Lüdenscheid (dpa / lnw) – In Lüdenscheid, citizens have been protesting against the detour traffic that has been going through the city for months as a result of the A45 bridge closure. The demo participants complained that the city and region have been exposed to extreme impairments since the beginning of December 2021, especially on the two detour routes. The “Citizens’ Initiative A45 Lüdenscheid” called, complaining about noise, nighttime disturbances, permanent traffic jams, increased risk of accidents, but also longer travel times to work, loss of business customers and sales, and migrating skilled workers.
The posters read: “Transit trucks out of Lüdenscheid” or “No through traffic!”. According to the citizens’ initiative, around 23,000 vehicles, including 6,500 trucks, continue to drive daily via the detour routes through Lüdenscheid and the Volmetal.
According to the police, the demonstration was peaceful. Many participants wore warning vests – according to a dpa reporter, around 200 people followed the call from the citizens’ initiative. This calls for through traffic to be diverted over a wide area via the A1 from Westhofener Kreuz or via the A4 from Kreuz Olpe. There should be a ban on night driving for trucks. The construction process for the new Rahmede viaduct urgently needs to be accelerated, the announced five-year construction period is too long.