Bonn is a city of short distances and therefore ideal for cycling. On most routes in Bonn, a bike is a few minutes faster than a car, bus or train. If you cycle, you save extra time looking for a parking space or getting to the bus stop, and it's easy on your wallet and the climate.
That's why the administration in Bonn is doing a lot to promote cycling and is one of the most committed cities in Germany to expanding its cycling infrastructure.
Cycle routes in Bonn often run along quiet roads with little car traffic. This makes cycling in Bonn particularly pleasant: for example on the Rhine cycle paths, the rail parallel between Bonn and Bad Godesberg or the paths across Meßdorf Feld. There are also attractive connections for short distances within the city districts, for example via the cycle routes. As part of the cycle route network, they generally also run on the side roads used by motor traffic. This includes, for example, the Bundesviertel route between Südbrücke, Johanniterviertel, Post Tower and the Rhine.
An attractive cycle network for Bonn
In Bonn, everyone should be able to get from A to B safely and quickly by bike - whether to school, work or for leisure. Cycling infrastructure should be just as suitable for young and old as it is for fit and inexperienced cyclists. To make this possible, the city is gradually implementing Bonn's cycle network. It includes the most important cycle routes in Bonn: short routes between districts, central routes along main axes as well as commuter and fast cycle routes for longer distances.
The cycle network is not yet complete and the administration is closing further gaps or creating new routes every year. An important milestone in 2024 was the marking of 40 new cycle lanes over a total length of 19 kilometers. This created numerous new attractive routes.
What types of cycling infrastructure are there in Bonn? You can find out more on the page "Safe routes for cyclists."
Selection of upcoming projects to strengthen cycling
The city wants to significantly improve its cycling facilities in the coming years. This includes important routes in the city center, including Bertha-von-Suttner-Platz, the main train station and the bus station. Thanks to new bridges, completely new connections will also be created in the west of Bonn. In future, a cycle route will run from Meßdorf Feld over the A565 and onwards over the railroad tracks at Bonn-West station.
On the page "Strengthening cycling" you will find an overview of all the projects that the administration is currently working on.
More cycling for a liveable and climate-friendly city
Bonn is to become quieter, cleaner and greener. This can be achieved through a fair redistribution of public space in favor of environmentally friendly means of transport such as bicycles, but also buses, trains and car-sharing. All of this is part of Bonn's mobility transition.
There is great support among the population and politicians for the promotion of cycling. In 2020, a referendum was held in Bonn with the Bonn Cycling Decision , which defined seven transport policy goals for improving the cycling and walking infrastructure in Bonn. The aim is to provide more space for cycle paths and footpaths in the city and to distribute road space more fairly. The Bonn cycling referendum is the most successful citizens' initiative in the history of the City of Bonn. 28,074 people signed the petition, which was ultimately approved by the Bonn City Council in 2021 with a majority of 87%.
Strengthening cycling also serves climate protection: by 2030, three out of four journeys in Bonn are to be made by environmentally friendly means of transport such as the bicycle. This is an important contribution to the goal of making Bonn climate-neutral by 2035. To achieve this, the administration has drawn up a climate plan for Bonn. Today, traffic in Bonn is still responsible for a large proportion of CO2 emissions in the city: every fourth gram of CO2 is produced by road traffic in Bonn.
Topics and services for cyclists
The service team for cycle paths at the Civil Engineering Department is constantly out and about recording defects, but you can also help to improve the condition of the cycle paths.
Defect report: Bicycle path in poor condition?
Contact the cycling team of the city of Bonn
Cycling: campaigns and events
Further actions by external initiatives
Car-free Friday
The student representatives of Bonn-Beuel Integrated Comprehensive School and Radentscheid Bonn regularly call for a "CarFree Day". The name stands for a day of car-free mobility, on which the two initiatives call on citizens and visitors to Bonn to leave their cars behind and walk, cycle or use buses and trains instead.
More information about the CarFree Day:
