Pictures!

Hey, folks!  We're starting to get caught up, and I've added pictures to all of our posts.  Hopefully we'll be able to continue including them in all our posts hereafter.

Goodnight from Geneva!

Munich Bicycle Planner Interview

The building that houses the Bicycle Planning Offices in Munich.

We met early Monday morning with a bicycle transportation planner for the City of Munich who was incredibly helpful. She spoke fairly good English, and between that and our German we were able to communicate freely for more than an hour and a half. This is a combination of our notes and the information we got from her.

She has had some experience leading bicycle tours around the city, and felt that our proposed tour of 20 cyclists was a little ambitious. We agreed that the better plan would be to divide the group and take groups of ten or so that would be more successful staying together through busy intersections and short traffic signals.

One of the sites she visited with clients on a previous tour during the Velocity 2007 conference in Munich was a new housing development called Teresienhoehe, which sits to the West of the old city on the site of an old trade fair.

We asked her about construction projects we had seen out of the windows of the train on our way back and forth from Petershausen that appeared to be shut down. There were several large buildings that were recently completed or nearly finished that stood empty, with maybe one or two workers on the entire site. We wondered if the economic crisis was hampering the projects, but the projects have actually been very successful. They started putting in apartments and other housing there first, and are now building office buildings as well. She said the buildings are only empty because they are still very new.

Covered bike parking at a train station outside Munich.

There is an off-street bike road being put in between the Munich Hauptbahnhof (Central Train Station) and Pasing, a train station and city district on the West end of the city, where much of the construction was happening. This would enable people living in the newly built apartments to commute easily by bike into the city center for work or play.

In 2002, 10% of all trips in the city of Munich were taken on bicycles. By 2008, that had increased to 14%. Their current goal for 2015 is 17%, a conservative number they may have already reached.

Blumenstrasse in Munich.

She mentioned the intersection at Sendlinger Tor as one of the problematic areas in the city. It is very crowded, with high volumes of streetcar, car, bike, and pedestrian traffic. On Blumenstrasse, a street branching off from that intersection, they have taken space from cars to provide bike routes. Until this year, taking lanes from cars was only allowed if analysis showed would not impede vehicle traffic in any way. The street had to be able to carry the same traffic volume at the same speed, or the redesign would not go through. Over the last 30 years, the bicycle advocates have worked to stay within these guidelines and have now exhausted all the streets where this is possible.

A new policy in place this year in June is more lenient on the bicycle planners taking space from automobiles. They're piloting their new program by targeting four streets near the city center:

-Lindwurmstrasse, which currently has very narrow bike paths on the sidewalks, will have bike lanes added to the street.
-Briennerstrasse, Rosenheimerstrasse, and Kapuzinerstrasse will be redesigned to connect existing fragments of bike lanes along the streets.

The city council is supporting this plan, and has asked the bicycle transportation department to design the streets and show what space they will be taking from cars, whether it is driving lanes or parking spaces.

Removing parking spaces within the city becomes an issue because parking is already so limited. Most of the pre-WWII housing units have no on site parking. It wasn't required until 1939 when Adolf Hitler decreed that all new houses must be built with garages. The narrow streets in the old city also make street parking difficult. These factors make it politically difficult to take space from cars to add bike lanes, just like in America. In Germany, public opinion seems to be that it is the City's responsibility to provide space for people to park their cars, not a personal problem they should solve themselves.

The public transportation department is also very politically powerful in Munich, which is reputed to have the best transit system in Germany. This means space cannot be taken from transit routes to provide bicycle infrastructure, sometimes including car lanes that are used by city buses.

Bikes chained to a fence on the side of a bike road.

We noticed on our rides over the weekend that there was little organized bike parking. Riders seemed to just chain their bicycles to each other or any immovable thing they could get a lock around. This created problems when paths or sidewalks were severely constricted by bikes stacked three deep on either side. A survey was taken in 2003 to assess problem points throughout the city, and proposals are being made now to resolve those areas. New parking racks or structures for a total of 1,000 bikes are expected to be completed by the end of this year. A major hiccup in this process has been advocates for preserving the historic appearance of the city who don't want bike racks or structures marring the streetscape. They take no issue with the automobiles that are far more obtrusive, because (and this is exactly what the planner told us) "theoretically, the cars can all still be removed." Yeah, right. So on the day they decide they need all the cars out of Munich, we can solicit volunteers to go around with wrenches and pack up the racks.

When we asked if there was a bike collective in Munich similar to our "Bike Church" in Davis, we didn't get far. She mentioned a club called ADFC that is for all of Germany, but they seem more like Davis Bicycles! and organize tours, repair bikes, and work politely on policy issues. The local leader of the group is diplomatic and has been working closely with City departments for the last 20 years, but members can apparently be contrary and critical at times, badmouthing City staff for not making faster progress on the streets. Again, this is a dynamic familiar to bicycle professionals in the States, who are often strong advocates on a personal level, but must restrain themselves to be able to work within the system that employs them.

The Green Party in Munich is rising in influence, currently holding eleven seats on the 80-member City Council. Two of those eleven are Green Party traffic planners, which is a great advantage for bicycle advancement. The Deputy Mayor is also a huge advocate for bicycling.

Red painted bike lane across a busy intersection in Munich.

Munich has colored bike lanes in cluttered or busy intersections that highlight the bike lane conflict areas in red. Our friend Bernhard mentioned to us that the paint gets slippery when it rains, but the planner we spoke with had never heard of any complaints. She mentioned that the high volume of vehicle traffic over the paint means they have to redo it every few years, which is costly.

Bicycle marking in a highlighted bike lane.

When we asked about a helmet law, she confirmed our conclusion that none exists. Instead, the goal of the department is to get people riding and create infrastructure that is safe enough that helmets are not needed. She felt a helmet law would give the impression that cycling is dangerous, which is exactly what they are working to avoid. Increased ridership will increase the visibility of cyclists and cause drivers to pay better attention to them.

The work being done to improve bicycle routes is part of a bigger Transportation Development Plan that bicycle traffic fits into. The broad plan is working to create green development within the city. There is a separate Klima plan (our equivalent of a Climate-Action Plan), but there are no specific bicycle objectives under that plan. The Klima plan does, however, support Munich's bicycle traffic planning efforts.

A bicycle/"M" design in the street next to Marienplatz in Munich.

Munich Bike Rental Systems

There are several good options for renting bikes in Munich. We explored three during this visit. All have some advantages and disadvantages, depending on the duration of a visit in Munich or the circumstances around your bike ride. 

Bernhard releasing a bike on the Call a Bike system.

1. Call a Bike: The government system, run by the Deutsche Bahn (DB) railway operator would be the best choice for a long stay. An account is set up by cell phone, with a credit card for security and billing. Our friend Bernhard already had an account that we used for our ride, so we’re still unclear on the exact rates and process of setting up an account. More information on that when we have it. Once the account is set up, the user only has to find an available bike on the street, and call the number on the decal on the bike to activate that bike to the specific account. The light on the bike’s controller box then goes from green (available) to red (rented), the lock is freed, and off you go. The bike is yours for as long as you wish. If you want to make a short stop, maybe to pick up bread on the way home, you can just keep the rental active. Park and lock the bike, its control box light will stay red, and it will be there for you when you exit the bakery. If you want to go to a movie and then maybe walk home, you just abandon the bike at any intersection in Munich, call the DB system on your cell phone, your rental charges stop, and the bike’s light goes back to green.

A red DB Call a Bike chained to a pole at an intersection near the Hauptbahnhof in Munich.

Advantages:

-This is a 24-hour system and the bikes are just about everywhere in the city center, parks, and residential areas we rode through. You don’t have to go to a central rental station or one of the scattered kiosks other systems use. But not finding one close by on a rainy evening would not be good. No guarantees.
-The automated phone system seems to be continuously monitored with actual people available if you need help. We didn’t test their English capabilities, but I would be surprised in modern Germany if there wasn’t at least some basic foreign language ability.
-The bikes were in good condition, with 5 speeds and good brakes. They are step-through unisex bikes, so men in kilts will be just fine.
-If something goes wrong with the bike you can just call it in, leave it, and find another. 

