Source: European Commission

Cologne, the fourth-largest city in Germany, has taken the first step towards the development of its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan, with the completion of its mobility strategy in March 2025. It aims to enhance the city’s mobility over the next decade, building on its 2023 visions, which set out goals for 2035.

At the heart of the Cologne SUMP is a target scenario, detailing seven action areas: walking, cycling, public transport, motorised private transport, connected mobility, commercial and delivery traffic, and spatial planning and land use. Each of these areas has been assigned a set of strategic measures; for example, for cycling, the strategy is to improve network connectivity and expand commuter routes, while for public transport, direct connections between city districts are the focus.

24 performance indicators are included in the strategy, enabling progress monitoring and management towards the 2035 targets. For example, a significant indicator for public transport is punctuality and service reliability. The goal is to increase light rail punctuality from 79% to 90% and reduce service failures from 6.4% to below 2%.

The development of the mobility strategy has seen extensive participation from a variety of stakeholders including experts, interest groups and Cologne citizens, with the development process receiving a national award for good citizen participation. Social acceptability of the strategy was key, ensuring that it addressed vital aspects such as accessibility, safety and affordability. The development process followed the European Commission’s SUMP guidelines.

The strategy is now awaiting approval by the city council and, from autumn 2025, it will be further refined with specific measures to implement the strategy’s vision and objectives. During this stage, elements such as budgeting, priorities, timelines, resource needs, and responsibilities for implementation will be defined.