Three quarters of Saxon cyclists feel endangered on the road. As the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) reported on Monday in the evaluation of the bicycle climate test, the sense of security has been steadily deteriorating in almost all cities in the Free State since 2012. Nationwide, the figure is 68 percent. “People want to cover more distances by bike. But at the moment it’s being made difficult for them,” said ADFC Managing Director Konrad Krause. Stress, fear and insecurity dominated the streets of Saxony.
Within Saxony there are significant differences in the sense of security. Stollberg on the edge of the Ore Mountains comes out on top. But here, too, a slight majority (52 percent) still feel insecure. In Dresden, this feeling affects 80 percent of the people, in Plauen and Radeberg even almost 90 percent.
In the cities of Dresden and Leipzig in particular, there are increasing reports of conflicts with drivers. 62 percent of those questioned did not feel they were equal road users. “We see a great need for action,” said ADFC board member Janek Mücksch. Cycling is increasingly perceived as stressful. According to many cyclists, car and truck drivers would drive past them without the required distance.
The ADFC also said that people only get on their bikes if they feel safe on the existing bike paths. Consistent cycle paths and their good surface are just as important factors as social security. On remote and lonely bike paths, people are afraid of being attacked. They didn’t dare to use these paths even during the day.
In the ranking of the best German cycling cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants, Leipzig came fourth and Dresden seventh. Cycling mobility in rural areas is rated worse in Saxony than the national average. Only 35 percent of those surveyed stated that they could reach neighboring towns without detours on easily accessible routes (nationwide: 46 percent). Only 22 percent feel safe from accidents on the way to the neighboring town, nationwide 38 percent.
Almost 10,000 people took part in the bicycle climate test in Saxony and 245,000 nationwide. The test is conducted every two years.
