State and Regio Bregenzerwald present new cycle path study. Two variants will now be examined more closely.
So now it is: Of the two cycle path variants that send the state and the Bregenzerwald region into the decision-making process, one leads through the Achal valley. Provincial Councilor Daniel Zadra (Greens, 38) recently said that a cycle path was not being pursued there at the moment.
On Monday, the results of the alternative examination for a cycle path through the Ach Valley were presented to the public. There were a total of eight variants in the game that were tested. We now want to take a closer look at two variants.
procedural risk
In a next step, in addition to the traffic effectiveness, the legal procedural risk should also be clarified. “What I don’t want is that we produce a second S 18 in the area of cycling,” emphasizes the provincial councilor. Six variants were eliminated due to traffic planning, ecological and structural criteria. Variants 3 and 7 remain. The aim is for the best variant to be on the table by the beginning of next year at the latest.
Advantages and disadvantages of the variants
Variant 3 runs mostly along the former forest railway route from Kennelbach to Egg through the Ach Valley, with two tunnels each around 500 meters long being planned in particularly sensitive areas.
Variant 7 leads from Schwarzach through the Schwarzachtobel, runs from the Achrain tunnel on a hill above the existing road, runs through Alberschwende on a new route and along the Bregenzerwald Straße (L 200) as a pedestrian and cycle path alongside the road to Egg.
What speaks for the variant through the Achal? The slight difference in altitude of 138 meters and the direct route, the majority of the areas are public property, and the path could also represent added value for tourism. On the other hand, the path does not lead directly past the settlement areas, there are conflicts with protected areas and operation in winter has not been clarified.
The variant through the Schwarzachtobel, on the other hand, has a higher potential for everyday traffic, as it connects the most populous communities to the Rhine Valley, has a short route length and uses existing structures. Weaknesses are that the communities north of the Ach are not connected to the Rhine Valley, the route along the L 200 and through the Schwarzachtobel is not very attractive, 130 to 150 landowners would have to be replaced and the question of organizing traffic on the Schwarzachtobelstraße, which is necessary for motor vehicle traffic would only be passable in one lane, has not been clarified.
Around 70 million euros
One thing is already certain: A cycle path connection from the Bregenzerwald to the Rhine Valley will definitely be expensive. The costs, including VAT and a certain reserve for implementation in the future, are between 62.7 million euros (Achtal) and 70.4 million euros (Schwarzachtobel).
“I said at the time”
Speaking of the Achalweg: In an interview that appeared in the April issue of the Bregenzerwald newspaper, Provincial Councilor Daniel Zadra said: “I see the potential for a cycle path – also for commuters – but it is not being pursued in the Achtal at the moment, because of geology, costs and Natura 2000 protection. If we were to choose the route through the Ach Valley, we would, as you rightly say, massively intervene in a Natura 2000 area that is subject to very rigorous protection regulations for good reason. But there should be a footpath, a path, even if it requires a certain level of physical fitness.” Zadra confirmed this statement to the UN.
On Monday he said: He said “currently” in the interview. “It was my statements back then that the procedural risk is the key point because we are in the Natura 200 area. In cooperation with the Bregenzerwald region, we are of the opinion that you have to see whether you can go into a procedure with such a route with a clear conscience. This is not a question of belief, but a question of knowledge.” He, Zadra, still considers implementation to be rather unlikely, he adds.
