BONN. Badly parked e-scooters are increasingly becoming a hazard for the visually impaired in Bonn city centre. On her way to work, Manuela Landsberg experiences the pitfalls of this new form of mobility almost daily. As a board member of the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, she is responsible for accessibility in public spaces - no easy task. The popular e-scooters in particular are increasingly becoming a problem. "After use, many e-scooters and e-bikes are simply left in the middle of the path," she reports. For visually impaired people, these unpredictable obstacles on the pavement quickly became a hazard. "Some of our members have already been injured by colliding with the scooters".

Kristina Buchmiller from the city of Bonn explains that "as a rule, street walkers make sure that tripping hazards on the pavements are removed. If the public security service learns of an e-scooter parked in an obstructive position, they inform the appropriate rental company. They have so far been very cooperative and have quickly removed obstructive e-scooters". Landsberg finds this approach difficult, after all, blind people often only notice the obstacle when it is too late. "We are required to report accidents with e-scooters to the respective operators. The fact that we cannot see which company the scooter is from makes this difficult, of course".

Permanently installed parking stations for e-scooters could be a solution in the future. Until then Landsberg asks the drivers of e-scooters to show consideration. "Only recently a woman with her guide dog was hit by an e-scooter on the pavement," she says. The driver fled. "In the worst case, such an accident can lead to the dog becoming insecure and is then no longer suitable for use as a guide dog.”

Now she and her colleague Sabine Franke want to tackle one of the issues in the city themselves. "We are planning a crochet campaign for the 100th anniversary of the association next year", Franke explains. Yellow and white crocheted caps will be attached to the bollards throughout the city of Bonn as visual markers. "Many members of our association are partially sighted and so they can recognise contrasting colours on obstacles", says Franke.

(Original text: Carlotta Cornelius)

SIEBENGEBIRGE Wilderness trails, adventure trails, forest bathing and promoting regional products – just some of the plans at the Siebengebirge Nature Park to encourage people in the region to discover its benefits. The area, which covers 11,200 hectares in Bad Honnef, Königswinter, Sankt Augustin and Bonn, was certified as a quality nature park for the first time in 2015, at that time under the voluntary sponsorship of the Verschönerungsverein für das Siebengebirge (VVS). After five years, the Rhein-Sieg District has now applied for an extension of this award as the new full-time sponsor.

Last week a so-called Qualitätsscout (quality scout) from the Southern Black Forest Nature Park came to take a closer look at the work in the Siebengebirge and was impressed by what he saw during his two-day visit. He gained an insight into the development of the nature park and the projects carried out by the nature park management, which has been the responsibility of the Rhein-Sieg District for two years.

The nature park has also won third prize in the "Naturpark 2021 Nordrhein-Westfalen" funding competition. The jury was impressed by the concept of creating interactive adventure trails for children, the establishment of new collaborations for marketing products from the park as well as making people aware of the forest as a place of relaxation. The 200,000 euros funding has been used to hire two young employees who will now be responsible for implementing the projects at the park.

(Original text: Hansjürgen Melzer)

BONN. An ATM was blown up at around 3 am on Saturday night in Ellerstraße. According to the police, the two suspects were dressed in black balaclavas. It is not yet clear whether they were able to obtain any money, but considerable material damage was caused. The two suspects fled at high speed in a black vehicle.

The Bonn police immediately initiated a manhunt for the vehicle and searched for the suspects from the air by helicopter. The fire service helped out at the scene of the crime by illuminating the area with a lighting pole. The explosion was so violent that the side wall of the building was blown out. According to a GA reporter on site, the whole building was left open by the enormous explosion. Work has already begun on the installation of an interim wall.

Police are asking if anyone saw suspicious people with a dark car in the area of Ellerstraße, Bornheimer Straße, Vorgebirgsstraße or Potsdamer Platz on Saturday 17^th October between 2:30 a.m. and 3 a.m. who could be connected to the crime. Anyone with any information should contact the police on 0228 / 150.

(Original text: ga)

BONN. On the occasion of Halloween, the Federal Association of Pharmacy Students (Bundesverband der Pharmaziestudierenden, BPhD) is organising the so-called Vampire Cup throughout Germany. In cooperation with the blood donation service at the University Hospital Bonn, the student council of the University of Bonn is taking part for the sixth time and calling on students and Bonn residents to donate blood from 26 October to 6 November. A hotline is available for more information (02 28/28 71 47 80) Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 2pm or to make an appointment. Appointments can also be made by sending an e-mail to termin.blutspende@ukbonn.de and giving a telephone number.

Not only students but all other healthy people between the ages of 18 and 68 (first-time donors up to 60 years of age) can participate in the Vampire Cup 2020. Blood donation takes place at the University Hospital in Bonn.

(Original text: buj)

(Translations: Caroline Kusch)