Cologne is experiencing a real cycling boom in 2025. Each year, the city on the Rhine records more cyclists than ever before. 2025 marks an impressive turning point: for the first time since traffic counts began, more bicycles than cars were counted on one of their main traffic axes.
Permanent counting sites in Cologne prove: more bikes than cars!
According to the city of Cologne, around 10.44 million bike trips were counted by 21 permanent counting sites in the first half of 2025 alone.
On May 12, 2025, the permanent counting station on Hohenzollernring recorded something special: around 11,300 cyclists were counted, more than the 10,600 motorists. A highly symbolic moment (and a first for the city) that shows how much mobility behavior has changed in Cologne. Since then, there have been 17 more days on which the number of cyclists has been higher than the number of cars. 12% more cyclists were counted at the counting stations compared to the same period last year. A particularly positive development was that the number of cyclists on the Hohenzollernring exceeded the 10,000 mark on 42 days in the first half of the year.
The number of cyclists is also rising continuously on other commuter routes such as Venloer Straße and Bonner Straße. This is because bicycles are not only used for leisure, but are also increasingly being integrated into everyday life. As a result, the city is planning to expand their number of permanent counting locations to be able to invest more strategically and intelligently in infrastructure. Integration into public transport is also being improved—with more bicycle parking spaces at stations and the option of taking bikes on streetcars.
©www.badurina.de | KölnTourismus GmbH
Why this trend is important
More cycling means less CO₂, less noise, and a higher quality of life in the city. Cologne shows what modern, sustainable mobility can look like. Switching to cycling is not only possible, but also widely accepted once the right infrastructure is in place.
Conclusion
The numbers speak for themselves. Cologne has the opportunity to become a fantastic cycling city, and we at Eco-Counter are proud to make this change visible with count data.
Cover picture: © Dieter Jacobi | KölnTourismus GmbH
