Modern streetcars for a better frequency

On February 1, 2023, one of 28  new streetcars arrived at the SWB depot. The streetcars are still undergoing various tests and test runs on the network and the staff are being trained. Commissioning should be completed by the middle of the year, after which tests will begin with the first streetcars for passenger use. By the end of the year, these will replace old streetcars that are prone to repairs and increase the capacity of rail transport in Bonn. Additional journeys are to be offered on lines 61 and 62, which will run every five minutes between Bonn and Beuel.

Resolution on the climate plan: Work program for the mobility transition

In March 2023, the Bonn City Council adopted the climate plan for Bonn - a milestone on the way to a climate-neutral Bonn and Bonn's mobility transition. The associated climate protection work program defines key tasks that the administration is to implement over the next twelve years, including new areas of responsibility in the field of mobility. For example, the city is expanding its task profile in the areas of school mobility management, parking management, e-mobility and commercial transport.

Kick-off Bönnscher Sommer

In April, the city of Bonn launched the " Bönnsche Viertel - Vibrant spaces for people" participation process in the model districts of Innere Nordstadt and Combahnviertel. Various campaigns were held in these two model districts in 2023 to engage with local people on the topic of active, safe and sustainable mobility. Residents, initiatives and cultural workers spent a summer discussing what they would like to see in their district and what potential the reorganization of traffic holds for a vibrant neighbourhood.

The interests of younger citizens were also incorporated in an age-appropriate manner as part of children's surveys and youth participation.

Neighborhood concepts are currently being drawn up for both districts based on the participation process.

The banks of the Rhine as a cycle route and Bonn as an up-and-coming city in the cycling climate test

Between March and April, the City of Bonn converted the traffic area on the banks of the Rhine in Bonn between Zweite Fährgasse in the south and Rosental in the north into a bicycle lane. The traffic area is generally reserved for pedestrians and cyclists and helps to improve the quality of life.

These and other measures to strengthen cycling are having an impact: in the 2022 nationwide cycling climate test conducted by the German Cyclists' Federation (ADFC) and the Federal Ministry of Transport, the federal city of Bonn took first place in the "Best development" category (catch-up) for cities with between 200,000 and 500,000 inhabitants.

A main route network for cycle traffic

Two years after the decision on Bonn's cycling referendum, the city has submitted a proposal to politicians for a future  main cycling route network. It represents an orientation framework for the initiation and prioritization of future cycling projects and is to be understood as an overall concept for the promotion of cycling in Bonn. It opens up the possibility of better weighing up the different interests of the individual modes of transport. The city council adopted the main route network in December 2023.

The administrative proposal was first published in May as part of the transparency report on the implementation status of  Radentscheid Bonn and discussed with citizens at a public event. The cycle route network represents an important milestone in the implementation of the Radentscheid citizens' initiative.

Dialogue formats on the implementation of additional cycle lanes

In June and December 2023, the Bonn City Council decided to implement 40 additional  cycle lanes in accordance with the new standard. Against this backdrop, the city administration has offered citizens a variety of different dialog formats to inform them about the background and the planned project in the respective districts.

Completion of 30 mobile stations

After the official opening of the  mobile stations on December 14, 2022, the final work on the first 30 locations was carried out in June. The mobile stations can be found in Bonn city center and in Beuel. They offer numerous services that promote environmentally friendly mobility and support citizens in leaving their cars at home and using emission-free alternatives. The mobile stations differ in terms of the type and number of services they offer. An expansion of the range is being considered.

New service contract agreed with Stadtwerke Bonn

The new service contract for the provision of public transport services between the city and Stadtwerke Bonn has been in force since mid-June. This will enable an attractive local transport service to be maintained and expanded for the next 22 years. It was contractually agreed with Stadtwerke Bonn that the operating services would be provided and that quality standards would be maintained. The new contract came into force on June 18 and also regulates transport services beyond the city limits into the Rhein-Sieg district.

City-wide launch of stationary car sharing on public streets

On September 5, stationary  car sharing was officially launched on public streets in Bonn. In future, vehicles from the providers cambio, Grüne Flotte and scouter will be available to rent for one hour or more at more than 70 locations in Bonn. For this purpose, 155 fixed parking spaces have been set up and will be signposted and marked with floor markings by November. The parking spaces will be successively filled with car sharing vehicles by the providers.

The car sharing locations are evenly distributed throughout the city and enable mobility - regardless of whether you own your own vehicle. An expansion of the service is being considered.

Setting up temporary school streets

Temporary school streets have already been set up at three elementary school, and another will be added in February. In the school streets project, the road immediately in front of the school is temporarily closed to cars at the start of the school day, with the exception of residents. The aim is to increase the safety of schoolchildren on the roads on the one hand and to reduce the amount of parents picking up and dropping off children on the other. This requires the cooperation of the schools and parents for the daily closure. A main road and roads with local public transport cannot be closed off. The establishment of further school streets is possible at any time; a request from an elementary school is currently being examined.

