Road safety: City of Korbach and district examine measures
In order to further improve road safety in the town of Korbach and its districts, the town of Korbach and the district of Waldeck-Frankenberg are currently working on various measures for Nordenbeck, Lelbach and Meineringhausen as well as for the town centre.
Individual solution for each district
Whether pedestrian crossings, speed limits or traffic lights on demand: as part of the analysis, which is also accompanied by a traffic survey, various options have been and will continue to be explored, for example to make it easier and safer to cross the main roads in the districts. "We are currently exploring various options in an open-ended investigation - together with the road construction authority Hessen Mobil and the Waldeck-Frankenberg police department," report District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst and Mayor Stefan Kieweg from a working meeting with their specialist departments. "From this, we are developing individual solutions for each individual district, which we will then gradually implement."
30 km/h speed limit in Nordenbeck, Lelbach and Lengefeld
Some concrete results have already been achieved: In Nordenbeck, Lelbach and Lengefeld, for example, the town and district authorities have decided to impose a speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour in the town centre in the area of the kindergarten and the pedestrian crossing or children's playground. According to road traffic regulations, kindergartens, playgrounds and pedestrian crossings are classed as "facilities worthy of protection", meaning that a speed limit in the immediate vicinity of these facilities is also permitted on roads used by inter-urban traffic.
As part of the traffic safety measures, the town centre is also being looked at - in particular the crossing aid on the Westring, which leads to the new Laake "KorBerg" children's play park. A speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour is also being examined here in order to make the crossing even safer at this point. However, a final decision has yet to be made. The speed limit on Schlesische Strasse in the city centre has also been set at 30 kilometres per hour.
Speed restrictions are also currently being examined in Strother Wald on the uphill and downhill sections of district road 15 and on state road 3076 between Korbach and Nordenbeck at the junction with district road 57 at the cycle path crossing. In Nordenbeck, the existing bus stop is also to be made barrier-free. The applications for funding for the construction work at the bus stop and the road through the town will be submitted by the town of Korbach for 2027.
Examination of on-demand traffic lights in Meineringhausen and Lelbach
In Lelbach, discussions are also continuing as to whether the pedestrian crossing should be replaced by on-demand traffic lights. The question of installing a traffic light on demand is also currently being considered in Meineringhausen. However, a speed limit of 30 kilometres per hour could also be considered here. The results of the traffic surveys, in which the number of vehicles and pedestrians is evaluated, will be decisive for the decision. After the survey period, which will last several months, the figures will be analysed and incorporated into the final decision.
Balance between road safety and traffic flow
One thing is certain: The city of Korbach and the district take the entire urban area into consideration when making their judgements. District Administrator Jürgen van der Horst explains why decisions here are not always easy: "Every speed limit and every on-demand traffic light represents an intervention in road traffic. We have to strike a balance between road safety, mobility and traffic flow within the framework of legal regulations." Restrictive measures must be precisely justified. "We want to make road traffic as safe as possible for everyone involved, but also as smooth as possible. We therefore make decisions on traffic restrictions very carefully - after weighing up all the arguments and in consultation with all those involved."