In future, parkers in the centre of Bonn will have to pay four Euro per hour in public parking spaces instead of the previous 2.60 Euro. This would put Bonn at the same level as Cologne. This price applies in streets close to the centre, such as Josefstraße or Franziskanerstraße. At the same time, the city is expanding the most expensive parking zone 1. In future, streets that previously belonged to Zone 2 and were therefore somewhat cheaper will be included: for example, Wilhelmstraße or Kaiserstraße. Up to now, ten streets in the Bonn borough belonged to parking zone 1; from 1 June, almost two dozen will be added.

In future, motorists will also have to pay more for parking in the city districts. Streets close to the city centre in Bad Godesberg, Beuel and Hardtberg are assigned either to parking zone 2 or 3. For parking zone 2 (example: Aennchenplatz, Friedrich-Breuer-Strasse, Rochusstraße) the hour will then cost three instead of the previous 1.60 Euro. For parking zone 3 (Bahnhof/Moltkestraße, Hermannstraße, Am Burgweiher) the fee will be two Euro instead of the previous 1.20 Euro. In addition, in the districts the obligation to charge will already apply from 8 a.m. instead of 9 a.m., and it will not only apply from Monday to Friday, but in future also on Saturdays.

The council coalition and Lord Mayor Katja Dörner announced the fee increase. It has already been decided in the technical committees. The alliance hopes that the higher costs will create incentives not to drive into the city centres, but to use alternatives such as the bicycle or public transport. Therefore, the so-called Brötchen button, which allows free parking for 15 minutes for a short business visit, will only be possible "in special local circumstances", to be decided by the city council.

The increase in charges in public spaces is not to be confused with the parking charges that apply in multi-storey car parks. Bonner City Parkraum GmbH (BCP), which operates most of the car parks in the city centre, currently charges 1.50 Euro per hour for central parking spaces for the first three hours. Private operators are sometimes below this rate - such as those of the Stiftsgarage on Kölnstraße, which charge one euro for the first hour and 1.30 Euro for the next two hours.

This fact is also pointed out by the Bonn/Rhein-Sieg/Euskirchen retail association, whose chairman Jannis Vassiliou also sits on the supervisory board. In principle, Vassiliou considers higher parking fees in the centre of Bonn to be justifiable. However, the association differentiates between parking in Bonn's city centre and in the district centres. "Especially for the district centres of Bad Godesberg, Beuel and Duisdorf, the increase in parking fees and the discontinuation of the Brötchen button are a serious problem. The accessibility of the retail trade and other service providers located there is made massively more difficult as a result.“

For Bad Godesberg, Beuel, Duisdorf and the other Bonn districts, such as Poppelsdorf, Kessenich and Friesdorf, the association demands the retention of the Brötchen button and a maximum charge of two Euro per hour at the parking meters. The association "categorically rejects" an increase in underground parking fees in Bonn's city centre, said Vassiliou.

Original text: Philipp Königs

Translation: Mareike Graepel