Conclusion of the Bönnsche Sommer: Bönnsche Stadtstraßen campaign day

Three colorful street campaigns in Endenich, Dottendorf and the Inner Nordstadt brought the Bönnsche Sommer to a festive close on September 23. As part of the Bönnsche Stadtstraßen campaign day, Bonn residents outside the Bönnsche model districts were given the opportunity to use their streets differently for a day and experience them in a new way. The city of Bonn had closed sections of Kessenich Straße, Magdalenenstraße and Michaelstraße to motor vehicle traffic for the day and made them available to residents and cultural workers for alternative use. There was a large number of independently organized formats, including concerts, painting activities, flea markets, cake stalls and discussions offered by and for the neighbourhood about the future of their own street and mobility. The City of Bonn hosted mobility talks in all three streets and was on hand to answer questions about current projects and plans.

At the same time, a mobility day organized by the city took place on Münsterplatz. More than 13 different exhibitors took the opportunity to present measures, projects and plans for Bonn's mobility transition. At the same time, the city cycling event ended with a new participation record. Exhibits from the exhibition "The road of the future rethought: The manifesto of the free road presents itself", which was on display at the VHS Bad Godesberg from September 7 to October 26, were also presented on Münsterplatz.

Participation for better sidewalks: launch of the pedestrian traffic check

In the state-wide competition for a " pedestrian traffic check", the NRW Ministry of Transport and the NRW Future Mobility Network have selected the city of Bonn as a participating municipality. The pedestrian traffic check was carried out together with residents, interested citizens, politicians and initiatives in Bonn's old town in September. The check contained several components. The main component was the walk-throughs, during which the participants identified problems on site, such as a lack of space or missing traffic lights, and discussed them. Solutions were developed in a final workshop on November 6. A final report is expected in the first quarter of 2024. Some measures can already be incorporated into existing concepts.

Start of the dialog on the Adenauerallee traffic trial

On  Adenauerallee, between Koblenzer Tor and Bundeskanzlerplatz, the City of Bonn will carry out a three-month traffic trial in the first quarter of 2024. This will test the future traffic routing that will apply on this section of the B9 following the renovation of the sewer and roadway. The city administration has been offering various information and dialog formats in the run-up to the trial since the beginning of December and during the traffic trial.

The city administration has sent a letter to the residents of Adenauerallee and the surrounding streets informing them about the planned information and dialog events on the trial. At these events, residents and interested parties can make suggestions regarding the planning. In addition to an event for local companies, businesses and organizations, there have so far been two public information stands on the market square (city centre) and at the University and State Library. There will be a variety of other dialog formats next year.

Early participation Redistribution of the road space at Bertha-von-Suttner Platz

The traffic routing along  Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz is to be adapted in the future. From the first sketch to the conversion, there is a lot to consider. The plans are currently in the first planning stage, the so-called preliminary planning. The aim of the measure is to create a safe, intuitive and clear traffic flow for all road users. Whether on foot, by bus and train, on a bike or by car - everyone should be able to move around safely and in a relaxed manner.

The city of Bonn wants to take on board the suggestions of Bonn residents at this early planning stage. This is why Bonn residents had the opportunity to submit their suggestions online until the end of 2023. In addition, the administration was also present on site to engage directly with people. Further information at:  www.bonn-macht-mit.de/bertha (opens in a new tab)

Opening of Bonn's first fully automated bicycle parking garage

Bonn has got  bicycle parking garages with a total of 280 lockable boxes in four central locations where bicycles can be parked securely: at Frankenbadplatz, Stiftsplatz, Konrad-Adenauer-Platz and the train station in Beuel. Bonn's first fully automated bicycle parking garage was inaugurated in Beuel on December 12.

Continuation of the Jobwärts program

"Jobwärts - simply.better.commute." is a program in the area of company mobility management. It aims to noticeably reduce traffic congestion in the greater Bonn area - also in view of the upcoming construction sites on the highways in the coming years - and to encourage more people to commute to work by bicycle, pedelec or bus and train. Following the withdrawal of the Rhein-Sieg district as a program partner, the city of Bonn will continue the Jobwärts program in 2024 and it will be further developed in line with the requirements of the climate plan for corporate mobility management.

The city of Bonn is currently working on as many  local transport projects as it last did in the 1970s when the subway was being planned, when Bonn was still the capital.

Light rail extension Buschdorf, Westbahn, light rail extension on the right bank of the Rhine, double-track extension of line 18 in the Brühl area to Bonn and the cable car to the Venusberg: all these local transport projects are intended to significantly strengthen public transport connections within Bonn and between Bonn and the Rhein-Sieg district. Plans are also underway to build a separate track for the light rail line 66 on Sankt Augustiner Straße. This is intended to improve the reliability of the rail service on this line and increase frequency in the future.

In future, the light rail line on the right bank of the Rhine via Niederkassel is to follow the example of lines 16 and 18 (Rheinuferbahn and Vorgebirgsbahn), which connect many places on the left bank of the Rhine with Bonn and Cologne by rail. The Westbahn is intended to better connect the city center to the Hardtberg district on a double-track, above-ground streetcar line. Light rail line 63 is also to be extended and in future will run from Tannenbusch via Buschdorf to Nordfriedhof. A double-track extension of line 18 between Brühl and Dransdorf is intended to increase the frequency to every 10 minutes.

In addition, the new plans for the conversion of the central bus station (ZOB) have been significantly advanced. The preliminary plans are to be discussed in the political committees before the 2024 Easter vacations and then discussed with the people of Bonn as part of a public participation process in 2024. Plans are also underway to speed up the bus service and expand further barrier-free stops.

In order to increase the punctuality and reliability of bus services, numerous measures for bus acceleration have been adopted and are being successively implemented.