Hamburg's cycle paths: a lot invested, but hardly used!

Hamburg's cycle paths: a lot invested, but hardly used!

Hamburg-Mitte, Deutschland - Hamburg has been investing strongly in cycle path construction for five years. A total of 293 kilometers have been created or modernized in these years. However, despite these remarkable efforts, a current look at the numbers shows that the potential of cycling is still not fully exploited. Development City.de reports that the average traffic of the bicycle traffic on working days between 2021 and 2024 has only increased by a leaner.

compare the first quarter of 2024 with the same period 2025, it shows a slight increase of 1.75 percent. Nevertheless, there are critical voices that denounce the focus of the measures as ideologically motivated. In particular, the CDU calls for pragmatic transport policy and criticizes, for example, the elimination of parking spaces and the expansion of less used bike tracks. According to the figures in 2024, bicycle traffic has even dropped by one percent compared to the previous year. This decline raises questions. How can the potential of the cyclists be used better?

urban changes and new authorities

Another focus is on the new authority for traffic and mobility transition, which was founded in order to meet the increasing need for environmentally friendly mobility. This responsibility was previously in the SPD-led economic department. The blocking of the Jungfernstieg for private car traffic and the introduction of a 4.75 meter wide "XXL wheel lane" on the Ballindamm, where a lane for motorized vehicles was removed, also attracted special attention. Also in the green area, a rethink seems to be a standstill, because the Greens have doubled their share of votes in the election of the citizens in February 2020.

In 2020, 62 kilometers of cycle paths were rebuilt or renovated, which corresponds to a remarkable increase of 63 percent compared to the previous year. Hamburg ADFC shows that bicycle traffic is increasing by over 30 percent this year. Measures such as the opening of protected bicycle strips and the planned extensions in the bike out network are perceived positively by many cyclists, but the experience report on security and comfort is left behind the expectations.

outlook: a balanced transport system

The red-green Senate refers to the nationwide study "Mobility in Germany", which documents an increase in environmental association- eaching public transport, foot and bicycle traffic- from 61 percent in 2008 to 71 percent in 2023. Since 2022, the proportion of the environmental association has overtaken the use of motorized private transport.

Nevertheless, there is a discrepancy between the political demands and the actual mobility behavior of the citizens. Many cyclists see the potential for improvement again. The slow changes in traffic are often difficult to grasp, and the long -term establishment of Hamburg as a bicycle city depends heavily on the acceptance and use of these new systems. The developments show that there is still a lot of work before everyone involved to really get cycling in Hamburg.