Cologne completes new mobility strategy aligned with SUMP guidelines

Cologne, Germany’s fourth-largest city, completed its mobility strategy in March 2025, marking the first step in the development of its Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP). This document outlines strategic directions for enhancing mobility in Cologne over the next decade. It is based on the city’s mobility vision, adopted in 2023, which sets out the city's goals for 2035 through five key visions.

The centrepiece of the SUMP is its target scenario, which focuses on seven action areas: walking, cycling, public transport, motorised private transport, connected mobility, commercial and delivery traffic, and spatial planning and land use. For each of these areas, the city has developed a set of strategic measures. For example, in the cycling sector, the strategy aims to improve network connectivity and expand commuter routes. In public transport, the focus is on strengthening direct connections between city districts.

The strategy includes 24 performance indicators to monitor progress towards its objectives. These indicators help the city track its achievements and take corrective actions where needed. The indicators define both baseline values (the current situation) and target values (for 2035). For example, an important 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 process involved extensive participation from a wide range of stakeholders, including experts, interest groups, and citizens. The process received national award for “good citizen participation.” Social acceptability was a key component, ensuring the strategy addressed essential elements such as accessibility, safety and affordability. The process followed the European Commission’s guidelines on Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning.

The strategy is now awaiting approval by the city council. From autumn 2025, it will be further refined with specific measures to implement the strategy's vision and objectives. This second phase will also define elements such as budgeting, priorities, timelines, resource needs, and responsibilities for implementation. One potential action could include specific improvements to the urban bus network to strengthen direct connections between city districts. With the creation of SUMP 2035, Cologne is also responding to its role as an urban node within the TEN-T network.

Author: Claus Köllinger
Views and opinions expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the European Commission.