At the stand of the City of Bonn's Citizen Participation Office, visitors were able to record their criticism, suggestions and questions - on moderation cards on the pinboards, using anonymized questionnaires or via the online portal  bonn-macht-mit (opens in a new tab), which was open beyond the event until 13 April. The more than 300 written responses (cards and feedback forms) are now being evaluated together with the online comments. All the information will be incorporated into the next planning steps for the cable car.

Interest in the cable car was generally high and the opportunity to address suggestions, wishes and concerns to the city was very much welcomed - even by those who spoke out against the cable car. Time and again, visitors were positive about the fact that the city was providing such comprehensive and controversial information about the cable car project.

The urban planning office was also represented with its experts at two stands. Visitors took the opportunity to discuss the project with those responsible. One of the issues discussed was whether more parking spaces should be created on site at the planned cable car stations. In contrast to tourist and alpine cable cars, according to the planners, the cable car here in Bonn would be very closely connected to the rest of the public transport network. According to previous studies, there is no need for additional parking facilities on site, as future users will travel to work or go shopping by public transport. The direct connection to public transport, the appropriate operating hours and the consideration of bike & ride concepts convinced the majority of visitors.

In addition to much encouragement, some visitors suggested further development of the overall transport transition concept for the city of Bonn. Some also considered it sensible to offer reduced ticket prices for buses and trains so that as many commuters as possible switch to public transport and local transport.

In addition to the City of Bonn's stands, many other stakeholders were represented with their own theme islands: Bonn University Hospital, Parents for Future Bonn, the Bonn/Rhine-Sieg Chamber of Industry and Commerce (IHK), the "Cable car for Bonn - YES!", the citizens' initiative "Bonn bleibt seilbahnfrei!", the Bonn Nature Conservation Initiative, the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (DEHOGA) North Rhine, the Bund für Umwelt- und Naturschutz (BUND) and the expert Prof. Dr. Heiner Monheim with a stand on urban cable cars. At each stand, participants were able to discuss the different perspectives on cable cars.

Many participants rated the opportunities and capacities of the new public transport connection across the Rhine and up the Venusberg created by the cable car as positive, especially for commuters from companies with large workforces such as Telekom, DHL and the university hospital. Critical voices, on the other hand, questioned the benefits of the project itself and feared interference with the landscape and nature. In general, concerns about excessive costs were expressed at some stands. Other participants urged rapid implementation, as the construction of a cable car, compared to a light rail link for example, would have a much shorter construction time and significantly lower construction costs.

On Friday evening, residents living along the route of the cable car were invited to a discussion in the "Fish Bowl" format. Mayor of Bonn Dörner had written to 2,000 households at random for this purpose. Anyone interested could take part.

In contrast to a panel discussion, Helmut Wiesner, head of the construction department, Dirk Delpho, project manager, Kathrin Küppers from spiekermann ingenieure gmbh and Florian Schweiger from Schweiger engineering office discussed the project on an equal footing with all interested parties. Participants from the audience took turns sitting next to them and asking their questions.

The residents were interested in topics such as noise protection, the connection to public transport and the route of the line. The safety concept, the impact on forest areas and outstanding expert opinions on wind speeds and the geology of the Venusberg were also discussed critically. The planners pointed out that, in principle, nothing would stand in the way of implementing the cable car in Bonn - as previous preliminary studies had shown. However, many of the issues mentioned would be examined in greater depth and fleshed out in the next planning stage on the basis of further expert reports. The discussion was moderated by all parties and conducted in a very objective manner.

Even the youngest visitors were able to actively participate in the information market. At the theme island for children and youth education organized by the Citizen Participation Office, children were able to playfully engage with the topic by making a miniature cable car and cable car buttons. This led to discussions with parents and accompanying adults about whether the cable car is realistic and whether it can really be built. Young people also found out about the project and were particularly interested in the CO2 emissions generated by the cable car.