Disadvantages:

-Without specified kiosk or office locations, finding a bike when you need one can be a challenge.
-I also found the bulk of the controller box at the rear of the pedals to require me to splay my heels when riding. A bit awkward, but I adjusted.
-The seat on my bike was also tipped forward too far for comfort, but without terminating that rental and finding another bike, I just had to make do.
-There is just one type of bike available, all with a bungee-cord equipped rack behind the seat. No helmets or baskets are available.
-This system also requires a cell phone that works in Germany, which every casual tourist may not have. I imagine some carriers will find a way to stack phone charges on top of the bike rental fees.
-So this system works best for long-term visits. It would not be our choice for even a small tour group, and the odds of finding 20 bikes available at a single intersection are low. 

Rental Rates: Coming soon, when we get them. 

Radius' rental shop inside the Hauptbahnhof in Munich.

2. Radius: This private company has a single station, but it is well located near the northwest corner of the main train station (Hauptbahnhof) in the city center. The process is familiar to anyone who has ever rented a car. Step up, make your selection between city bike or mountain bike, men’s or women’s, use a credit card for a deposit, set the seat height, and go. Locks, baskets, and helmets are available.

Advantages:

-The personal touch in fluent English at the station is nice, especially for casual tourists without cell phones or functional German. Emily’s seat was adjusted to her height.
-The bikes were fairly new and in good condition.
-This is a good choice for casual tourists or longer visitor without cell phones.
-The location provides for an easy transition from train to bike and back again. 

Disadvantages:

-Unless delivery arrangements are made and paid for, these bikes can only be rented at the main train station and must be returned there.
-Like those available from most private operators in the city, the bikes have “This is a tourist – Rent a bike like this at …” signs on them. 

Rental fees:

The standard rates are 15 Euros for a combined morning and afternoon, and 17 Euros for 24 hours. A small tour group would be given 2 Euros per bike off these rates, but no delivery is possible. A 3 ½ hour guided tour of Munich would be 150 Euros for a group. 

Our MW-Touristik bikes, free of 'tourist' labels.

3. MW-Touristik: This is also a private company, that operates out of a tourist information office and internet café very near the Isartor gate in the old city wall. That makes it a bit closer to the Marienplatz/Viktualienmarkt/Hofbrauhaus tourist attractions. Their rental process is similar to Radius’ with equivalent options for locks, baskets, and helmets. 

Advantages:

-The bikes are new, and free of advertising signs or banners.
-The rates are cheaper, especially for the 24 hour rental.
-The operator will deliver bikes for a group to a central location at no charge.
-There is also a personal touch, in fluent English. (The operator is an American resident of Munich.) 

Disadvantages:

-Like Radius, the bikes must normally be picked up and dropped off at just the one location. The office was a little difficult to find, instead of being prominent in a major train station. 

Rental Fees:

MW’s normal rates are 10 Euros for half a day, 15 Euros for a 24 hour day, and just 10 for a second day. They will discount those to our tour, dropping to 12 Euros for a full 24 hour day. This gives our clients the bikes long enough to enjoy Munich on their own before or after our organized tours. A 3 hour group tour from MW would be 55 Euros. That is low enough that we could pay for two guides and split our group. That makes getting everyone across intersections much easier. (Side note: This explains why at times we saw groups of people zooming past us only to stop abruptly and form a big clot completely blocking the bike ways, with everyone peering over their shoulders. Presumably waiting for the second half of their group to clear an intersection on the next green light.)

This should be the choice for our group tours. We can get the bikes delivered to a location near the hotel, keep them for an entire day, and get a history tour, all for less than 20 Euros per client. 

Locations and contact information:

Deutsche Bahn (DB):

No stations, only telephone access by calling the number found on the bike.

Radius:

At Gleis (Platform) 3 at the northwest corner of the central train station (Hauptbahnhof).
Arnulfstrasse 3, 80335 Munchen
Phone: (0)89-59 61 13
Email: bikes@radiustours.com

MW-Touristik:

Thomas-Wimmer-Ring 1, 80539 Munchen - near the Isartor, east of Marienplatz.
Phone: (0)89-24 23 17 67.
Email: tours@munichwalktours.de
Web: www.munichwalktours.de

Munich Second Bike Ride

On Sunday Emily and I went back into Munich to rent bikes from the MW Touristik service near the Isartor. The bikes were new and well-maintained, and didn’t have advertisements for the rental company hanging off them. This lack of “tourist identifier” was nice. My only mistake was opting for a men’s bike, which made the 2,000 mounts and dismounts I made to check maps or take pictures tiresome.

