Dispute over green phase: traffic lights in Munich remains unchanged!

Dispute over green phase: traffic lights in Munich remains unchanged!

Pasing-Obermenzing, Deutschland - The discussion about the traffic light circuits in Munich is picking up on speed. The focus is particularly on the pedestrian traffic light on Verdistraße, the green phase of which recently turned out to be a hot topic in a citizens' meeting. On March 18, 2025, the wish was expressed there to extend the green times. Despite this clear demand, the city sees no need for changes to the signal circuit, such as the tz reported.

The current situation shows that the existing green phase of the pedestrian traffic lights on Verdistraße is 14 seconds, in cases in which local public transport (public transport) is affected, even only 11 seconds. The protection time is 13 seconds, which means that pedestrians have a total of 27 seconds (24 seconds at public transport) to cross safely. However, the district committee (BA) has expressed concerns about the calculation of the walking speed. The average speed of 1.2 meters per second is considered too high, which is why a reduction is required to 1.0 or even 0.8 meters per second.

a strong word of the district committee

The BA chairman Frieder Vogelsgesang from the CSU questioned the uniform application of the speed basis and referred to the peculiarities of pedestrians in this area. Interestingly, the police have confirmed that the position is not considered the focus of the accident. Nevertheless, the question remains whether the current regulations meet the needs of pedestrians.

A look outside the box shows that similar discussions are also held elsewhere. At the southern bypass in Meinerzhagen, where school starts and many children are traveling to the primary school on which, the CDU councilor Udo Kritschker commented on a too fast switching to red. The spokeswoman for the Märkische Kreis, Ursula Erkens, emphasized how important it is to give the pedestrians enough time to safely cross the street. This shows that not only in Munich, but also in other cities, the traffic light circuits are perceived as a sensitive topic.

protection for pedestrians and innovative approaches

pedestrian lights have existed in Germany since the 1930s, with the aim of protecting unprotected road users. They are designed nationwide so that pedestrians can come to the middle of the road before the traffic light changes to red. Factors such as pedestrian volumes and age groups of the crossing plays a crucial role. There are various measures to reduce speeds that are practiced in many European countries to promote the safe crossing of roads - including in traffic -calmed areas in Germany, where only step speed is allowed.

innovations in the traffic regulation also increase, pedestrian lights are increasingly being equipped with additional information and signaling technology in order to increase safety when crossing, especially for children and seniors. It remains to be seen which measures the city of Munich will take to meet the matters of pedestrians and to improve security on the streets.