Tageszeitung Reports: The Fair-Weather Capital - "European Green Capital" Hamburg Does not Clear Cycle Tracks

Tageszeitung: Die Schönwetter-Hauptstadt - "Umwelthauptstadt" räumt Radwege nicht

Snowy cycle track at Alsenstraße: Due to authority´s spokeswoman the cycle tracks should have been cleared, but still should look uncleared. The result: Cyclists need to cycle on the road lanes
Verschneiter Radweg in der Alsenstraße. Radfahrer müssen trotz Benutzungspflicht auf die Fahrbahn

 According to today´s article "The fair-weather capital" ("Die Schönwetter-Hauptstadt") of  tageszeitung here some pictures of so-called "cleared" cycle tracks, as promised by the spokeswoman of the Hamburg traffic authortity. 180 km of cycle tracks and one cycle route would be cleared, the authority´s spokeswoman insured to the newspaper. It would not be easy to recognize whether cycle tracks are cleared, compared to the road lanes, the spokeswoman explained. Cycle tracks are not salted, therefore some snow would still remain on them even after clearing action, and as soon as snow falls again the cycle tracks would appear uncleared.

Nearly all of the Hamburg cycle tracks with usage charge are not cleared. In general the usage charge for any cycle track in Hamburg does not make any sense any more, because 4 month the year cyclist have to use the road lanes during winter time. The announcement of snow removal on some cycle tracks seems a joke to cyclists, for the politicians and authority the map will be a useful sheet of paper for presentations as European Green Capital.

www.hamburg.de The transportation authority´s cycle track snow clearing map. Many main roads with six or more lanes with cycle tracks are not included in the snow removal program. Although the obligation to use these cycle tracks still exist cyclist have to use the road lanes due to German road traffic act. But even nearly any of the marked cycle tracks got ever clearing action in December 2010.

Schanzenstraße cylce tracks should have been cleared, but cyclists still have to use the road lane
Der Radweg in der Schanzenstraße hätte geräumt sein sollen, aber Radfahrer müssen weiterhin auf der Fahrbahn fahren

Due to authority´s spokeswoman the Schanzenstraße cycle tracks had been cleared, but it wouldn´t be easy to recognize cleared cycle tracks, because some snow still has to remains on the cycle track. The sidewalk in front of the houses looks better cleaned than the snowy cycle track.
Der sogenannte "geräumte Radweg" in der Schanzenstraße grenzt dierekt an die parkenden Autos. Es sei nicht immer leicht die geräumten Radweg zu erkennen, weil immer etwas Schnee liegen bleiben müsse, so die Behördensprecherin

Millerntordamm: The sidewalk with the cyclist more or less been cleaned, the cycle track between road lane and sidewalk under the snow, that needs to remain on cleared cycle tracks due to the authority´s spokeswoman. This white cycle track has usage charge

Kaifuvelobrücke: Bridge on cycle route no. 3 should have been cleared due to the authority´s map

Kaifuvelobrücke: Bridge on cycle route no. 3 should have been cleared

Better: Cleared green cycle route in Copenhagen, December 2010
Besser: Geräumte grüne Veloroute in Kopenhagen, Dezember 2010

So-called "cleared" cycle route no. 3 and 4 at Neuer Jungfernstieg, as spokeswoman said. The white cycle track is located between fence and trees
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" entlang Velorouten 3 und 4 am Neuen Jungfernstieg, wie es die Behördensprecherin bezeichnet. Der weiße Radweg liegt zwischen Bäumen und Einzäunung.

So-called "cleared" cycle lane along cycle route no. 3 at Bogenstraße
Sogenannter "geräumter Radfahrstreifen" entlang Veloroute 3 in der Bogenstraße

Cycle lane along cycle route no. 3 at Bogenstraße without snow
Zum Vergleich: Radfahrstreifen entlang Veloroute 3 in der Bogenstraße, unverschneit

So-called "cleared" cycle lane along cycle route no. 3 at Bogenstraße

Bogenstraße cycle lanes without snow

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Doormannsweg / Fruchtallee

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Doormannsweg / cycle route no. 2
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" im Doormannsweg bei der Veloroute 2

