Joint press release of the Greens in the Romans (Frankfurt am Main), the Green City Council Group Offenbach, the Green Local Associations Mühlheim and Hanau as well as Katy Walther, MdL and transport policy spokeswoman of the Green Parliamentary Group, Tarek Al-Wazir, MdB and Chairman of the Transport Committee of the Bundestag of 19.09.2025
Yesterday's Frankfurt policy decision on the Frankfurt-Offenbach-Mühlheim-Hanau high-speed bicycle connection (FRM 8) took another step towards a fast, safe and efficient bicycle connection for the four municipalities. With more than 2000 bike commuters per day, the FRM 8 has one of the greatest potentials in all of Hesse. As difficult as the implementation of this important regional infrastructure measure in the administrative and political field is, it would be as easy and fast to drive the route in reality. We want to do this together with all interested citizens and set an example for this transport artery of the future. Therefore, we invite you to a joint bike tour along the preferred variant. We are pleased that Katy Walther (MdL) will also ride along. Along the route, breaks are taken during which competent interlocutors, such as city councillor Robert Ahrnt in Mühlheim, can discuss the respective state of development and the challenges on site.
When? Sunday, 28.09.2025, 11 am
Start date: Ignatz-Bubis-Bridge (southern Main), Frankfurt am Main
End: Hanau-Klein-Auheim, approx. 2 p.m.
For those who still feel like a refreshment after the bike tour, head to the Äbbelschlabbefest of the Heimat- und Geschichteverein in RadWerk (directly on the Main-Radweg) in Hanau-Klein-Auheim.
On the basis of a potential study by the state of Hesse, the FrankfurtRheinMain Regional Association, together with the municipalities of Frankfurt am Main, Offenbach, Mühlheim and Hanau, had a feasibility study carried out for a rapid cycling connection. A route was developed and recommended for further implementation. Now the way is clear for the next stage of concrete planning.
“Quick cycling routes make it possible for the bicycle to become a real alternative in urban-urban transport. Strengthening cycling in everyday life, including on longer distances, is an important piece of the puzzle for healthy, quiet, space-saving and sustainable mobility for Hesse", said Dr Katharina Knacker, Chair of the Greens' Group and spokeswoman for mobility policy in the Romans.
“For Offenbach, the Southern Main Cycle Route is an ideal complement to the urban transport infrastructure. Already today, the measured commuter numbers to and from Frankfurt as well as Mühlheim and Hanau are by far the highest in urban cycling and are among the highest in all of Hesse", explains Offenbach Group Chairman Dr Sabrina Engelmann. ‘The nature of the rapid cycling route offers added value compared to the existing routes. This makes switching to the bike attractive and increases the potential of cyclists.”
"With the construction of the rapid cycle path through the city, inner-city cycling in Mühlheim would be raised to a new level," says Margit Früchtl-Staab, who sits in the local magistrate's office for the Mühlheimer GRÜNEN. ‘Most traffic takes place along the West-East axis and almost all residential areas in Mühlheim and Dietesheim are developed.’
From Hanau's perspective, Anja Zeller, spokeswoman for the district board of the GRÜNEN Main-Kinzig, adds: “To get to Frankfurt quickly and in a climate-friendly way, cycling needs the right offers. The flat region between Hanau, Mühlheim and Offenbach, and in the future even from Aschaffenburg, is predestined for a rapid cycle path.”
"There is hardly any other project in the transport sector that currently has as much benefit as the rapid cycle path between Hanau and Frankfurt", explains Katy Walther, spokeswoman for transport policy for the Greens in the Hessian Parliament and member of the Greens in the Offenbach district. “With the fast cycling connection, we reach over 80,000 people in their places of residence, 25,000 in their workplaces and 15,000 in schools and universities. Once completed, they can also commute by bike – an important contribution to real freedom of choice of means of transport.”
With a view to federal politics, the Chairman of the Transport Committee of the Bundestag and former Hessian Transport Minister Tarek Al-Wazir concludes: “Wheelways are not simply a better developed cycle path, but a very specific category of connection, specifically designed for medium distances of 15 kilometres or more. Rapid cycle paths are characterized by a few intersections, as straight a guide as possible and a good surface finish, which enable a consistently high speed of over 20 km/h and trouble-free driving. Especially in the Rhine-Main area, they are a new, additional component for transport infrastructure: Efficient, cost-effective and health-promoting; Near-mobility that is unbeatable.”
English (UK)