City of Aachen/Aerowest
Brief description
- Project: Renewal of the roadway and redesign of the intersection
- Objective: Increased road safety and traffic routing that conforms to the cycling decision
- Schedule: Start of construction 2027
- Project phase: Implementation planning
Current
On 13.03.2025, a majority of the Mobility Committee passed a planning resolution for the redesign of the Vaalser Straße / Amsterdamer Ring / Halifaxstraße junction.
Map
Occasion and goal
There is a great need to renovate or renew the roadways, which means that the entire intersection area and the roadway of Vaalser Straße beyond the intersection must be renewed. The administration has examined whether it is possible to improve the routing of pedestrian and cycle traffic and the situation at the "Venskyhäuschen" stop as part of this necessary measure.
Condition
Vaalser Straße and Amsterdamer Ring both have high vehicle traffic volumes. The outer ring road offset (Vaalser Straße on the out-of-town side) is the busiest junction arm, with the Vaalser Straße's straight-ahead traffic representing the largest junction flows.
With the exception of the right turn into Amsterdamer Ring, right-turning traffic at the junction is "free right-turning traffic", which is not included in the signalization. Due to the obtuse angle, vehicles can turn at high speeds, which poses a risk to cyclists and pedestrians.
The junction is known as an accident blackspot and was discussed several times at the accident commission meeting, most recently on 28/08/2024 and 14/05/2025.
Almost 400 local public transport journeys are made along Vaalser Straße every day. However, the "Venskyhäuschen" stop has numerous shortcomings on both sides of Vaalser Straße.
Cycle traffic is routed in all approaching arms in the secondary facility. To go straight ahead, four fords have to be crossed via the ancillary facilities. On Vaalser Straße, additional cycle lanes are therefore marked in the junction area to guide inbound and outbound cycle traffic across the junction as comfortably as possible. However, the marked cycle lanes are narrower than required by the guidelines. Cyclists turning left are not assisted by markings and generally turn indirectly via a total of six fords.
In the area of the right-turn lane coming from Vaalser Straße in the direction of Amsterdamer Ring, the cycle lane is in the middle position between the straight ahead lane and the right-turn lane. There was a fatal cycling accident at this point in 2019 in which a cyclist was hit by a turning truck.
The sidewalks are clearly undersized. The values are below the standard dimensions of the currently valid guidelines. In the area of the bus stops, the usable width for waiting passengers, cyclists and pedestrians is severely restricted.
The tree population in the intersection area was examined on site. Three well-developed oaks on the triangular islands, which are protected by the tree protection statutes, are classified as particularly worthy of preservation. Some of the other trees are worth preserving, but have poor and too small root spaces.
Planning
The conversion of the Vaalser Straße / Amsterdamer Ring junction is intended, among other things, to improve the subjective and objective safety of cycle traffic. To this end, a consistent structural and signal separation of bicycle and motor vehicle traffic is being sought (turning motor vehicles are not given the green light at the same time as pedestrian/cycle traffic).
As part of public transport planning, there is a legal obligation to ensure accessibility in public transport. Bus stops must therefore be converted in accordance with the applicable standards for barrier-free use of public transport.
The approved variant includes a uniform design with offset pedestrian and cycle lanes throughout the junction area. The design follows the aim of the cycling decision for large traffic light junctions. Cycle traffic remains on structurally designed cycle paths and is clearly demarcated from pedestrian traffic. Cycle traffic turning right is protected from motor vehicle traffic and turns freely in the side area. Left turns are made indirectly via the cycle lanes of two junction arms.
Additional right-turn lanes are to be created in each junction arm to ensure conflict-free signalization. In Vaalser Straße (city-inward side), the second straight lane is to be shortened due to structural constraints and marked as a bus lane to speed up buses.
The modified lane layout and topography change the efficiency of the junction. The green times for pedestrians and cyclists, for example, are reduced due to the integration of right-turning traffic. However, fewer fords have to be crossed and there are no more conflicts with right-turning motor vehicle traffic. The vehicle green times are all sufficiently dimensioned. The number of lanes in the junction approach remains unchanged. Simulations have confirmed that no tailbacks are to be expected as a result of the changed traffic routing.
For the reconstruction of the entire intersection, 15 trees will probably have to be felled, including two of the three protected oaks. The plan is to plant 11 new trees with improved ground clearance.
All in all, the adopted variant can achieve the highest level of objective and subjective safety for cyclists. Cyclists frequently have accidents in urban areas at junctions with main roads. Accidents between cyclists going straight ahead and turning motor vehicles are particularly serious. Comprehensive road safety is guaranteed by the completely separate signalization of pedestrian/cycle and motor vehicle traffic. On the other hand, there is an acceptable loss of comfort due to minor time losses.
In June 2025, a further traffic survey will be carried out at the junction in order to substantiate the planning with current figures. New traffic simulations will provide information on the effects of the stop variants on travel times. A decision will then be made on the choice of a stop variant.
Simulations
Costs
According to a rough estimate, the construction costs amount to around €2.9 million. A large part of this is accounted for by the renovation and renewal of the roadway.
A planning application for funding was submitted to Go.Rheinland in 2022 for the barrier-free conversion of the bus stops. For the remaining road construction, a planning application was submitted to the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in May 2025 for funding in accordance with the funding guidelines for municipal road construction (FöRi-kom-Stra).
Council proposal
Redesign of the Vaalser Straße / Amsterdamer Ring / Halifaxstraße junction to improve cycling safety and barrier-free expansion of the "Venskyhäuschen" stop (planning decision)
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