We had marked a Munich Bikeway map we bought Saturday with red dots on streets that represented all the different bike lane and bike path configurations in their system. The Munich planners identify three distinct types of bicycle infrastructure within their system. Bike lanes are painted on the street. Bike paths are designated bicycle space along sidewalks. Bike roads are similar to what we would call greenbelts or bike paths, and are usually solely for bikes. Variations on those are shown below.

-Priority bike routes on all kinds of street, plaza, or green space:

Sign indicating bicycle routes to various locations in Munich.

-One-way bike lanes on both sides of the street.

-One way bike paths off the street on marked space on the sidewalk.

-One way bike paths off the street on space shared with pedestrians.

-Two way bike roads (which we would call paths) off the street on bike-only space.
-Two way bike roads through green belts and parks.
-Two way bike roads (usually quite wide) on space shared with pedestrians through greenbelts and parks.
-One way bike lanes on one way streets.
-Two way bike lanes on one way streets.

And many more.

Once we had marked a few representative possibilities, we plotted out a route near the City Center so we could ride a nice loop in a reasonable amount of time.

A bike tunnel on a shared bicycle/pedestrian road.

Our first destination was a neighborhood on the east side of the Isar River. Then we doubled back to the greenbelt on the east side of the river, which we rode to the north. At times it is narrow, just a two-way bike and pedestrian path between a street paralleling the river and the steep forested banks leading down to the water. But much of it is wide enough that we could see neither the river nor any sign of the urban development to the east. Several times we rode through wide swales with sunny grass-covered hillsides scattered with picnickers and sunbathers. Wide tunnels allowed us to continue unimpeded where a few major streets cross the greenbelt and the river.

At one point I saw an adult cyclist wearing a helmet, and commented that I had not noticed any helmets until that point. We began counting, and maybe half an hour later had seen about 20 helmets on adults (who we assumed wore them by choice). We had passed maybe ten times that many cyclists in this time. So clearly there is no helmet law here, and our non-scientific survey suggests most people believe riding without one is safe. However, our friend Bernhard insists the real need is a motorcycle-like helmet that will protect against being struck by a car, which he feels is the greatest risk in the system. Others we talked to felt the biggest risk comes from reckless cyclists, and that cars are, on the whole, very mindful of the bikes on the road.

Crossing the Isar at the mill.

We rode several miles north in this pastoral paradise, then crossed the river at the site of a large mill. The bike and pedestrian bridge offered views of the gravel island in the middle of the river, again crowded with residents enjoying the warm summer weekend day. This stretch of green space extends many miles farther to the north, and eventually out of the city and into the countryside. This east side greenbelt is much less crowded and "developed" than the bigger spaces of the Englischer Garten to the west of the river. What an incredible gift to the residents it is.

Continuing across the river at the mill site, we entered the northern portion of the Englischer Garten itself. It is marked by thick forest interspersed with vast meadows, with occasional snack stands or larger buildings. The latter are primarily beer gardens, as you might imagine in Bavaria.

Side note: Did you know the first food purity standards in the world come out of Bavaria, over 400 years ago? By decree beer may contain only four ingredients – barley, hops, yeast, and water. Priorities.

Bicycles parked along fences at a biergarten.

Even without seeing the buildings or hearing the oompah music, the beer gardens can be identified from a distance by the clots of bicycles around the entrances. Most of the primary pathways through the park are bordered by simple iron bar fences. Bikes were packed two and three deep along these fences on both sides of the pathways and randomly pushed into the bushes for a hundred feet or more from the entryways. At the Hirschauer beer garden entryway parked bikes narrowed the space leading through the gateway and far into the garden itself to less than half its width.

Riding through the east side greenbelt had been a fairly high-speed pedal, but we had to take care when we were passing pedestrians and oncoming bicyclists. By contrast, riding in the park on this crowded afternoon involved steady weaving through pedestrians walking in all directions and other cyclists threading their way through the mobs.

