Winter traffic
Icy slides for cyclists: Why many paths are not cleared
When it snows, drivers often have an easier time of it than cyclists – their roads are usually cleared
© Sven Simon / Imago Images
In winter, cyclists not only have to contend with the bitter cold, but often also with slippery cycle paths. But why are they so rarely cleared of snow and ice, while cars usually get through comparatively well? A search for the causes.
In some places these days, anyone who travels by bike has to be on a real ride Adjust the sliding part. While drivers are happy that the roads are cleared in the morning and can drive through the snowy winter landscape without any major restrictions, cyclists (and often pedestrians) often only have one thing left to do: slide over frozen bike paths, avoid piles of snow and hope that there isn’t one underneath the blanket of snow Layer of ice hidden, which makes braking difficult.
This also affects security. For cyclists, for example, according to statistics from the “Bike-X” portal, the risk of accidents is up to 20 times higher in winter than in summer. In Hamburg, for example, the fire department counted over 100 calls on just two days in mid-January because people had fallen on bikes or on foot. Similar numbers came from Berlin.
ADFC calls for more safety for cyclists
That is why the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) has been calling for years to reliably clear snow and ice from cycle paths in Germany in order to ensure the safety of two-wheeler riders. So far the situation is rather poor. In the last bicycle climate test, the winter service on Germany’s cycle paths only received a grade of four.
But why is it that the safety of one group of road users – that of drivers – appears to be taken more seriously than the safety of others? One reason can be found in the legal regulations for snow removal. The municipality is responsible for clearing and gritting dangerous areas within town. These include, for example, important thoroughfares, pedestrian crossings and public parking spaces. Alternatively, municipalities can also transfer responsibility for clearing pedestrian paths to residents. Outside of town, however, only particularly dangerous areas need to be cleared. And that’s the crux of the matter: sidewalks and cycle paths are expressly not included here.
There is also a ban on road salt, both for private households and in many municipalities. Salt is often no longer allowed to be spread at all or only in particularly dangerous areas. The common alternative is grit, which, unlike salt, does not have a thawing effect.
How cyclists get through the snow safely
Cyclists are sometimes painfully aware of what this means in concrete terms. Then the wheels slip, the brakes fail or you completely lose control on the snowy road and slide into another cyclist or pedestrian without stopping.
10 pictures
But how do I get safely through the snow as a cyclist when I can’t rely on cleared roads? According to the ADFC, there are several things to consider. On the one hand, cyclists are allowed to move onto the main road if the cycle path is not passable. If you’re careful, you can basically ride your bike over the snow – provided the tires cooperate. By the way, it helps here to let out a little air so that more surface touches the ground and therefore there is a little more stability. The cycling club also advises driving with foresight to avoid sudden braking – and thus an involuntary slide – and to keep your distance from other cyclists.
What other countries do better
However, all of this only helps partially. The basic problem of unequal treatment in snow removal remains – for now. Maybe we can learn a lesson from our neighbors to the north. In the Danish capital Copenhagen, for example, the priority is clearly on cyclists, praises the ADFC. Around 80 percent of cyclists there also get on their bikes in winter. In the Netherlands there are even special clearing vehicles for cycle paths. And in the Finnish municipality of Oulu, the cycle paths are cleared of snow and ice first, then the car roads.
So there are ways and means to make winter traffic safe for all participants, you just have to take them. However, it could still be a while before there are equal conditions in winter traffic for cyclists and drivers in Germany. For now, all fans of two-wheeled cycling in the cold season say: You are the cyclist.
Sources: ADFC, ADAC, Bike-X, car motorsport, Bitkom, European Cyclists Federation