Planning of property access roads

1. Due to the constantly increasing traffic density, it is imperative that the municipality exerts a targeted influence on the design and arrangement of property access roads.
2. As little public parking space and/or roadside greenery as possible should be lost.
3. The ease and safety of flowing traffic must be maintained and traffic hazards avoided through the property access roads.
4. The respective road authorities are responsible for the authorisations.

In the interest of a speedy processing of your application and to enforce these interests, the following must be observed when planning the access road to the property:

• Every neighbouring road user is entitled to one access road. A second driveway can only be authorised in justified exceptional cases.
• In principle, individual driveways for cars must be limited to a width of 3.00 metres.
• If a property is to be used by several vehicles, the garages, parking spaces, carports etc. must be arranged on the property in such a way that they can be accessed and used via a driveway up to 3.00 metres wide.
• For properties (e.g. garage courtyards) with a higher volume of vehicles, a maximum width of 6.00 m must be provided due to the traffic in the access area.
• For properties used for commercial or agricultural purposes, larger access widths can be applied for via an entrance and exit if there is a justified need.
• In areas with single, semi-detached or terraced houses, access roads should be grouped together at the boundary of neighbouring properties or houses so that as much public parking space or ancillary road space as possible remains contiguous.
• For each access road, the shortest connection between the neighbouring property and the public road must always be selected.
• Entrances and exits of at least 3.00 metres in length must be provided between garages and public traffic areas.
• The carriageways between entrances and exits must be surfaced in accordance with the expected loads.
• Driveways at intersections and junctions are generally not permitted.
• The specified access widths refer to the entire utilisation area of the public roads and roadside areas.
• For driveways on roads with raised kerbs, the raised kerb in the area of the driveway must be lowered and aligned with the existing kerb by means of sloping kerbs/set-backs of 1.00 m or 2.00 m each.

The location and width of the property access roads will be finalised in consideration of the local conditions and traffic safety aspects.

What exactly is a construction site access road

A construction site access road is a temporary access road to a construction site. It is constructed so that the construction site vehicles can reach the actual construction site (the building structure) during the construction work. If the access road is located on a public road, construction may only be carried out by an authorised road construction/
civil engineering company. Once the construction project has been completed, it must be completely removed and the materials disposed of. However, depending on the material used, it can also be reused for paving the terrace or paths (e.g. gravel).

Have construction site access road authorised

The construction site access road is intended to warn road users of potential hazards and to protect the paving and subsoil. It is therefore in your own interest as the developer or property owner to have the access road to the construction site properly laid out and authorised, as you are liable for any damage caused by the construction work. Approval for the construction site access road is issued by the road and civil engineering department of the respective municipality. The official processing deadlines must be observed. Approval can sometimes take up to several weeks. Administrative fees are usually incurred. However, if an on-site inspection is necessary, the costs can be significantly higher. If no authorisation is obtained in advance, a fine may be imposed!

Please note: If the construction site access road is laid over a public footpath, many municipalities and cities charge fees for special use of the footpath crossing, which can add up to several thousand euros in exceptional cases.

Precise documentation before and after

For the construction site access road, either an existing property access road can be used or an additional access road can be created or an initial access road constructed. Either way, any existing damage to the roadside and cycle path facilities must be documented in advance (e.g. the condition of a raised kerb, the pavement or the unsurfaced grass verge). If the access road is no longer required, the developer must restore exactly this condition (actual condition) when dismantling. If it is not possible to prove that damage already existed beforehand, the costs for its removal must also be borne.

Observe conditions

Depending on the municipality, there may be certain requirements for the construction of the access road to the construction site. Possible requirements may be

• Daily cleaning of the dirty road
• Site plan as an extract from the local property map or the cadastral map
• The parking and storage of building materials in the municipal road area is prohibited or must be applied for as a special use
• Removal of the construction site access road as quickly as possible - with written notification for acceptance by the municipality
• The road traffic authority must be notified immediately of any closures and work on the construction site that could have a direct or indirect impact on traffic

The conditions are intended to prevent or minimise from the outset the typical problems associated with the use of the construction site access road, such as

• Road soiling
• Traffic obstructions
• Damage to property
• Construction noise and dirt
• Residents' complaints
• Parking bans

Important: In any case, the construction site access road must be laid out in such a way that an orderly and clear flow of traffic and transport is possible.