Once free of the park, we rode on narrow but well-marked two-way bike paths between busy streets and the river. This was at times stressful as we encountered cyclists coming the other direction two abreast, or were passed by faster cyclists heading our direction. I’m sure we were guilty of moving violations at times, but no citations were issued.

As we returned the bikes, our reflections on the ride were revealing. Three impressions come to the fore:

1. We felt that we were respected as users of the street or park space we rode on, and forgiven minor booboos.

2. The constant weaving of the narrow bike lanes and paths, transitions from dedicated to shared space, switching from the street to the sidewalks, and the constant presence of pedestrians requires constant attention.

3. Munich has a problem with parked bikes clotting up the sidewalk and landscaping spaces from the main train station to Marienplatz to the far reaches of the Englischer Garten. This is a wonderful problem to have, of course, as it indicates the success of efforts to get people out of cars and on two wheels. The backlash against parked bike clutter is building, however, so it is time to develop solutions. More on this topic in our posts about meetings with city staff.

All in all, these rides gave us a wonderful glimpse into a successful and multi-faceted bikeway system. It was a joy to cycle around the town even as relative strangers unfamiliar with all the rules.

Munich First Bike Ride

Checking out bikes for our ride Saturday morning.

We took two nice bike rides around central Munich, the Isar River parkway, and the Englischer Garten. The first was Saturday, after a day where Emily and I adjusted to the time change by going into Munich for a bit on the train and then relaxing with the Hausmaningers.

Bernhard in his lederhosen.

Bernhard wanted to join us for a morning ride, and then meet up with Tanja and the kids at lunchtime. Because Emily had mentioned a dirndl (beer garden waitress outfit) purchase, Bernhard dressed in his traditional lederhosen outfit, along with the pink checked shirt that marks him as a Salzburger. It was perfect for the pictures we took at all stages of the bicycle renting process. We rented a bike for Emily at the Radius service inside the main train station. Then on the sidewalk out front Bernhard checked out two more bikes with his Call a Bike program account. More on all that in the next post about cycling rental systems.

Once mounted up, we set out for a mid-morning coffee stop. Priorities. Bernhard led us north out of the train station to Königsplatz, a recently greened up public space framed by beautiful monuments and buildings. Then in very light traffic, we ambled eastward across the top of the old city to Ludwigstrasse, then north gain to CADU—a café near the University. In all of this, we really encountered only one intransigent driver, who had parked his BMW directly in the bike lane and left the car empty. This forced us out into traffic on a pretty busy street. His purpose was to make a quick purchase. At a Starbucks.

Locking up our bikes on the street.

We went on to the student-operated CADU and parked out front on the street. We took up less room than half a car, locking all three bikes together with the Radius lock. Our waitress was surly, but it was early for a (maybe hungover) university girl. Emily and I shared a nice piece of tiramisu-like cake. Bernhard, driven to extremes by his traditional dress, had the traditional Münchner weisswurst lunch. At ten in the morning.

Refueled, we mounted up again and headed off to the wilds of the Englischer Garten. At this point we traded the hardscape streets that were marked into highly structured spaces for pedestrians, automobiles, and bicycles for the wide, graveled bike and pedestrian paths that wander through the pastoral meadows and woods. This was the third warm, sunny day we had brought with us from California, and the park was alive with happy tourists and locals. Hundreds of acres of quiet, green refuge with streams running through it.

Father and Daughter, riding in the Englischer Garten.

As we wandered out of the south end of the park and on east to the Isar River, we transitioned from green lawns to sand and gravel beaches hosting a growing crowd of mid-day sunbathers and middle-aged bum-bathers. Back on the streets, we stopped near the Isar Gate, a remnant of the old city wall. We chatted with an American who operates another private bike tour and rental operation there. Even more options to rent or get guided tours. Finally, we “abandoned” the Call a Bikes on a street corner, per the instructions. More on that in a later post.

Through all of this Bernhard was an incredible resource and a good sport as he had to dismount about 700 times to pose in the Lederhosen beside the bike, straddling the bike, parking the bike, phoning in the code for the bike, locking the bike, etc. Thank you Bernhard for your support of our project.

