The dreary reality quickly catches up with cinemagoers when they step outside after an evening of filming at the “Museum Lichtspiele”. Because in front of the cinema in the Au there is a poor area with little greenery; Instead, gray asphalt dominates the picture – for now. The city of Munich wants to spruce up this area, enlarge the space and create more space for pedestrians and cyclists. However, several lanes and almost 100 parking spaces will be made way for this. The city council’s building committee has now decided on the 3.8 million euro renovation. The work is scheduled to begin next summer.
“We are making the area much greener and a place where people enjoy spending time,” promises construction officer Jeanne-Marie Ehbauer. According to her, the conversion “takes equal account of climate adaptation and the mobility transition.” In addition to enlarging the square, where seating furniture will also be set up, a new crossing with traffic lights is planned across Rosenheimer Straße at the level of Zeppelinstraße. The footpaths and cycle paths in the area will also be expanded. This means, among other things, that pedestrians and cyclists will no longer get in each other’s way in front of the underpass ramp. According to the construction department, conflicts arose again and again at this point.
Of course, the planned redesign requires space – and this will be taken away from both driving and parked car traffic. In the intersection area, two lanes on Lilienstrasse and one lane on Zeppelinstrasse are to be deleted. In addition, around 95 parking spaces will be lost, primarily for the redesign of the square and the planned two-way cycle path along Zeppelinstrasse. Several trees also have to be felled for this.
This is exactly what the FDP and Bavarian party faction criticizes, whose city councilor Fritz Roth complains: “By insisting on centimeter-precise implementation of the cycling request and extra-wide bike lanes, trees have to be sacrificed in many places.” In addition, 95 parking spaces will be lost, “without the building department making any effort to replace them.” According to the FDP/Bavarian Party, there is “clear criticism of the measures” from residents.
Jörg Spengler (Greens), the chairman of the Au-Haidhausen district committee (BA), sees it completely differently. According to him, there was “hardly any objection or resistance” from the neighborhood. Enlarging the space in front of the cinema and improving the situation for pedestrians and cyclists in the area has been a concern of the BA for years, said Spengler. He assumes that the newly created area will be accepted by the citizens. “Especially once the renovation of the Ludwigsbrücke is completed, the whole area will be much more inviting.”