Frequently asked questions
How can I rent or buy accommodation in HafenCity? How green is the district? And what are the responsibilities of HafenCity Hamburg GmbH? Answers to frequently asked questions
Mobility
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What are the plans for the HafenCity cycling lane network?
It is too early to see how the network of cycling lanes will look in HafenCity. They will not be laid out until the buildings on adjacent private sites are completed. Otherwise construction traffic would damage the paths, which in turn would place constraints on the area available for building site activities.
The traffic concept provides for three types of cycling path: cyclists will follow cycling routes parallel to main traffic arteries such as Versmannstrasse, Shanghaiallee and Brooktorkai; they will be differentiated from sidewalks by the color of the surface. On roads with less traffic, security zones for cyclists will run along the edge of the carriageway - as planned in Osakaallee or Überseeallee, for example. Where there is relatively little through-traffic, cyclists can use the normal roadway.
Using this differentiated system is the best way of serving the interests of all road-users. The east-west axis through HafenCity is especially important, because it is also the route of the Elbe River cycling path. It leads cyclists along Überseeallee, through Am Dalmannkai, runs along Kaiserkai and past the Elbphilharmonie Concert Hall. Crossings and ramps to equalize differences in height mean that cyclists can use this route without any diversions to reach their destination.
Planners have also looked at north-south axes such as Osakaallee and Shanghaiallee in detail. These roads lead from HafenCity toward the town hall or the central station. One cycling path is already finished: it is a two-way track running along the south side of Am Sandtorkai, on the opposite side of the road to the historic warehouses; not 100 per cent ideal. But it is an exception to have a cycling path running in two directions in the HafenCity traffic concept. It had to be done this way, because delivery traffic on the Speicherstadt side of the road made it impossible to separate off both a sidewalk and cycling path. Parked trucks would have kept blocking the way.
The great advantage of cycling in HafenCity is the short distances. Many pathways across promenades and squares are publicly accessible to cyclists even if they are not always marked as cycling routes, forming a very dense network.