Back at the train station we found Tanja and company, and retired to the Hofbräuhaus for an indifferent lunch in deafening surroundings. But still, quiet as a museum compared to the raucous roar at midnight. After shopping for ingredients in the Viktualienmarkt, we all headed back to Petershausen on the train, for dinner.

On the train back to Petershausen.

Traveling and Petershausen, Germany

(Several days late; wrote this post on Thursday Aug 19)

Amtrak to Richmond.

We took the train from Davis to Richmond, and then transferred to BART to get to SFO.  All our transfers went as well as they could, and we were sitting at the gate over an hour before boarding.  The flight to London was about 10 hours.  We stayed awake for a bit, watched some 30 Rock on our personal TV sets in the headrests.  They fed us dinner (airline food, but it was alright) and then we both crashed for about 5 hours.  Woke up in time for ‘breakfast’ (which was far less edible than dinner).

We landed in Heathrow and then had two hours to transfer planes to fly to Munich.  Heathrow is absolutely huge, so we had to walk through this large building to catch a bus to an entirely different terminal building.  Before we got on the bus, my dad realized he had left his coat on the plane.  He left me sitting at the bus terminal (inside, with airport security around, don’t worry) with all of our bags while he ran back through the airport to try to retrieve it.  He was gone for about half an hour, but was unsuccessful.  The airport people wouldn’t let him go look for it.  Instead, we have to hope that the cleaning crew turns it in instead of just keeping it and then track it down through United/Lufthansa.  And in the meantime, we go shopping.  At the end of the day, it’s just a coat.  It’s covered under our flight insurance, and it’s replaceable.

On the plane from San Francisco to London.

We realized at that point that we only had an hour to catch our next flight.  When we arrived at the other terminal building, we took off and asked an employee where we were supposed to go.  He looked at our boarding passes (which a United agent had been kind enough to print for us in San Francisco) and ushered us into the ‘FastTrak’ security line.  We made it through in time to hustle down the terminal to the gates and arrive at the gates sweaty and tired, but made it there before they started boarding the plane.

We sat on the aircraft for a while without moving, and finally the captain came over the intercom and said something to the effect of “Sorry for the delay, folks.  Our plane is leaking so as soon as we fix it we’ll be underway.”  It terrified me.  He explained, though, that it was just leaking water because a cap hadn’t been screwed on properly or something. They fixed it and we left.

British Airways held true to its nationality and served us flavorless, greasy ‘crisps’ on the plane.  The flight was only about an hour and a half, and then the entire Hausmaninger family was waiting at the airport in Munich to pick us up.

These friends are people we have known since 1999.  Bernhard works for BMW USA in Munich, so we met him when we picked up our first BMW in Munich in 99.  We met him again when we picked up the second car in 2003, and then he and his family came to visit us in Davis in 2006.  He and my dad have become really good friends, and he and his entire family are incredibly welcoming: wife Tanja, daughter Anna, son Mattias, and baby Lina.

Our first meal in Europe.

We had dinner (pretzels and wurst, and beer) at a biergarten in Freising.  We tried to sit outside, but there were wasps all over the place.  For some reason they were only bothering our table.  We moved a few times and then gave up and went to sit inside.

After dinner we came to Petershausen and arrived at the Hausmaninger's home.  Their house is really cute—all full of IKEA furniture and German-ness.  My dad slept in the living room on the fold-out couch, and Anna has graciously given up her room to me for the weekend.  We both slept hard after our long day(s) of traveling, and now we’re up early.  Jet lag should disappear shortly.

This morning, we figured out the French Press in the kitchen and made some coffee, and my dad managed to figure out the difference between sugar and salt and avoided pouring the latter into my cup.  I’m sitting here updating this now while I attempt to keep Lina from pounding random letters out on my keyboard, and my dad is off to the bakery with Bernhard to pick up bread and things for breakfast.

Today (all weekend, really) we’re just relaxing with our friends and letting ourselves adjust to German time.  Work starts Monday.

Bis spaeter!

24 hours to go!

We're still at home here, packing and running last minute errands before leaving tomorrow afternoon to start our travels.  Wish us luck!  There's lots to do.