Officials in Bonn are optimistic that traffic impairments will be minimal. But on certain days, there will be areas of the city that might be clogged. For example, demonstrations make temporary closures inevitable.

Between November 6 and 17, 25.000 conference participants are expected in Bonn. The main action will take place in the government quarters at the World Conference Center Bonn (WCCB) and in a part of the Rheinaue Park. Not all participants will be staying in Bonn so they will need to be transported to their accommodations outside of the host city.

Basically, the organizers assume that only a small part of the delegates will travel to Bonn with their own car but they can’t rule out that additional participants might use private transport. "For this reason, especially on the main arrival days from Friday, November 3, to Sunday, November 5, as well as on the main departure days Friday and Saturday, November 17/18, increased traffic is to be expected," says Thomas Fricke, head of the department responsible for traffic control.

As of Wednesday, it was still not clear if 1.000 bicyclists would be permitted to protest by riding on the A 555 autobahn from Cologne to Bonn. Police Director Helmut Pfau said they could not allow the demonstration in light of the overall traffic situation. The organizers had said they would appeal the decision if necessary.

On Saturday, November 4 there will be a large demonstration with up to 15.000 people starting out with a rally at Münsterplatz in Bonn inner city. It begins at 2 pm and will go down the Adenauer Allee (B9) towards the WCCB.

The following Saturday on November 11 will also be an especially crowded day in the city. This is the official start of the carnival season and it just happens to coincide with the weekend - which could mean many people pouring in to the city to celebrate. At the same time, there are two separate groups demonstrating on the city ring road, Bonner Talweg and Reuterstraße. Around 10.000 people are expected to participate in those.

The good news is that the only permanent road closures will be directly in the conference area. People who live and work in those areas will be directly affected. They will be able to access the area from Welckerstraße, Heussallee, Kurt-Schumacher-Straße and Fritz-Erler-Straße. Apart from short term closures for demonstrations, the inner city should not be affected by road closings.

Entrances to the parking garages of Deutsche Welle, Deutsche Post DHL and the United Narions will remain open to employees. Johanniter Hospital will also remain accessible but the underground parking at the hospital will be temporarily closed.

Heussallee (from the junction with Winston-Churchill-Straße) and Kurt-Schumacher-Straße (at Heinrich-Brüning-Straße) will be completely closed - only residents may enter. Important for all drivers coming from the Reuter Bridge: At Bundeskanzlerplatz, the lane in the direction of Heussallee will be open to local traffic only.

Charles-de-Gaulle-Straße has already been closed for some time. But the paths at the Rhine River bank and through the Rheinaue Park should remain open. Riders should be aware that electric buses will also be commuting here.

Police will be traveling around the WCCB and the Rheinaue with uniformed and civilian patrols. Some vehicles and passengers may be checked for identity so people should carry vehicle registration and identification.

In the vicinity of the venue, the city will set up no stopping zones - for example, on a section of Kennedyallee as there will be shuttle buses running there.

More passengers will be on board public transport as conference participants will be using public transportation. Delays should be expected especially between Cologne and Bonn. People are advised to allow more time for their travel and to try to avoid peak travel periods.

Organizers have high hopes for the new UN Campus stop, which is expected to be used by a large number of summit participants. During the conference, lines RE 5 (DB Regio NRW), RB 26 (Transregio), RB 48 (National Express) and RB 30 (DB Regio NRW) will arrive at the new station from both directions. There, shuttle buses are waiting for the conference participants. Also, there will be three bus lines going to special destinations such as the airport.

Police have set up a special resident hotline during this time: 02 28/15 30 30.

(Orig. text. Rüdiger Franz / Translation: Carol Kloeppel)