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Doormannsweg / Alsenplatz
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" im Doormannsweg beim Alsenplatz

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Schulweg
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" am Schulweg

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Schulweg
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" am Schulweg

Cycling at Schulweg
Radfahren im Schulweg

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Baumwall
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" am Baumwall

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Vorsetzen
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" bei Vorsetzen

So-called "cleared" cycle track along cycle route no. 12 at Bei den St Pauli Landungsbrücken
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg" entlang Veloroute 12 bei den St. Pauli Landungsbrücken

Cycle track along cycle route no. 12 at Bei den St Pauli Landungsbrücken without "clearing action"
Zum Vergleich: Radweg entlang Veloroute 12 bei den St.Pauli Landungsbrücken, unverschneit

So-called "cleared" cycle track at St Pauli Fischmarkt - only the sidewalk is cleared

So-called "cleared" cycle track at St Pauli Fischmarkt - only the sidewalk is cleared

So-called "cleared" cycle track at St Pauli Fischmarkt - only the sidewalk is cleared

So-called "cleared" cycle track at St Pauli Fischmarkt - only the sidewalk is cleared

So-called "cleared" cycle track at St Pauli Fischmarkt - cyclist on the cleared sidewalk

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Breite Straße in December 2010

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Breite Straße in December 2010

So-called "cleared" cycle track along cycle route no. 1 at Neuer Kamp

Cycling at Neuer Kamp along cycle route no. 1

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Ludwig-Erhard-Straße

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Ludwig-Erhard-Straße, some days earlier

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Ludwig-Erhard-Straße, Michel

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Ludwig-Erhard-Straße, Michel

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Ludwig-Erhard-Straße, Michel
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg", Ludwig-Erhard-Straße am Michel

So-called "cleared" cycle track at Ludwig-Erhard-Straße, Michel
Sogenannter "geräumter Radweg", Ludwig-Erhard-Straße am Michel

Snowy cycle track at Grindelberg. This cycle track is not on the snow removal map of the traffic authority, and now it is a nice parking space for cars
Praktisch: Der nicht mehr erkennbare Radweg dient im Winter immerhin noch als "Parkplatz"

Not on the snow removal map: Cycle track at Hoheluftbrücke
Planmäßig kein Winterdienst vorgesehen: B-pflichtige Radwege Hoheluftbrücke

Not on the snow removal map: Cycle track at Hoheluftchaussee
Planmäßig kein Winterdienst vorgesehen: B-pflichtiger Radweg Hoheluftchaussee

Not on the snow removal map: Cycle track at Grindelallee
Planmäßig kein Winterdienst vorgesehen: Benutzungspflichtiger "Radweg" in der Grindelallee (zwischen Verkehrszeichen und Fahrbahn - der Radfahrer fährt auf dem Gehweg)

Not on the snow removal map: Cycle track at Grindelallee

Not on the snow removal map: Cycle track at Hoheluftbrücke
Planmäßig trotz Benutzungspflicht kein Winterdienst vorgesehen: Radwege Hoheluftbrücke

Not on the snow removal map: Cycle track at Fruchtallee
Planmäßig trotz Benutzungspflicht kein Winterdienst vorgesehen: Radweg in der Fruchtallee

Snow removal on cycle tracks could be like this:

Snow Removal on Copenhagen's Bike Lanes from Copenhagenize on Vimeo.
Thanks to copenhagenize.com



More about Winter cycling in Hamburg, Munich and Copenhagen:

• Umwelthauptstadt Hamburg: Today Hamburg got the award "European Green Capital" in Brussels

• Normal Business: Cycle winter in Copenhagen

• What a shame: Ultimate bike lane clearance in Copenhagen, but no snow clearance for cyclists in Hamburg

• Winter cycling: Radlhauptstadt Munich beats European Green Cypital Hamburg

• Perfect conditions for cyclists - winter traffic information system for cycle track network

• Winter is going to come this week - remember last winter cycling

• The status of Hamburg cycle tracks - christmas market celebrated on cycle tracks

• The ultimate bike lane snow clearance blogpost! (Copenhagenize.com)

• Moving more snow (Copenhagenize.com)