Cologne traffic turnaround: New signs for more safety in Weidenpesch!

Cologne traffic turnaround: New signs for more safety in Weidenpesch!

Although traffic in Cologne is often described as dense, the Weidenpesch district appears to be particularly affected. Neusser Straße, which runs through this district, is a main venue for cars, trams and cyclists. In order to improve the safety of all road users, the city of Cologne has now introduced new measures. How Review online reports that traffic patrol cadets Savio Schreiner and Konstantin Veil are working on installing speed display boards. These new boards are intended not only to measure speeds, but also to encourage responsible driving through colorful smileys and encouraging messages.

The first board has found its place near the Florianschule and shows a yellow light and a pouting face when speeding. This is intended to make drivers aware of their speed without them having to face immediate fines. In collaboration with the traffic police, the city of Cologne has purchased a total of ten speed display boards for around 23,000 euros, which will be used at eleven locations in the city. These panels record not only the speed of vehicles, but also the number of cars passing by, which could be important for future traffic analysis.

A step towards improving road safety

The city has the clear goal of increasing traffic safety through this project, especially in places such as schools, kindergartens and in 30 km/h zones, where a particularly large number of road users can collide with one another. In 2022, around 450,000 speeding violations were registered in Cologne. Such figures show that there is a lot to be improved in the city's traffic situation.

This initiative is not only supported by the local traffic police, but is also viewed in the context of larger nationwide efforts. The “Vision Zero” project, which is being launched by the Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport is promoted. The aim of this measure is to reduce the number of traffic deaths by 40 percent by 2030. Although deaths from car accidents have decreased in recent years, the number of fatally injured pedestrians has increased, raising concerns.

Together to the solution

Also important is the fact that citizens can be actively involved in choosing the location of the new speed display boards. On the city's website you have the opportunity to submit your own suggestions as to where additional panels would be useful. This not only promotes awareness of road safety, but also the participation of the population in shaping their environment.

According to a comprehensive data set for speed monitoring in Cologne, which will be available from 2023, not only are the offenses recorded, but important data on the types of vehicles and accident locations are also collected. This system could help to better identify and target dangerous places in the city open data Cologne.