The two parts of the 60-hectare green area are to be merged in order to increase the recreational value. The mobility department now wants to have a road closure checked, local politicians speak of “a waste of money”.
For the Greens in the Munich City Council and for some members of the two district committees involved, it is an impressive idea: to merge the two parts of the Südpark, also known as the Sendlinger Forest, into one structure in order to largely eliminate motor vehicle traffic and enhance the recreational value of the 60-hectare green area. The partial closure of Höglwörther Straße could achieve this goal. The Südpark is currently still divided by this traffic axis running in a north-south direction.
The mobility department is now taking up a motion by the Greens city council group to examine the possibility of merging the two halves of the park while retaining bus lanes and cycle paths. According to an application by the Thalkirchen-Obersendling-Forstenried-Fürstenried-Solln district committee, the possible effects of blocking Höglwörther Straße at the level of Zielstattstraße should also be examined more closely.
Critical voices from local residents have already been heard. They fear they will have to take long detours if the direct connection between Boschetsrieder and Murnauer Straße is eliminated. In the political spectrum, CSU local politicians in particular share these concerns. But Günter Keller (SPD), chairman of the Sendling-Westpark district committee, is also skeptical: “The investigation will almost certainly reveal that Höglwörther Strasse cannot be blocked.” Some local politicians even speak of “a waste of money” in connection with the actions of the city administration. Nevertheless, both district committees voted for the study suggested by the mobility department.
An external expert is to examine the proposed traffic calming
The Südpark has become more attractive in recent years through planting, structural measures and the addition of games and sports. However, the transformation into a contemporary leisure paradise has so far not been associated with any calming of road traffic. Whether and how this can be made up for is now to be clarified by an external expert. 60,000 euros will be made available for this purpose.
The main topics of the expertise are, among other things, the expected shifts in motor vehicle traffic, a development concept for motorized individual traffic and pedestrian and bicycle traffic as well as the effects on local public transport.