Last weekend, the initiators of the Radentscheid Bayern made a big appearance – in Hesse and as part of a much larger convoy. A bicycle demonstration with thousands of participants rolled over Autobahn 66 from Frankfurt to Wiesbaden, including Bavarian cyclists. “Exhausting,” is how Andreas Kagermeier, deputy representative of the Radentscheid Alliance, sums up the trip on the phone a few days later. But: “good mood”.
The coalition of organizations and parties behind the Radentscheid is hoping for a good – bike-friendly – mood anyway, after all they are currently campaigning for support for a better cycling infrastructure in Bavaria. But since the beginning of June and a kick-off event in front of the Munich Opera, she has only attracted attention with individual, local actions: for example with information stands at events. Rallyes like those of colleagues in Hesse or other large demos that they organized themselves: none. The alliance wants to collect 35,000 signatures by the end of October in order to take the next hurdle on the long road to the referendum.
If you ask those responsible, things should definitely be going on in the background: quietly and quietly, so to speak. “We have the impression that things are going well,” says Kagermeier, who sits in the alliance for the Verkehrsclub Deutschland. There aren’t any serious numbers about the signatures yet. For this purpose, local networks have been present in all Bavarian districts and cities since Wednesday – even if these can still be expanded in some rural areas. “There, the bicycle is not yet in the mind as an alternative,” says Kagermeier.
The alliance behind the Radentscheid would like to change that. Those involved, including the General German Bicycle Club, the SPD, the Greens and the ÖDP, want to achieve a 25 percent share of cycling in the total traffic in Bavaria by 2030. Among other things, more and better cycle highways between neighboring municipalities should contribute to this – and stronger control of the various projects by the Free State. In response to the initiative, the state government has announced its own cycle path program, with a further 1500 kilometers of route to be built by 2030.
The alliance has not yet raised the money
That, in turn, does not go far enough for the Radentscheid initiators. The big question, however, is whether they can move people like the successful “Save the Bees” referendum. Even representatives of the alliance admit that the topic offers less room for controversy. This is one of the reasons why they are currently pursuing a different, more inconspicuous strategy: building local networks on a small scale now, with the help of which larger ones can be started later.
“We need stable structures,” says Paulus Guter from the planning staff. Because if the alliance actually collects enough signatures and the Ministry of the Interior allows the request, in the next stage of the procedure, one million people would have to register in the Bavarian town halls within two weeks. “You can’t do that overnight,” says Guter. The 80,000 euros estimated for the first phase of the campaign have not yet been collected. “But we’re close.”
Nevertheless, the initiative wants to use the coming weeks to at least be represented at larger events. “Parking Days” have been announced for September 16 in several cities, during which parking lots are to be turned into leisure areas. And for September 23, “Fridays for Future” has once again called for a climate strike. They are also planning their own rally, says Guter: but only for next year.