Challenging Transition in North Rhine-Westphalia
The Ruhr Cycle Expressway (RS1) is a significant cycling infrastructure project in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, connecting several cities in the Ruhr area with a continuous, high-quality cycling route spanning over 100 km.
On a specific date, Transport Minister Oliver Krischer officially opened a new section of the RS1, connecting Gelsenkirchen's city boundary with Essen-Kray Nord train station. This section, spanning 1.5 kilometers, required the renovation of three bridges.
The construction of another 3.2 kilometers of RS1 is scheduled to be completed in August, with a section in Bochum set to open to traffic during the same month. However, only 7 kilometers of the RS1 have been completed as of July 2025.
The planned network consists of seven cycle expressways with a total length of 275 kilometers. Unfortunately, the progress of other cycle expressways, such as RS5, is not currently being updated by the Ministry of Transport. As of now, only 0.4 kilometers of RS5 are completed out of a planned 26 kilometers.
The RS1 route, in part, runs over old railway tracks, necessitating the removal of old rails, installation of new load distribution plates, and corrosion protection. This adds to the construction challenges, as does the location of these cycleways in densely populated areas.
The Ministry of Transport refers to the RS1 as "on track" and has made progress in the planning process. Regular project-specific working meetings have resulted in the RS3 in Bad Oeynhausen being realized more quickly.
Despite the progress, there is still a "model section" of 10 kilometers of RS1 that is already rideable but does not yet meet the cycle expressway standard due to narrow areas and gravel surface in some places.
A survey suggested that the expansion of RS1 could shift 52,000 daily trips from cars to bicycles in the future. The initiative for the planned cycle expressway network in NRW was launched in 2013 with the aim to encourage more people to switch to cycling.
Minister Krischer brought all stakeholders together in 2022 to drive the project forward. However, the current search results do not provide specific, up-to-date details on the progress and challenges of the RS1 expressway. For accurate and detailed information, local government or regional transport authority publications, or specialized news reports on North Rhine-Westphalia cycling infrastructure would be needed.
News reports on the progress of North Rhine-Westphalia's cycling infrastructure could highlight that while the Ruhr Cycle Expressway (RS1) is making steady progress, with additional sections such as the Bochum section set to open in August, only 7 out of the planned 275 kilometers have been completed as of July 2025. Sports enthusiasts may also find it noteworthy that, as part of the initiative to encourage more cycling, the expansion of RS1 could potentially reduce 52,000 daily car trips in the future, providing a greener and more active means of mobility.
