EICH – The L 440 between Eich and the ferry to Gernsheim is a route on which people like to drive a few km / h faster than allowed. No wonder, since the big intersection in the center of the town is almost five kilometers straight to the Rhine – and vice versa, of course. A few hundred meters away, also in the local area on Gernsheimer Strasse. For a long time, residents have been bothered by the razors that heat up to the ferry to catch them, or that come from it and drive into town.
A resident of the L 440, who lived just outside, had enough in the past year and started a signature campaign, in which more than 120 residents took part. Their common wish: finally a speed limit of 70 kilometers per hour to the lakes a few hundred meters outside the village and a ban on overtaking. The collected signatures went to District Administrator Heiko Sippel, the municipality and the local municipality, which also advocated that a speed limit be set up. But all hope was in vain.
The district administration as the responsible road traffic authority has refused to put up appropriate traffic signs. “In order to impose a speed limit for safety reasons, there must be an atypical, specific and special danger situation compared to other routes,” says the district administration. This is given “if an increased risk of accident compared to other routes is sufficiently probable”. However, this is not the case for the section of the L 440 between Eich and the ferry.
This is the result of an on-site appointment with the LBM and the road maintenance department at the end of last year and a meeting of the traffic accident commission with the LBM and police a few weeks ago. “As a result of the consideration, no further measures were initiated,” writes the district administration.
Last fall, LBM director Bernhard Knoop pointed out that accident statistics also played a role in deciding where to put which traffic signs. “Traffic signs lose their effectiveness and meaning if they are set up in the traffic area without these standards. The road user simply doesn’t notice them anymore, ”he said.
And even if the route is often driven too fast – it is not known to be an accident hazard. If you like, that’s exactly the bad luck of the residents. They will probably only shake their heads at the rejection. And hope that, despite the frenzy, nothing too bad will happen in the future.
