It is one of the important east-west routes through erlangen for which the city changed the traffic routing on monday. But even a long lead time with numerous announcements up to rough signs with illuminated lettering in the past weeks do not seem to have made clear to every car driver how it is now with the one-way street in front of the clinic.
The street maximiliansplatz, that is the extension of the new street in front of the surgery and the hospital, is a one-way street since monday. From the east of the city, i.E. Coming from the direction of the audimax and the philosophenturm, it is only possible to drive through to the corner of ostliche stadtmauerstrabe. There’s a one-way street sign there. A bright blue stripe on the road indicates that only emergency services, buses and cyclists are now allowed to drive in a separate lane.
With this mabnahme the city tries to cope with the problem of mass transit traffic. Anyone coming from the east in the direction of the city center or the highway now has to go the other way. On the one hand, the four-lane werner-von-siemens-strabe is planned as an alternative route to the A73. On the other hand, traffic will now increase to the north via the palmsanlage and the spardorfer and essenbacher strabe (around the burgberg). The city hopes that the one-way street regulation in front of the university hospital will ease the situation, especially for the residents of the new street.
Around 12.000 cars a day squeeze through the narrow street. It is hoped that the one-way street will lead to a significant reduction in the number of refugees. Only 4500 vehicles a day are expected to increase. In addition to the one-way street, traffic-calming measures are currently being taken. In front of the student pub kanapee, for example, plant cubes have been erected and bicycle stands installed. In addition, the current parking on the sidewalk will be shifted to the street. In a trial run, the city wants to observe the mabnahme and analyze how traffic volumes are increasing elsewhere.
That the clinical city of erlangen, which has 60.000 commuters, is not structurally designed for these traffic numbers, is known not only to the city’s leaders. The clinic’s management is also aware of the problem.
Heinrich iro, medical director of the university hospital, described the situation as threatening the existence of the hospital during a press conference some time ago. On the one hand, he was referring to the threat of gridlock and the glaring lack of parking spaces at the clinic. 1500 parking spaces are missing for employees alone, some of whom can no longer afford the rent in erlangen and have to commute in from further away. A disadvantage for the university hospital as an employer. There is a shortage of around 600 parking spaces for visitors and patients. But the city wants to take countermeasures with new parking garages once the university has moved out of the site on bismarckstrabe, which may take a few more years.