Innsbruck and Tyrol reject bike path to Igls

Innsbruck and the state of Tyrol have rejected plans for a bike path along the steep and winding road to the city district of Igls, ORF reported. The route carries heavy bicycle and motor traffic, and cyclists have called for a dedicated path for years.

The Innsbruck coalition government’s programme mentions implementing completed concepts for local and regional cycling and mountain bike routes, including connections to Vill and Igls. Herwig Zöttl, a Liste Fritz member of the Tyrol parliament and former representative of Igls, has campaigned for a bike path along the L9 road for years.

“Cyclists naturally become stressed when a lorry or bus is behind them, travelling slowly and also coming under pressure because it wants to continue and the cyclist cannot get off,” Zöttl said.

Mathias Schweighofer, spokesman for the Tyrol cycling lobby, called the route the “Brenner motorway” of cycling. It is used by residents of Igls, recreational cyclists and the official Munich to Venice long-distance cycle route. Many navigation apps also suggest the road as a route towards Igls and the Brenner.

“The plans for this bike path have been in drawers for years,” Schweighofer said. He criticised what he described as a standstill, and in some cases setbacks, on key cycling projects in Innsbruck.

City cites difficult terrain

In a written response, the city said the traffic situation was repeatedly raised by residents. Innsbruck and Tyrol had been examining a suitable cycling connection to Igls for many years.

Investigations had shown that the options were “difficult or impossible to implement” because of the terrain, complex land ownership and the high construction and operational costs, the city said. Along the L9 in particular, the substantial difference in elevation, the resulting gradients and the required engineering structures posed significant challenges. The state of Tyrol gave the same response.

The authorities pointed to the planned expansion of the cycling connection from Innsbruck to Aldrans. They also referred to an upgraded existing route via Innsbruck-Süd, Gärberbach and Handlhofweg to Vill.

Schweighofer and Zöttl do not consider those routes a solution. The connection via Aldrans would be twice as long, Schweighofer said, and its expansion would take years because the route had not yet been decided.

Zöttl said the route via Gärberbach offered at least a chance to reach Igls with no or reduced motor traffic. However, it was not a good alternative because it involved climbing more metres.

Cyclists report unsafe passing distances

During an on-site visit, both motorists and cyclists supported a bike path. A cycle tourist said the situation was unpleasant for cyclists as well as drivers. An Igls resident said groups sometimes rode side by side, including groups with children, which she described as very dangerous.

The cycling lobby identified insufficient passing distances as a particular problem. A test using an uncalibrated distance-measuring device found that the legal minimum passing distance of 1.5 metres in built-up areas and two metres outside them was often not observed.

“The data we recorded here shows that almost 75 percent of the measurements fell below this value. This is not a minor offence; it puts people’s lives at risk,” Schweighofer said.

He said that even without physical contact, the air displacement from a passing vehicle could cause a cyclist to fall. Schweighofer called for warning signs and bicycle symbols painted on the road on critical routes such as the Igler Straße.

The city said such measures would be a useful addition to cycling infrastructure. The traffic department of Innsbruck’s city police command said it had not observed a concentration of injury crashes involving bicycles on the route.