One of the most visible signs of the mobility transition in 2024 is the start of construction work on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn. After a new traffic routing was installed there in 2023, the space gained can now be used to make the riverbank even more attractive and adapt it to climate change. "Bonn is becoming more liveable thanks to the mobility transition," says Mayor Katja Dörner. "It's not just about how we get around, but also about the quality of life in our city, which we want to constantly improve."

Since June 2024, a new traffic routing has been tested on Friedrich-Breuer-Straße in the heart of Beuel, with a decision to be made at the beginning of 2025. The traffic calming measures are intended to make the popular shopping street safer, quieter and more attractive. The quality of life should improve, especially for all those who shop there on foot or visit the restaurants. Interested parties can take part in an online survey on the project on the city's participation platform  www.bonn-macht-mit.de (opens in a new tab) until Monday, December 23.

The new streetcars are the most visible and noticeable change in Bonn's public transport system. But the plans for a better infrastructure also took big steps forward in 2024. At the beginning of 2024, the administration presented the preliminary plans for a new, attractive central bus station (ZOB), and in the second half of the year there was broad public participation.

Planning for new routes is also progressing: the light rail extension to Buschdorf is to be included in the NRW state's public transport requirements plan. The route for the Westbahn line via Endenich, Duisdorf to Brüser Berg was determined in spring. Planning for the important cable car project also continued throughout the year. In April, the administration discussed the current planning status in a stakeholder forum.

City planning officer Helmut Wiesner believes that the expansion of local transport is on the right track, even if some of the important expansion projects require a lot of patience: "We are investing a lot of time and money in improving bus and rail services. It takes time, but it's worth it in the end. The commissioning of the new streetcars is the first major success, and further important improvements such as the new central bus station will follow."

All car sharing parking spaces in the Bonn city area are now occupied. This saves space, as one car sharing car can replace up to 16 private cars. If you drive less than 14,000 kilometers per year, car sharing is usually cheaper than using a private car. This makes car sharing a good alternative for all those who want to move around the city sustainably but cannot or do not want to do without a car completely.

Thanks to the parking space concept implemented in Nordstadt in November, it is expected that the parking pressure for residents there will decrease. They can continue to park freely with a resident parking permit - as can tradesmen's businesses or social services with tradesmen's permits. Everyone else will have to buy a parking ticket. As there will be fewer cars on the road overall and parking spaces will be found more quickly, there will be less traffic searching for parking spaces in the district. Residents also benefit from this - thanks to less noise and greater safety. At the same time, the sidewalk widths in Nordstadt have been restored to at least 1.50 meters where necessary. This allows small children on bicycles or people with baby carriages, wheelchairs or walking frames to get around more safely.

The city has also created more space for commercial traffic in Bonn. In the summer of 2024, it set up the first business parking spaces in NRW in consultation with the business associations. Trade, care and logistics businesses can park here with their own parking permit. "Well-functioning mobility is particularly important to the economy in Bonn," says the Mayor of Bonn. "That's why we are in regular contact with the associations and companies and take the needs of the economy into account in our planning. The results of this valuable dialog are, for example, additional loading zones along Adenauerallee or the possibility of being able to park in bicycle lanes for the duration of an assignment with a craftsman's parking permit."

Together with the city of Bonn, six elementary school in Bonn have been increasing the safety of their schoolchildren in traffic since this year. To this end, they are setting up temporary school streets: With the help of dedicated parents and teachers, they only allow authorized traffic on their respective access roads before the start of lessons using mobile barrier beacons and appropriate traffic signs. This significantly reduces the volume of traffic in front of the school for the safety of the children, while residents and their visitors can still drive through.

In 2024, the city of Bonn also launched a pilot project to promote independent mobility on the way to school. The administration surveyed all school principals back in September to identify challenges and potential. Based on the results, GGS Finkenhofschule, GGS Gotenschule, KGS Holzlar and GGS Jahnschule were selected as pilot schools. Walking route plans are being developed for each school to identify safe and child-friendly routes. In order to optimize these, the parents of the pilot schools were surveyed at the beginning of December.

In spring 2025, the administration will complete one of the largest road construction projects currently underway in Bonn: The renovated and redesigned Bornheimer Straße will then be opened. With wider sidewalks and more greenery along the street, it will be transformed from a mere thoroughfare into a modern city street with a high quality of life in Nordstadt.

The first construction phase of Bonn's new Rhine embankment with the new cycle lane and more recreational areas will also be completed in 2025. In addition, the expansion of the underpass at the old cemetery will begin as part of the important east-west axis for cycle traffic. In the course of the year, the reconstruction of the street Am Hauptbahnhof will start with the preparation of the road and track, a redistribution of traffic and a barrier-free and more attractive design of the footpath from the city center to the main station building.

An overview of upcoming projects and Bonn's mobility turnaround can also be found at  www.bonn.de/mobilitaetswende.