Sonthofen: Shared spaces for emission-free mobility

The “cycling town” of Sonthofen in Germany wants to encourage more people to switch from car to bike and thereby save CO₂. Even before the participation in the pilot action, numerous measures such as widened bike lanes, covered bike parking, the promotion of cargo bikes, or a bike rental at the new Radlbahnhof (bike station) had been implemented in addition to a cycling concept that involved the population.

However, one place hindered the transition to a low-carbon mobility concept: the pedestrian zone which didn’t cope well with the increasing new mobility. Pedestrians and cyclists who use the narrow streets came into conflict. With the support of Germany, the Institute for Environmental Planning and Spatial Development (ifuplan) from Munich implemented a conflict analysis the traffic. In the founded ‘Netzwerk fahrRAD’, a citizens council, suitable measures were discussed with the town administration. For example, speed displays in the pedestrian zone, which on the one hand provide a monitoring of the situation  and on the other hand – where necessary – call for more attentiveness.