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Dispute over Zunderbaum: Bexbach and Kirkel in a traffic trap!
Find out the current developments in the Saarpfalz district: dispute over emergency access to the Zunderbaum industrial area and traffic issues.
Dispute over Zunderbaum: Bexbach and Kirkel in a traffic trap!
A current proposal is causing heated discussions in the Bexbach city council. The possible opening of the emergency access to the commercial area at Zunderbaum not only puts traffic routing to the test, but also the cooperation with the neighboring communities of Kirkel and Homburg. According to a report from the Saarbrücker Zeitung, the Kirkel local council is considering allowing regular traffic to use the recently extended xenon road, whereas previously only emergency vehicles were allowed to use it. In order to make an informed decision, a traffic count is currently being carried out to better assess the traffic volume.
Mayor Michael Forster of Homburg has meanwhile called on the cities of Bexbach and Kirkel to take joint responsibility for the “Gesamt-Zunderbaum” business location. With the planned settlement of the logistics company Fiege, a significant increase in traffic on the B423 is expected. Forster expressed the desire for a fully-fledged traffic intersection on the B423, especially when selling the Zunderbaum II area to Fiege. In this context, opening the emergency exit is intended to help ease traffic and relieve congestion at the Zunderbaum/Berliner Straße/B423 intersection.
Dispute over Tinder Tree plans
But not everyone agrees with these plans. Bexbach fears that opening the emergency exit will above all place an additional burden on Kleinottweiler and endanger traffic safety in the region. The city council has requested that no further measures be taken to settle in the Zunderbaum industrial area until these development problems have been clarified. What is criticized is the insufficient consideration of traffic impacts in the current land-use planning. There are even demands that Homburg first get its own traffic problems at the Zunderbaum under control.
The focus is now on the construction site meetings, including citizen and sponsor participation, which were originally planned for the summer, as compensatory measures could also be necessary to compensate for interventions in nature. Homburg's building authority is now coordinating discussions with the State Office for Road Construction (LfS) and plans to hold citizen participation this fall.
Mobility as a future topic
On a broader level, the question of mobility is also a key concern. Studies by the Federal Ministry for Digital Affairs and Transport show that the use of cars plays a major role in almost half of all journeys in our region. The mobility transition aims to promote environmentally friendly means of transport and reduce individual motorized transport. To achieve this, cities and municipalities are the main actors and need precise data to plan and implement sustainable mobility offers.
The digital twin project TwinCity3D could make a valuable contribution here by collecting high-resolution data about urban greenery, traffic and development and clarifying this for planning solutions. Almost every route in the city could be better evaluated and optimized in terms of pedestrian friendliness, cycling options and accessibility to city centers in order to improve citizens' mobility.
The course has been set for transport development in the region, but whether all players will pull together remains to be seen. A good hand in planning could be crucial to both protecting the interests of residents and meeting their mobility needs.