The new cycle path is part of the cycle commuter route along the east-west axis currently being implemented. It continues along the B56 through Beuel, Bonn-Zentrum and, in future, through a new underpass under the railroad tracks at the Alter Friedhof and over the Viktoria Bridge to Endenich and Duisdorf.
Mayor Katja Dörner of Bonn officially inaugurated the cycle path section on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 in the presence of invited guests together with the deputy district mayor of Beuel, Heidi Froese-Jauch, Viktor Haase, State Secretary in the NRW Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Transport, and Rainer Gleß, Technical Councillor of the City of Sankt Augustin. Together, they cycled along the upgraded section and cut a ribbon.
Mayor Dörner: "We are making the daily commute easier"
"Whereas cyclists previously had to take a long detour via Siegburger Straße, which was not very convenient, they can now take the direct and safe route parallel to the B56 between the city and district areas. With this expanded, attractive cycle route, we are making the daily commute easier for many people in the region," said Mayor of Bonn Dörner. "With an increasingly attractive cycling infrastructure, we want to significantly increase the share of cycling in the overall traffic volume and thus take a further step in the mobility transition to make Bonn climate-neutral by 2035."
State Secretary for the Environment and Transport Viktor Haase added: "For the state government, the expansion of cycling infrastructure is a central pillar of the mobility transition of the future and will contribute to achieving climate protection targets in the transport sector, among other things. 64 percent of journeys made by car in Germany are shorter than ten kilometers in everyday traffic - here the bicycle has particularly high potential as an alternative means of transport. Closing traffic-related gaps in the cycle path network, such as here on the B56, is therefore essential."
District Mayor Heidi Froese-Jauch emphasized: "I consider any cycle path that is separated from road traffic to be exemplary."
The upgraded section of the cycle path and footpath between "Am Herrengarten" and "Reinold-Hagen-Straße" is around 400 meters long. Construction work began in October 2023 and was completed in mid-March 2024. Finally, good weather had to be waited for to complete the verge and the troughs at the edge of the cycle path and footpath. The 2.50-metre-wide cycle and footpath was constructed to the south of the B56 carriageway using asphalt. The costs amount to around 325,000 euros. The civil engineering department has already made preparations for the future lighting of the cycle path and laid empty conduits.
Administrative agreement concluded
In order to be able to carry out the construction work, the city of Bonn has concluded an administrative agreement with Straßen.NRW, the Ville-Eifel regional branch responsible until April 2021, as the responsible road construction authority. This gap closure is being financed by funds from the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport; the planning and execution were carried out by the city.
Sankt Augustin's Technical Councillor Rainer Gleß is also pleased that this continuous cycle path between Bonn and Sankt Augustin is now in place: "The completed cycle path is an important gap closure along the B56 between Bonn and Sankt Augustin. Now it is also possible to cycle continuously along this transport axis connecting the two cities, which can be particularly attractive for commuters."
Information on cycling on the Internet
The City of Bonn has published extensive information on the subject of cycling on the Internet: www.bonn.de/radverkehr (opens in a new tab)