Bicycle road between Jarolden and Thaya: New Way opened for cyclists!

Bicycle road between Jarolden and Thaya: New Way opened for cyclists!

On April 9, 2025, the work on the new walking and cycle path connection between Jarolden and Thaya was officially completed. The project, which was initiated by the market town of Thaya with the support of the cycle path funding of the state of Lower Austria, includes the expansion of an unpaved economic path into a modern bicycle road. This runs west to the Lower Austrian main cycle route "Thayarunde" and begins at the intersection with the state road L 8124.

The newly created bicycle road has a width of three meters and offers a bilateral banquet of up to 0.5 meters. With a total length of around 600 meters, the construction was carried out by the Leithäusl company and the total costs amount to around 130,000 euros, of which 70 percent are borne by the state of Lower Austria and 30 percent by the Thaya market town. The areas for the construction were kindly made available by landowners, while the costs for the basic deposits were borne by the market town.

first considerations for use

According to § 67 StVO 1960, only vehicles on the new bicycle road are allowed to drive vehicles for the purpose of approaching and departure. An exception for agricultural vehicles is permitted. In addition, a speed limit for vehicles in bicycle roads of a maximum of 30 km/h was set so as not to endanger or hinder the safety of cyclists.

The official handover of the bicycle road took place in the presence of Vice Mayor Franz Strohmer and Lower Austria Road Construction Director DI Josef Decker and underlines the importance of this infrastructure measure for the region.

cycling promotion in the municipal context

The initiative in Thaya is in line with a broader topic in municipal bicycle transport funding. The report by the German Institute for Urban Studies deals with implementation barriers in cycling planning and offers recommendations to optimize processes of cycling and cycling infrastructure in municipalities. The different (administrative) processes in German municipalities are highlighted, while a newly developed online tool derives individual recommendations for action ( difu.de ). These developments could serve as a model for similar projects in other regions.

The new bicycle road between Jarolden and Thaya is an important step towards more environmentally friendly mobility and shows how municipal initiatives can be successfully implemented to promote cycling. In addition, it becomes clear how important the cooperation between different bodies at the local and state level is for the implementation of such projects.