Bicycles get priority City of Bonn further restricts motor traffic on the banks of the Rhine
Bonn · The Bonn city administration is further restricting private motorists and parking on the banks of the Rhine near Bonn city center. All residents in the area have been informed in writing.
On the section of road between Rheingasse and Rosental, the markings for all parking spaces were removed in recent days. Excluded were parking spaces for the physically impaired, delivery zones and taxi stands.
At the southern section of the road, many drivers continued to park on the edge of the road or on the sidewalk despite the removal of parking spaces. Because of that experience, there are now numerous signs in this latest section of road showing that people are not allowed to park there. All residents have been informed in writing, according to the press office.
Starting at the beginning of next week, the roadway between Rosental and Josefstraße north of the Hilton Hotel will be designated as a bicycle street. The city asks all road users to take special care while this work is being completed. When it becomes a designated bicycle street, cyclists will always have the right of way there. Later, the plan is to only allow access to cars of residents who live in that area.
The parking garage under the opera house, on the other hand, is to remain accessible via Josefstrasse. The parking spaces for buses will be relocated. In the future, buses will be able to park on Josefstrasse and in front of the new Prizeotel hotel on Erzbergerufer next to the Beethovenhalle.
South of Rheingasse, too, the Civil Engineering Office has now erected numerous temporary and permanent signs clearly indicating a no-parking zone as far as Zweite Fährgasse. This has significantly reduced the number of parking violations.
On Wednesday morning, a dozen vehicles from Bonn and other cities continued to park on the sidewalks, partly also on Lindenallee in the riverbank area. Some drivers parked their cars right next to a no-parking sign. A few fines were visible on windshields.
Lines to separate traffic lanes
Since the street is more heavily used at the moment as a detour for the Koblenzer Tor, two lanes are to be visually separated by a temporary line in the next few days. Only after the detour has been lifted, probably at the end of June, will the southern section of Uferstraße between Zweiter Fährgasse and Rheingasse then also be designated as a bicycle lane without motorized through traffic. The plan then is to erect bicycle stands on the sidewalks. Artistic and green design elements are to enhance the Rhine riverside for the time being, according to the press office.
From the end of next year, the banks of the Rhine are to be redesigned in three sections. The city council decided on the short-term changes last summer after the local elections. However, the closure of the B9 around the Koblenzer Tor made it necessary to have a temporary detour via the Zweite Fährgasse to the Rheingasse.
(Orig. text: Martin Wein / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)
