Rumble strips near Oberhof: After one year, their removal is up for debate

• Rumble strips have been in place at seven spots since September 2025, after 19 crashes with two deaths in 2023 and 2024
• A bus operator reports damage to his buses, and Oberhof is debating whether the strips should be removed
• The accident commission will discuss the future of the strips in November

The road between Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof in southern Thuringia is popular with motorcyclists. But it is also known for serious crashes. That is why rumble strips have been running across the carriageway for just over a year now. Ask today how the Oberhof rumble strips have performed and you get very different answers. Some riders barely notice the strips. A bus operator is paying for damage to his vehicles, and many people in Oberhof are bothered by the noise. The case shows how controversial road-building measures against speeders on popular motorcycle routes can be.

Why were rumble strips installed between Zella-Mehlis and Oberhof?

The rumble strips are a response to the high number of serious crashes on the road. In 2023 and 2024 there were 19 crashes there, and two people died.

The accident commission of the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district then recommended structural measures. In September 2025, several strips were laid across the carriageway at each of seven crash hotspots. They are about two centimetres high. Riding over them causes a noticeable judder and a loud noise. The idea is to make drivers and riders slow down. One of the affected spots is the Sterngrund bend.

Have the rumble strips reduced the number of crashes?

There is no reliable answer yet. The Suhl regional police inspectorate plans to present complete crash statistics at the end of October at the earliest.

Police spokeswoman Julia Kohl does confirm, however, that there have been motorcycle crashes since the strips were installed. Excessive speed was not always the cause. The police also cite right-of-way errors and riding errors within groups of motorcyclists. On warm days, police officers patrol the road on motorcycles themselves.

A crash on a Sunday afternoon at the end of September showed how dangerous right-of-way errors can be. According to initial police findings, a 25-year-old car driver at the roundabout near Oberhof failed to see a 36-year-old motorcyclist. The car pulled out onto the road, and the motorcycle hit the side of the car without braking. The rider suffered life-threatening injuries and was flown to hospital by rescue helicopter. The car driver was also taken to hospital with injuries. An expert assessor was called in, and the damage is put at around 50,000 euros (approx. 57,500 US dollars). The road stayed closed for a good two and a half hours.

How are motorcyclists reacting to the rumble strips?

Many riders are apparently hardly impressed by the strips. One rider at the Sterngrund bend says he does not feel the strips at all. He even uses them as a reference for his braking point.

People in Oberhof come to a similar conclusion. There, the view is that the strips have done nothing to change the actual problem with speeders. Critics also say that some riders brake suddenly and hard in front of the strips, creating new dangers. The head of the Rennsteiggarten, a botanical garden right next to the road, sees it a little differently. He does notice fewer speeders, but says the problem has shifted to another section. Everyone involved agrees that only a small proportion of motorcyclists cause trouble.

What are the consequences of the rumble strips for buses and residents?

For bus services and residents, the strips bring noticeable drawbacks. A bus operator reports damage to his vehicles, while in Oberhof it is mainly the noise that bothers people.

Volker Gröschel’s buses travel the road ten times uphill and ten times downhill every day. He reports back problems among his drivers and complaints from passengers. On top of that comes damage to the buses. Gröschel cites bills of 17,000 euros (approx. 19,550 US dollars), 10,000 euros (approx. 11,500 US dollars) and 7,000 euros (approx. 8,050 US dollars). In his estimation, some motorcyclists ride at up to 200 km/h at weekends. He is therefore calling for a weekend ban on motorcycles.

In Oberhof, the frustration is directed mainly at the noise. On top of the loudly revving engines there is now the clacking of the strips, which, depending on the wind, can be heard in the surrounding area.

What is the town of Oberhof calling for?

There is broad support in Oberhof town council for removing the rumble strips again. Councillor Sebastian Haseney (WGO) objects to the noise and to the fact that the strips do not stop speeders.

The town administration also considers the strips ineffective. It wants to discuss the situation with the Thuringian State Office for Construction and Transport, but no date has been set yet. The head of the Rennsteiggarten welcomes the fact that the authorities have acted at all. However, he does not see the strips as a lasting solution either.

What happens next with the rumble strips?

The decision will be made in November. That is when the accident commission of the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district will discuss the future of the strips.

By then, the complete police crash statistics, expected at the end of October at the earliest, should also be available. Several positions are therefore on the table: removing the strips, as Oberhof town council is demanding, a weekend ban on motorcycles, as the bus operator wants, and the search for other solutions.

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