Summit Meeting on the Cycle Highway

Shortly before the Eurobike, there was a much smaller but also important event for us. The two company founders, Daniel Pulvermüller from HP Velotechnik and Markus Riese from the also Hessian bicycle manufacturer Riese & Müller scheduled a meeting. With S-Pedelecs from own production. On a cycle highway – on which the fast speedsters are actually not permitted in Germany. What initially sounds like a quirky idea has a serious background. That’s why both were joined by Klaus Dapp from the Hessian Ministry of Transport.

S-Pedelecs, i.e. bicycles with pedal assistance up to 45 km/h, have so far been a poor relation in the transport policy of many countries. Several bicycle manufacturers, including HP Velotechnik and Riese & Müller, have joined forces to promote this alternative form of transportation. With support from the scientific community and the House of Logistic and Mobility*, the “Allianz Zukunft S-Pedelec” has been campaigning for around two years to resolve the traffic law blockade on fast bikes.

Paradoxically, they are not even permitted on high-speed cycle paths. This is precisely where the Hessian Ministry of Transport comes into play. With a traffic trial launched in May, it is making the state a pioneer nationwide. S-Pedelecs are temporarily permitted on the cycle highway between Frankfurt and Darmstadt. The aim is to observe traffic on the route in southern Hesse and collect data on how it works with bikes of different speeds on the very wide and well-developed path.

*a company founded by the state of Hesse and the city of Frankfurt