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Renovation on the Mauenheimer Belt: Safe cycle paths for knick-knacks in sight!
Renovation of the turning lane on the Mauenheimer Belt in Cologne-Nippes from 2027 will ensure more safety in cycling and new lanes.
Renovation on the Mauenheimer Belt: Safe cycle paths for knick-knacks in sight!
The city of Cologne gives the starting signal for the reconstruction of the turning lane on the Mauenheimer Belt in Nippes. In March 2023, the decision was made unanimously in the Nippes district council on the initiative of the SPD, and preparations are now in full swing. The aim of the renovation is to increase safety for cycling and improve traffic routing. Cologne City Gazette reports that the renovation begins shortly before the junction with Merheimer Straße and creates a separation of the lanes for straight-ahead traffic and turning vehicles. The existing situation in which no lanes are marked is thus left behind.
The turning lane will also be widened to accommodate trucks' towing curves, increasing safety for all road users. However, around 15 free parking spaces on the side of the road have to be made way for. Overall, the renovation costs are calculated at around 29,280 euros, and completion is planned for 2027. It should be noted that since autumn 2022, the turning lane has been the only way to turn around in this section of the belt, as the bridge loop at the end of Kempener Straße is only accessible to cyclists, bus services and emergency vehicles.
Cycling in focus
In addition to converting the turning lane, there are also other measures to improve cycling traffic in Cologne. The vehicle right-turn lane from Mauenheimer Belt will be converted into Kempener Straße to create space for cyclists. The necessary work will begin on July 17, 2023 and is expected to take three weeks, as the city of Cologne explained in a press release (City of Cologne). This means that vehicle traffic will turn directly from the straight ahead lane onto Kempener Straße.
The new bicycle lane should be protected by adhesive borders and significantly improve the connection to the cycle paths. An existing two-way cycle path is currently too narrow for the increasing number of cyclists. In recent years, Cologne has become known for taking initiatives to promote cycling. According to Wikipedia, cycling in the city has accounted for 25% of the modal split in recent years and is on a continuous growth path (Wikipedia).
Through the conversions and renovations, the city wants to ensure that cyclists can navigate through the city more safely and comfortably. Individual measures to improve the cycle paths in the short term are now also being tackled, such as widening the footpath and cycle path in front of the Nippes district town hall.
These developments are part of a comprehensive cycling concept that aims to reduce car traffic in Cologne by a third by 2025. Despite the long-term goals, the implementation has repeatedly been criticized in the past. But recent steps show that the city is on the right track to transform Cologne into a more cyclist-friendly city.