Host Nation Update, April 4, 2024
Böblingen-Stuttgart “highway cycle road” – Cyclists will soon be able to cross Panzerstraße safely
At the moment, not much seems to be happening at the construction site for the first cycle “highway” bridge in the state of B-W. Construction fences, piles of sand and containers can be seen on both sides of Panzerstraße (K 1057) in Böblingen. But that is soon to change. “The steel construction work is currently underway in the production hall,” explains Benjamin Lutsch, spokesman for the Böblingen district office. Work on the construction site should continue towards the end of April.
Where the bridge is being built – just before the junction with Römerstrasse and Waldburgstrasse – the cycle highway (RS 1) from Stuttgart-Rohr to Böblingen-Ost crosses the busy district road. With around 20,000 vehicles per day using Panzerstrasse, this is currently still a danger point for all cyclists. Despite the traffic island, it is not easy to cross the road during rush hour.
Furthermore, the stopping for crossing the road hinders the average speed that cyclists should be able to achieve on a highway – 20 kilometers per hour. The 200-metre-long bridge, which can also be used on foot, is therefore seen as urgently needed by both the city and the district of Böblingen.
For many cyclists, however, the bridge is placed at the wrong spot. Those familiar with the area prefer to take the so-called sandy path past the Spatzensee lake to the AWO forest home – and vice versa. This not only saves distance compared to the cycle highway, but also a good 20 meters in altitude.
Based on a potential analysis carried out by the city of Stuttgart in 2020, the district assumes that 3,000 cycle journeys a day across the bridge would be realistic.
The cycle bridge is set to cost 5.8 million euros. More than three quarters of the amount will be paid by the state of Baden-Württemberg and the federal government. Around 3.8 million euros came from the state road construction budget, while the federal government contributed 770,000 euros from its special cycle highway program. According to the district administration spokesperson, there have been no cost increases since the money for the construction work arrived in the district account.
In recent years, there have been repeated discussions as to whether the construction of such a high-speed cycle bridge is even possible at this location. This is because the Böblingen city council had actually decided in 2016 that the forest that had once been cleared should also be reforested in Böblingen. And 0.3 hectares had to be cleared for the bridge. In 2022, however, the decision was made in favor of the bridge. The cleared forest was to be reforested in Aidlingen – the way was clear for the cycle bridge. A year and a half later, the ground-breaking ceremony took place.
The bridge is due to be completed in October – with a slight delay. The original plan was to complete the bridge work in September of this year. “The work is going well according to plan,” emphasizes spokesperson Lutsch. (Stgt Nachrichten, April 2, 2024)
Parkrun on April 13 – Fitness, friendship – and substantial discussions
“Eye of the Tiger…”. Even movie boxer Rocky Balboa got carried away by it. Now the Survivor song can be heard at the dinosaur playground behind the Natural History Museum at Löwentor. Not that the 70 people doing their laps there need to be carried away. They come to the Rosensteinpark Parkrun motivated. It starts there every Saturday at 9 a.m. local time, like all parkruns worldwide. There are 2,300 in 22 countries, according to Runner’s World magazine. Participants of all levels and ages can run, walk or run for five kilometers free of charge – anyone can and wants to, without any pressure to perform. The Rosensteinpark Parkrun has been running since June 4, 2022 and will take place for the 100th time on April 13. With music, of course – and sometimes with muffins. David Liebmann, who has been on board almost from the start and is now the run director, has baked a lemon version. “Everyone brings something, we have our own playlist and everyone takes it in turns to contribute.” Those who are not running can volunteer as helpers, check the course, brief new runners, take their time, hand out finish tokens with barcodes, read them in, watch the finish line to make sure no one gets lost. After all, parkrun is also about community. It has evolved from the Bushy Park Time Trial and 13 running meet-ups – Initiated in 2004 by runner Peter Paul Sinton-Hewitt, it is a global, free and inclusive grassroots sports movement with almost 300,000 participants. There are 59 locations in Germany where the parkrun started in 2017, with Stuttgart Kräherwald being one of the first stops on May 5, 2018. It was brought there by Brit Christopher Greenaway after he “fell in love” with parkrun while on vacation in England and “didn’t want a long-distance relationship”. He was inspired by the running, the warm atmosphere and the diverse community. “There were 300 people there of all different ages and backgrounds, a reflection of society.” (Stgt Nachrichten, April 4, 2024)
Spring Festival in Plattenhardt (Filderstadt district) with a circus at the industrial area
On the first weekend in April, the spring festival will once again take place on the Plattenhardt industrial area. The more than 30 exhibitors listed on the festival homepage include local specialist companies and service providers from various sectors, as well as institutions and clubs from Filderstadt. We have the most important information about the festival. The spring festival is on Saturday and Sunday, April 6 and 7, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with stores and businesses opening at 12 noon on Sunday. The official opening of the two-day event will take place on Saturday at 1 pm at the Hörz Technik-Center. to avoid traffic and parking chaos, a free bus service will be offered for the (shop) open Sunday. The shuttles run in a circular route through the Filderstadt districts and also start at the fairground in Bernhausen.
Entertainment The spring festival is explicitly aimed at families. For children, there will be a bouncy castle, a carousel, face painting, pony rides, a bobby car course and a bungee trampoline. For adults, there will be e-bike tests, cooking and baking demonstrations, competitions and health activities.
Nobody has to go home hungry. The organizers have announced an extensive catering offer: The menu ranges from pizza to grilled sausages, Maultaschen, pork neck and Turkish specialties to coffee and cake and plenty of sweets.
Further information can be found on the event’s homepage at: www.fruehlingsfest-plattenhardt.de. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, April 3, 2024)