An Unsafe West-to-East Bicycle Route in Charlottenburg
Dear Parents, Teenagers, and Children,
Please support me in this matter—below is the email I sent to the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf District Assembly and the Transportation Committee:
Dear Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf District Assembly, Dear District Chairwoman Ms. Stückler (unfortunately, no email address is listed on the website), Dear Deputy District Chairwoman Ms. Kempf, Dear District Assembly Secretary Mr. Tillinger (unfortunately, no email address is listed on the website), Dear Mr. Schöne (Chair of the Transportation Committee), Dear District Mayor Ms. Bauch,
I really enjoy working as a pediatrician at Theodor-Heuss Platz in beautiful Charlottenburg. May I bring a matter to your attention? I ride my bike to and from the office every day from Mitte. Unfortunately, there is no safe bike route between Tiergarten and Theodor-Heuss Platz. This is very unfortunate.
The bike lane on Kantstraße is still the best route for cyclists. However, between Wilmersdorfer Straße and Theodor-Heuss-Platz—and especially when traveling in the opposite direction—it’s a daily source of fear and anxiety due to cars, buses, and trucks swerving dangerously into the lane, cars and trucks parked in the bike lane, and a completely unprotected bike path. That’s why I hate riding there and sometimes worry about whether I’ll make it home safely to my family. I’d rather take my bike on the train or bus for this stretch than expose myself to these dangers. I definitely would NOT want to ride my bike there with a child.
Who should I contact at your organization to help improve conditions along the bike route? What plans are in place to make the east-west route more appealing to cyclists? I would also be happy to take a bike ride with you along the various routes to demonstrate the problems.
Sincerely,
Dr. Bader, M.D.
P.S. On Reichsstraße, too, the bike lane could be moved between the parked cars and the sidewalk. Similarly, there is no well-marked, safe bike lane on some sections of Heerstraße. I am now gathering practical ideas so that I can later collect signatures in support of making the bike lanes in Charlottenburg safer. Please feel free to contact me.