Bad Godesberg train station New efforts to get video cameras installed
Bad Godesberg · Local politicians want the city to pressure Deutsche Bahn to install video cameras at the Bad Godesberg train station. So far, it’s not in the plans.
Anyone using or coming near the Bad Godesberg train station can see it is undergoing major renovations. Having been a sore spot for Bad Godesberg for many years now, the changes are welcome and more good news; construction is running on schedule. However, local politicians are still raising some questions and concerns about how to keep people safer, and at the same time preserve the pristine renovations once they are completed.
Deutsche Bahn is responsible for the renovations, and their plans do not call for video cameras in the underpass. Leading from Von-Groote-Platz at the rear side of the train station, the underpass to the station has been a rather dark and dreary place in the last years – not a place where people feel safe. Local politicians are trying to get the Bonn city administration to convince Deutsche Bahn that video cameras need to be installed there.
Cameras are not only needed for safety, but also to keep the area free of vandalism. Underpasses at Alten Bahnhofstraße, Kinopolis and Königstraße are examples where renovations and added lighting didn’t result in keeping the newly cleaned and painted areas free of vandalism. The politicians argue that cameras will not only make people feel more secure, but they will also help to reduce graffiti and other forms of vandalism. The city has been negotiating with Deutsch Bahn for some time already about trying to get an accessible ramp from Von-Groote-Platz, public toilets, and new bike parking facilities.
In 2015, 18,000 video cameras were installed in regional trains and trams. Deutsche Bahn continues to expand their video security in cooperation with federal police. In 2016, they want to add 700 more video cameras to 100 train stations. Currently, there are 4,800 video cameras in 640 train stations. Philipp Lerch of the CDU party says, “I can’t understand why the Bad Godesberg train station shouldn’t be a part of this video security program. It’s needed and it makes sense.”
(Orig. text: Rüdiger Franz)
