Whether traffic rules in theory lessons or the first joint tour through the Nordstadt district: international students learned how to navigate safely through Dortmund's road traffic at a cycling training course organized by Fachhochschule Dortmund and TU Dortmund University together with the ADFC. There is great demand for the offer.
Finding your way around a new city is a challenge for international students anyway. Add to this the dense German road traffic and the uncertainty is sometimes great. Especially for those who want to get around by bike.
The new edition of the cycling course for international students offered help here. The project, which was initiated by the former mobility management team in 2023, is part of a comprehensive mobility campaign and took place at the end of April at the traffic training area of the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club (ADFC) in Fredenbaumpark.
Strong demand and important fundamentals
Interest in the free, English-language course continues to be huge: around 50 students from Fachhochschule Dortmund and TU Dortmund University applied.
The training itself was divided into two parts: In the theoretical part, experts from the Allgemeiner Deutscher Fahrrad-Club (ADFC) explained the most important German road signs, priority rules and, above all, the rights that cyclists have in traffic. Then it got practical: after the first few laps of the protected practice area, the group set off on a joint bike tour in the "real" traffic of Dortmund's Nordstadt district.
"It is important to us that our international students are not only mobile, but also feel completely safe on Dortmund's streets," emphasizes Karen Müller, Climate Protection Manager at Fachhochschule Dortmund. "Knowing how to behave at an intersection and what rights you have as a cyclist also gives you independence in everyday student life."
Focus on sustainability and a look into the future
Those who were unable to get a place this time need not be sad: Fachhochschule Dortmund and TU Dortmund University will be working even more closely together in future and will now be offering the course once a semester, with the universities taking turns to organize it. The next course is already planned for the start of the winter semester - probably in October.