Council's impending verdict on citizen's plea in Langen

Langen's Cycling Referendum Faces Rejection

In the small town of Langen, a citizen initiative aimed at promoting cycling has faced setbacks. The initiative, which has been identified by the magistrate as having formal and material defects, is likely to be rejected by the city council on December 5.

The rejection of the cycling referendum stems from several issues. Firstly, the initiative failed to meet the necessary formal requirements due to many invalid signatures, resulting in an insufficient number of eligible voters being reached. Additionally, the initiative lacked a clear question and a justification, further impeding its validity.

The magistrate also criticized the insufficient cost coverage proposal of the cycling referendum. The estimated implementation costs of around 700,000 euros are no longer up-to-date due to increased construction costs and the collection of signatures over several years.

Despite this rejection, the promotion of cycling in Langen remains important, according to Mayor Stefan Löbig. He stated that due to these deficiencies, the city council will have to reject the cycling referendum. However, further improvements for cyclists are still planned in Langen.

One such project is the Frankfurt - Darmstadt cycle expressway, an outstanding initiative aimed at improving the situation for commuters, leisure, and sports cyclists in Langen.

The city's tight financial situation makes it difficult to fully realize all wishes and ideas for promoting cycling in Langen. Nevertheless, the city council will discuss the admissibility of the cycling referendum in a meeting on November 12.

It is worth noting that the Hessian Municipal Code does not consider traffic measures as a "matter of importance to the community" in the sense of a valid citizens' initiative. This means that such initiatives, while well-intentioned, must adhere to strict formal requirements to be considered for a vote by the city council or an equivalent local decision-making body.

In conclusion, while the cycling referendum in Langen may not proceed as planned, the town's commitment to improving cycling infrastructure remains steadfast. The Frankfurt - Darmstadt cycle expressway and other planned improvements demonstrate this commitment, and we can expect to see continued efforts to make Langen a more bike-friendly town in the future.