Discussions and dilemma: Mayor advertises for controversial cable car project in Bonn

Discussions and dilemma: Mayor advertises for controversial cable car project in Bonn

The interest in the planned cable car in Bonn is great, as the city administration showed by the invitation of 2,000 residents for an information event. Despite this wide invitation, only 320 citizens appeared. The city wanted to present the current state of planning to the participants and at the same time accept suggestions for improvement and criticism in order to include them in the planning if necessary.

The participants of the event in the Dottendorf community center were a mixture of supporters and opponents of the cable car. Criticism became loud, in particular the limited number of approved participants. A spokesman for a citizens' initiative emphasized the need to include all citizens to ensure a holistic discussion.

The Mayor of Bonn, Katja Dörner, took the opportunity to promote the cable car project. She sees the chance to make local public transport more attractive and reduce the use of cars. In addition, the cable car could develop a tourist attraction because it is the first to be integrated into public transport in Germany.

The costs for the construction and operation of the cable car are estimated at 66 million euros, with experts assume that this sum will increase. The financing is largely the responsibility of the federal and state governments. Although the specific planning still requires ongoing reports, experts such as cable car expert Florian Schweiger emphasize that the route is already considered very safe, with adjustments to the locations of the supporting pillars.

Critics of the project express concerns about the high costs and the potentially low -calculated operating expenses. In addition, the effects on nature and the environment are unclear due to the planned route through a landscape protection area. The political objective to put the cable car into operation by 2028 seems to be unrealistic in view of these challenges. Nevertheless, the construction could be started more quickly than expected after the concrete planning has been completed, since experts predict a construction period of only two years.