Oh, the joys of a motorhome holiday—your bed always with you, freedom on wheels, and the open road stretching ahead! But for some residents of Bonn, it’s less of a vacation vibe and more of a parking nightmare.
You know the drill. The pandemic hit, and suddenly, everyone and their dog wanted to go on a road trip in their own home-on-wheels. Motorhome sales skyrocketed, and Bonn, with its picturesque streets, wasn’t immune. Between 2021 and 2023, the number of motorhomes in the city shot up from 2,125 to a whopping 2,422. But while motorhome owners are cruising around happily, not everyone is excited to see these giant vehicles parked in their neighborhoods.
Motorhomes on the Road (and on the Sidewalks)
It’s no surprise that the residents of Bonn, especially in places like Plittersdorf, are not thrilled about the caravans that pop up on the hard shoulder of Kennedyallee. Imagine trying to drive out of your own garage, only to find yourself stuck behind a monster motorhome—good luck with that. One helpful neighbor even suggested using outdoor swimming pool parking lots for long-term motorhome parking in winter. Good idea, right? It’s a win-win for both sides: motorhome owners get to park, and residents get to avoid playing bumper cars with RVs every time they back out of their driveway.
The Battle for Parking Spaces
In theory, it sounds simple—just park in designated motorhome parking spots, right? Well, not so fast. The city’s parking spaces have been fully booked for ages. Bonn’s website even cheerfully invites you to join their waiting list—how comforting. For those who can’t wait, the alternative is to pay for a spot at a campsite, but not everyone’s keen on that when they could just park for free on the street.
But, surprise, surprise, this leads to a bit of tension. Residents aren’t exactly thrilled with the idea of having their parking spaces hijacked for weeks on end. The city reports a slight increase in complaints, but when they inspect, they often find that the parking is, in fact, legal. Well, that’s reassuring… sort of. Still, the sheer size of these vehicles in tight residential areas certainly stirs up some conflict.
Where Can You Park That Thing?
Here’s where things get a little tricky. Where exactly can you park a motorhome in Bonn? Well, it depends. For starters, you can’t just plop your RV in a regular car parking spot—those are for cars, not houses on wheels. If your motorhome weighs over 7.5 tonnes (you know, the size of a small elephant), it’s subject to special parking rules. But most motorhomes are under that weight limit, so unless you’re blocking a specific car parking space, you’re pretty much good to go.
The city, however, wants to avoid a free-for-all situation. If you’re planning to leave your motorhome parked for more than two weeks (without a towing vehicle), you might want to check the local rules—or risk a parking fine. And yes, those fines can add up: 10 euros for parking in a car space, 15 euros if you’re causing an obstruction, and it keeps getting worse if you stick around longer than three hours.
A Parking Solution… Maybe?
In December, the city’s main committee finally decided to tackle this issue by looking for a “sufficiently large, environmentally friendly motorhome parking space.” They’re eyeing up a spot on Carlo-Schmid-Straße, which is already a free parking area for caravans. It’s close to the A562 freeway and public transport. Sounds great, right? But the city also knows it needs to make the place more motorhome-friendly, so they’re considering adding supplies and disposal facilities. Stay tuned to see if they can make it happen.
For now, it seems like Bonn is caught in a motorhome merry-go-round: the city’s trying to find a balance between accommodating these home-on-wheels and keeping its residents happy. So, next time you’re planning a road trip to Bonn, maybe double-check where you park your rolling fortress—you wouldn’t want to end up with a parking ticket… or worse, an angry neighbor!