Traffic turnaround in Osnabrück: Iburger Straße becomes an environmental lane!

Traffic turnaround in Osnabrück: Iburger Straße becomes an environmental lane!

Today, July 3, 2025, the Osnabrück city council decided in an important meeting on July 1 that Iburger Straße will undergo a comprehensive redesign. The committee decided to set up environmental lanes that are specifically intended for local public transport and cyclists. Supported by the Greens, SPD and Volt factions, the motion found a clear majority, while the CDU, FDP/UWG, AfD and Mayor Katharina Pötter voted against it. The plan calls for creating environmental lanes in both directions. Oscourier reports that this is primarily intended to improve urban-surrounding mobility in order to make public transport more attractive and reliable.

A central goal of this measure is to relieve congestion-prone express bus routes from the Osnabrück area and to increase safety for cyclists. Iburger Straße is not only important as a main road for cars and buses, but was also identified as a central route for cyclists in the 2030 cycling plan. Safety for students should have the highest priority, especially in the section between Nahne and Rosenplatz. An additional aspect of this project is the installation of bus lanes, which are intended to reduce conflicts between parking cars and cyclists.

Tempo 30 as part of the traffic revolution

The debate about a general speed limit of 30 km/h on main roads has gained new momentum. A model experiment that will run from May 2023 to the end of 2024 is examining the effects of such a regulation on traffic. Preliminary results already show that speed 30 offers advantages: harder braking distances are shortened, noise pollution is reduced and air quality improves slightly. Lower Saxony plans to use these findings to present a nationwide initiative for Tempo 30. No reports that the majority of the Osnabrück city council and the city administration support a long-term introduction of 30 km/h on Iburger Straße.

The introduction of the 30 km/h speed limit will be made easier by the amendment to the road traffic regulations passed in 2024, which will give municipalities more leeway for environmental and climate protection. This allows for a more attractive design of streets and promotes not only motor vehicle traffic, but also safe pedestrian and cycle paths. The Federal Council also anchored “Vision Zero” in this amendment, which means that no more traffic fatalities should be accepted. Federal Environment Agency shows that comprehensive 30 km/h zones create more space for urban development and benefit residents and pedestrians.

Critics and urban development

But not everyone is enthusiastic about the decisions. The Association of Osnabrück Citizens (BOB) sharply criticizes the decision to single-lane Iburger Straße and describes it as an “ideological transport policy against reality”. They warn that the disruption to traffic flow ignores the needs of residents, businesses and emergency services. The CDU has spoken out in favor of maintaining the two-lane Iburger Straße and emphasized that alternative routes for cycling must be strengthened - a proposal that, however, did not find a majority.

With all of these changes, the city is at a turning point that should not only improve mobility but also the quality of life in Osnabrück. In the coming months, it will be crucial to see how the new measures will affect traffic flow and citizen acceptance. What remains in the end is the hope for a safer, more environmentally friendly and livable city for everyone.