Ralf Poppenborg: New head of traffic management in Düsseldorf from 2025

New management for the Cologne Office for Transport Management

The Cologne Office for Transport Management will receive a new leader in the second half of 2025. The Mayor of Cologne, Henriette Reker, suggests the main committee to name Ralf Poppenborg for this position. The official template for this will be presented on May 5, 2025.

Ralf Poppenborg has extensive experience in the field of transport. After graduating in 2004 at RWTH Aachen, where he studied in transport and spatial planning, he initially worked as a traffic engineer. He has been working in the Office for Transport Management of the City of Düsseldorf since 2005, where he held various management positions, including as head of the Department of Transport Technology.

at 50 years Poppenborg has the necessary qualifications and the necessary professional and management experience in order to manage the office effectively and to address future challenges in the field of mobility. Mayor Reker expressed her trust in his skills and emphasized that he would make mobility modern and sustainable for all road users in Cologne.

Ascan Egerer, deputy for mobility, emphasizes that Poppenborg has the motivation and expertise to optimize the flow of traffic and to advance the digitization of traffic technology. He will also be responsible for temporary interventions in traffic, which includes construction sites and special transports in particular.

The Cologne Office for Transport Management employs almost 300 employees and is responsible for the control and steering of traffic in the city. Central tasks include planning, construction and operation of the traffic infrastructure, the arrangement of traffic signals and the approval of construction sites. The resignation of the previous head of office, Patric Stieler, on July 1, 2025, opens the way for a new beginning under Poppenborg's management.