before the Administrative Court in Munich, it will go through the next instances – up to the Federal Constitutional Court, as Schön says.