Host Nation Update, May 9, 2023
Böblingen- A 81 closed in the direction of Singen next weekend
The A 81 widening between Böblingen and Sindelfingen is due for its next closure. From Friday at 8 p.m. until Monday morning, the southbound lanes will be shifted to a temporary route. The next closure is scheduled as part of the A 81 widening project. From Friday, May 12, at 8 p.m. until Monday, May 15, at 5 a.m., both lanes in the direction of Singen will be closed between the exits Sindelfingen-Ost and Böblingen/Sindelfingen. A detour through Sindelfingen and via the B 464 to the Hulb exit is signposted. The A 81 will be widened to six lanes between the Sindelfingen-Ost and Böblingen-Hulb junctions by 2026. In addition, the Autobahn company responsible, Deges, is building an 850-meter-long overlay to protect residents from noise. In order to be able to prepare the cover, Autobahn traffic in the direction of Singen is now being shifted to a so-called “construction-period bypass”, i.e. two makeshift lanes. In the direction of Stuttgart, the A 81 remains open and there will be no traffic restrictions here. (BB Bote, May 9)
Disruption at the Hauptbahnhof railroad – How S-Bahn traffic was disrupted by a balloon
And once again, an abandoned balloon stops S-Bahn traffic – this time late Saturday evening between 9:10 and 11 p.m.. The helium-filled souvenir had floated against an overhead line at the underground S-Bahn station Hauptbahnhof. Fortunately, it was not a metal-coated balloon: “There was no arc, no short circuit, no bang, no smoke, the platform did not have to be evacuated,” says Denis Sobek, spokesman for the federal police. However, the fact that there was no damage was also the only good news.
Nevertheless, the evening train traffic was stopped – and the S-Bahn traffic with its many travelers, spring festival and Helene Fischer concert visitors got out of sync. Railroad AG technicians had to switch off the power and recover the balloon from the overhead line. “No train traffic was possible on the track on which the S-Bahn trains travel in the direction of Schwabstraße until about 10:45 p.m.,” said a railroad spokesman. To make sure that the overhead line had remained undamaged, a diesel locomotive started as a test train into the tunnel system in the direction of Vaihingen. However, long after that, the passenger jam had its aftermath: “Due to the closing of the Wasen and the end of the concert,” said police spokesman Sobek, “we had to set up block handling for the crowd at Bad Cannstatt station.” In this context, the railroad spokesman once again emphasized that “the carrying of rising balloons of any kind is prohibited in railroad stations”. This therefore also applies to helium-filled balloons without metal coating. This is also expressly pointed out in the house rules under point 1.19. Police spokesman Sobek recommends tying them to the wrist or packing them in a bag. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, May 9)
The Böblingen outdoor pool turns 70 – The first pool with a 10-meter tower in the area
A glance at the invitation makes it clear that there were great things to celebrate in the east of the city on August 1, 1953. Just eight years after Germany was liberated from dictatorship, Böblingen put an exclamation mark on its history. In the middle of the difficult times of reconstruction, the city opened its outdoor swimming pool. The new pools on Stuttgarter Straße were anything but a reflection of deprived post-war years. It had a 50-meter pool, a 10-meter diving tower, a non-swimmer’s pool with a slide, a paddling pool and huge sunbathing areas on the secluded “Hexenbuckel”: The sports and recreational facility offered everything on two hectares that the communities in the surrounding areas could only dream of at the time. On August 1, 1953, a long-cherished wish of the citizens of Böblingen came true. “In the past the water was at most twelve degrees Celsius at the beginning of the season.” There was no heating. Anyone who went into the water before Whitsun had to show toughness. Water temperatures of 24 degrees, which are standard today, were only achieved when the sun helped out. And in winter? “That’s when the brewery got the ice there to cool the beer. Even though the neighboring town of Sindelfingen launched a three times larger pool just eleven years later in 1964 and the 10-meter platform of the Böblingen diving tower has been closed for many years for safety reasons, this has not harmed the attractiveness to this day: Even after 70 years, 150,000 visitors still jump into the water in good summers. The Böblingen outdoor pool opens this Saturday, May 13, at 8 am. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, May 9)
For the seventh time in the Böblingen district – biking for climate protection
The district of Böblingen is taking part in the “Stadtradeln” campaign for the seventh time from July 2 to 22. In this competition, citizens collect as many kilometers as possible by bicycle within three action weeks and set an example for climate protection and personal well-being, writes the district office. At the same time, the whole thing is designed as a competition between municipalities or individual action groups. “The joy of cycling, a sense of community and some sporting competition – that’s ‘Stadtradeln’. Just leave your car behind for a change. Do something good for yourself, increase your well-being and contribute to active climate protection with every kilometer you cycle,” advertises District Administrator Roland Bernhard. Last year, 1.36 million kilometers were cycled in the district of Böblingen. This year, these figures are to be exceeded once again. The municipalities in the district of Böblingen are also actively participating in the campaign from June 27 to July 17. As motivation for the citizens, the top three communities with the most kilometers per capita will receive a bike check sponsored by the district and each participant will have the chance to win one of ten bike rack bags. Finally, on Saturday, July 22, the bicycle festival “Cycle Days” will take place in Böblingen. For this, the Schlossbergring will become a race track, there will be various short bike races and many activities. For more information, visit www.cycledays.de on the web. Anyone who lives, works, attends school or belongs to a club in the district of Böblingen can take part in the city cycling event. The kilometers cycled are recorded automatically online or conveniently using the Stadtradeln app. All information and the possibility to register for a team is available online at: www.stadtradeln.de/landkreis-boeblingen. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten, May 9)