Best Practices - RingFrei – Cyclist-friendly redesign of the Cologne Ring

The RingFrei project was initiated by a citizens’ initiative of the same name whose goal is the cyclist- and pedestrian-friendly redesign of the six-kilometre-long Cologne Ring, a semi-circular boulevard running around the inner city. The Ring’s redesign was already part of the Inner-City Cycling Plan, which was adopted in 2016, but it was not prioritised as urgent. The initiative’s core objectives have been adopted by municipal committees over the past few years and implemented by the municipal administration.

The implementation took place in various phases. First, the obligation to use the cycle paths was removed. A 30-kilometre speed limit has now been introduced throughout the Ring. To this end, all the traffic signalling systems were replaced. For the first time in Cologne, one of the two car lanes was turned into a cycle lane. This spatial reallocation has now been implemented along more than half of the route. Construction work on further sections is currently under way. The narrow brick cycle paths on some parts of the roadside are being removed, and these areas will be made available to pedestrians. All the short-stay parking spaces are being converted into loading areas, taxi ranks and cycle parking spaces. The loading areas are available as residents’ parking at night.

The implementation of the first sections has already significantly reduced the volume of car traffic on the Ring. The RingFrei project has sent an important signal about the reallocation of space in favour of cyclists and pedestrians in Cologne. Numerous plans based on the RingFrei model are now being developed and implemented.

Presentation | participation free | talk language: german | outdoor

Limited number of participants | getting there: make your own travel arrangements

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