"Ghost cyclists please turn around" is a campaign within the framework of "Safe Cycling".
In this campaign, a pictogram is sprayed on the road at selected locations. The aim is to draw cyclists' attention to the correct use of cycle paths.
This is a cooperation project between the Minden-Lübbecke police and the city of Minden.
The signs will be applied to the following cycle paths in Minden:
- Kaiserstraße between Wesertor and the train station
- Stiftsallee between Ringstraße and Hessenring
- Hahler Straße between Ringstraße and Wittelsbacher Allee
- Königstraße between Ringstraße and Preußenring
There are many cycle paths that may or must be used. You can find tips on this on the right-hand side under the heading "Paths for cycle traffic".
The city of Minden has been a bicycle-friendly city in North Rhine-Westphalia since 1996. The Weser cycle path is also a highly frequented cycle path by many "cyclists". As a result, the bicycle is an important means of transportation in the Mühlenkreis district.
However, this is also reflected in the accident situation in the Minden-Lübbecke district:
- Cyclists are involved in almost a quarter (23.2%) of all road accidents.
- After car occupants, cyclists are the second largest group of road users involved in accidents with 225 people.
- In Minden, cyclists even accounted for 38.6% (99 people) of the casualties in 2015. In the first two months of this year, 12 cyclists have already had accidents here.
- When evaluating the causes of cycling accidents in Minden, it can be seen that around 38% of accidents were caused by cyclists and 62% by motorists (and other motor vehicle drivers).
The use of cycle paths on the left-hand side of the road is a frequent cause of accidents. In 2015, 13% of all accidents involving cyclists involved the use of the wrong (left-hand) cycle lane. However, this continues a positive trend from the last two years (2014 = 14% and 2013 = 13%). In 2012 it was still 22% and in 2011 even 27% of accidents involved the wrong cycle lane.
This is why the spray-painted ghost cyclist symbols are used to appeal to cyclists: "Ghost cyclists please turn around (this is not the right cycle path!)".