Cycling in Saxony: Leipzig and Dresden on the rise, Chemnitz is back!

Cycling in Saxony: Leipzig and Dresden on the rise, Chemnitz is back!

Chemnitz, Deutschland - In recent years, the situation for cyclists in Germany's cities has increasingly changed, but there is still a lot to do. This is particularly evident in Saxony. In a survey of the Tag24 Benefit from significant improvements, while Chemnitz falls through in bicycle friendliness.

Leipzig enjoys fourth place in the nationwide comparison among large cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants and reaches an overall grade of 3.70 in the bicycle climate test, in which around 213,000 cyclists have taken part. The city is particularly praised for the accessibility of the city center and the public bicycles. In contrast, Chemnitz received a grade of 4.14 and thus occupied the 16th place among 25 cities of the size of between 200,000 and 500,000 inhabitants.

challenges for cyclists in Chemnitz

in Chemnitz, 81% of those surveyed feel unsafe when cycling. These uncertainties are confirmed by 79% of cyclists who observe an aggressive mood in road traffic. It is particularly worrying that only 18% of the traveling reports to be overhauled by cars with sufficient distance. These serious problems urgently require measures such as the mdr reported.

The general German bicycle club (ADFC) recommends that protected lanes, structurally separate bike paths and special bicycle streets. Generous Tempo 30 zones in residential and mixed areas should also significantly improve the situation for cyclists. The ADFC emphasizes that the retrospective course must take place as soon as possible in order to make children and adolescents safer on the bike in the future.

safety in road traffic

The rising figures of bike accidents also give reason to concern. According to the Federal Statistical Office, 441 cyclists were killed in accidents in 2022 - an increase in over 11 % since 2014. The main cause is the increasing accidents with rapidly driving pedelecs in urban areas. The ADFC emphasizes that there is a need for action in German cities.

Although the trend towards increasing bicycle traffic in Germany can be observed, the survey shows that many bike paths are significantly in need of improvement compared to other European cities. Especially in big cities such as Cologne and Frankfurt, around 60% of those surveyed share the opinion that km/h in inner cities would be advantageous.