The barrier between Zug and Baar can be easily bypassed

There is now a barrier for private motor traffic on the Alte Baarerstrasse. If you still want to use the faster route from Loreto to Arbach or Inwil and back, you will have to accept some safety risks.

The Zug/Baar Tangente will not be released to traffic until the end of June. But a measure associated with it has already been implemented: you can no longer drive directly from the Loreto in Zug to Arbach in Baar. This route via the Alte Baarerstrasse is popular for driving to Inwil and Baar and back, and thereby avoiding busier roads. The canton has now put a stop to this short cut (we reported on Monday).

There is now a barrier at the junction to the Göblistrasse, which should stop private traffic, and will only be passable by buses and cyclists. The canton actually planned to put it into operation on Monday afternoon, 31 May. Following an on-site inspection, however, it was decided that this could also be Tuesday, June 1st.

The experts were working on the barrier on the Alte Baarerstrasse/Göblistrasse junction on Monday afternoon.
Image: Maria Schmid (Zug, 31 May 2021)

This barrier can be circumvented relatively easily, however, namely by carrying out a turning manoeuvre on the Göblistrasse. Because, from there, you can continue in the direction of Loreto or Arbach. A drive along the route showed this: there are no less than six possibilities for turning up to the Oberallmendstrasse junction, with the first one less than 100 metres below the barrier. The manoeuvre requires reversing into the narrow Göblistrasse in some places, however – and this raises safety concerns.

Canton and city are involved
Did the politicians in Zug take this into account? A enquiry to the canton shows: the barrier falls under its jurisdiction as part of the Tangente; the municipality of Zug is responsible for everything else. "The city could, for example,  prevent dangerous turning manoeuvres with markings and signals," writes Building Director Florian Weber (FDP) on request. The responsible city councillor Urs Raschle (CVP) explains: "Other than 'no priority', no other bans are planned. So if a car driver actually manages to carry out this 'hairpin turn, he can continue on to the Arbach."

Due to the barrier that has been erected, more traffic will now flow on other roads in Zug and Baar, notably on the Industriestrasse and the Baarerstrasse and their subsequent connections. So the question remains as to why the barrier has been put into operation earlier, almost a month before the Zug/Baar Tangente. "In order to eliminate the unclear and sometimes dangerous traffic situation that has arisen due to the central island that has already been created," answers the building director Weber. Whether the barrier represents a safety risk due to the described alternative via turning manoeuvres, remains to be seen.

Detour costs time
It’s clear that the time saving with the turning manoeuvre is considerable, although the total time is manageable either way. A test drive with undisturbed traffic flow showed: it took just under two minutes from the barrier to the Restaurant Ebel in Inwil, including the turning manoeuvrer at the first opportunity and a traffic-free road. The diversion intended by the canton via the Oberallmendstrasse, the Grienbachstrasse and the Inwilerriedstrasse, or via the new roundabouts built as part of the Tangente takes around four minutes.