In the opinion of the Highest Road Traffic Authority, the city's approach is not objectionable. The red accompanying lines in Bonn's cycle lanes can be retained.

The Ministry considers the doubts expressed by the Cologne Administrative Court in the course of the summary proceedings on the Ückesdorf cycle lane regarding the legality of the accompanying red lines to be unfounded. The letter states: "The MUNV, as the supreme road traffic authority of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, cannot follow the statements of the Cologne Administrative Court on the red accompanying lines in cycle streets." The marking is to be assessed as a road design element with a purely informal character (without regulatory content under traffic law) and not as a traffic sign that can be ordered in accordance with the StVO. In the City of Bonn, the red accompanying lines are not part of the traffic regulations for bicycle lanes due to the same assessment by the city administration.

In addition, the Ministry refers to its legal opinion, which was already documented in 2023 and has remained unchanged since then, that even if the red accompanying lines were to be confused with an official traffic sign, this would not jeopardize road safety in bicycle lanes (minutes of the traffic engineer meeting with the district governments in May 2023).

In contrast to other cities, the City of Bonn decided in favor of red side markings and against the alternatively permitted full-surface red marking of bicycle lanes. The red side lines are a clear marking of bicycle lanes, which significantly increase safety and at the same time cause significantly less interference in the streetscape and lower costs than a full-surface coloring of the bicycle lanes.

The City of Bonn welcomes the clarification from the Highest Road Traffic Authority.