Eislingen celebrates third place in the state award for cycling infrastructure 2025!

Eislingen celebrates third place in the state award for cycling infrastructure 2025!

The city of Eislingen won third place in the 2025 State Cycling Infrastructure Prize with its innovative cycling infrastructure. This was announced by Transport Minister Winfried Hermann at the cycling congress in Heidelberg. The prize is awarded by the state of Baden-Württemberg to municipalities that present outstanding projects in the field of cycling. In Eislingen, the “Bicycle Road to Ösch” and the redesign of Leibnizstraße at the school center were particularly honored.

The award recognizes Eislingen's commitment to improving traffic safety on school routes and promoting cycling and walking. Mayor Klaus Heininger emphasized the important role of bicycles in city centers and the need to make school routes safer and more attractive for all road users, including cyclists, pedestrians and local public transport. A total of 40 entries were submitted for the prize, with the cities of Heidelberg and Ludwigsburg taking additional places.

Cycling as a social concern

The trend towards increased cycling is not only reflected in the award ceremony, but also shows growing social and political importance. The subjective safety of cyclists plays a central role in promoting cycling in everyday life. Research shows that cyclists often find mixed traffic and inadequate cycling facilities unpleasant. Small but effective traffic management measures could help to significantly improve the feeling of safety, which is particularly important on the way to school.

With its cycling infrastructure projects, the city of Eislingen pursues the overarching goal of getting children and young people to school safely. This is also supported by higher-level projects such as the “Pedestrian and Bicycle Friendly School”, which is funded by the Federal Environment Agency and the Federal Environment Ministry. Since April 2023, walking and cycling friendliness has been checked at 30 schools in Germany in order to strengthen active forms of mobility and make the journey to school safer for children and young people.

Active mobility in schools

The project also promotes exchange between students, parents and teachers and includes digital workshops on mobility education. Over 700 participants have already taken part in the discussion processes. Materials such as checklists and action materials are provided to support schools in implementing sustainable mobility concepts.

Eislingen's commitment to a safe and climate-friendly cycling infrastructure not only represents an important step towards environmentally friendly mobility, but also raises awareness of the needs of cycling students in the region. The award is a recognition of the progress in cycling development and highlights the importance of offering children and young people safe and attractive routes to school.