Major demonstration leads to massive restrictions on local transport

A demonstration on Thursday will bring bus traffic in Giessen city centre to a standstill for a few hours.


Giessen. Due to a registered large demonstration, the police have ordered a large-scale closure of Giessen city centre to traffic on Thursday afternoon. The event is expected to take place between 2.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. and will affect all routes - i.e. city buses and local traffic. From a local transport perspective, however, this time is a forecast. This is because nobody can predict exactly what will happen during the demonstration, how long it will take for the large contingent of police officers to leave and when Giessen city centre can be reopened to traffic.
Due to the road closures and the associated traffic restrictions, it is not possible to run buses in the city centre during this time. In accordance with a police order, bus routes are no longer allowed to serve the "Bahnhof" stop from 13:30.
Due to this complex situation, Stadtwerke Gießen (SWG) will have to suspend its regular service for the duration of the event. "We very much regret this, but see no other option," explains Anne Müller-Kreutz, Head of Local Transport Services at SWG, adding: "We ask our passengers for their understanding and apologise for any inconvenience."
The Verkehrsgesellschaft Oberhessen (VGO) lines will run during the event, but will avoid the city centre area from 13:30. They will serve the stop before the last turning point. They will then turn round and return in the opposite direction. In concrete terms, this means for the individual lines:
- GI-21 - The journeys end and begin at the "Wolfstraße" stop.
- GI-22 - The journeys end and begin at the "Lutherberg" stop.
- GI-24, GI-41, GI-42 - The journeys into the city end at the "Hessenhalle" stop. Out of town, journeys begin at the "Pendelverkehr" stop in the street "An der Hessenhalle". The stops between the railway station and "Gottlieb-Daimler-Straße" will be cancelled.
- GI-25 - The journeys begin and end at the "Steinstraße" stop. The "Theodor-Litt-Schule" stop is cancelled on the way into the city.
- R-371 - The journeys end and begin at the "Steinstraße" stop.
- R-372, R-375, R-377 - The journeys end and begin at the "Sternmark" stop. The "Sandkauter Weg" and "Klingelbachweg" stops in the city centre will also be cancelled.
- R-378, R-379 - The journeys end and begin at the "Klinikstraße" stop.

Significant delays and cancellations are to be expected on the shortened journeys on the VGO and RMV lines. Due to the expected impact on scheduled services, those responsible are advising all passengers to avoid travelling by bus to and from Giessen on Thursday afternoon if possible.
Of course, the transport companies will do everything in their power to get the buses running again as quickly as possible after the demonstration according to the known timetables.