Barrier-free services for people with disabilities at the Grand Départ

Up to a million visitors are expected in Düsseldorf for the Grand Départ of the Tour de France from 29 June to 2 July 2017. Therefore, facilities and services for people with disabilities will naturally be set up along the race route of the Grand Départ Düsseldorf 2017.

Information and service plans for your barrier-free visit to the start of the Tour in the state capital can be found on this website. The service is constantly being expanded. Here, you’ll soon find texts in simple language and a videoclip where the most important content is translated and summarised by a sign language interpreter.

General information on your barrier-free visit to the state capital of Düsseldorf can be found at www.duesseldorf-barrierefrei.de.

Barrier-free services by event days
Help and information for people with disabilities
On all the days of the event, a total of 2,400 volunteers will be available to provide help and advice at the disabled facilities, at prominent hubs and in the entire event area. The overview plans on the disabled facilities and the presentations on this website thus help all visitors, with or without disabilities, to find their way around at the Grand Départ.

If you have questions about the facilities for people with disabilities at the Grand Départ-weekend, Bernhard Reimann is available on the phone number 0211 - 8928916 (Monday to Friday, 9 am to 5 pm, and on 1 and 2 July from 9 am to 8 pm).

Information in sign language
A videoclip is to be published here soon, showing the most important information about the accessibility services at the Grand Départ Düsseldorf 2017 translated by a sign language interpreter.

A quick look at the map
Barrier-free services for the team presentation on Thursday, 29 June
Grandstands for people with disabilities (wheelchair)
The team presentation on Thursday at Burgplatz, followed by the tour of the 198 cyclists through the old town to Apollo-Platz, can be viewed by wheelchair users from an area directly in front of the stage at Burgplatz. Seats are also available there for escorts.

Sign language interpreters and reporting for the blind
For the team presentation, a sign language interpreter and a reporter for the blind will also be available at Burgplatz.

Travelling by public transport
The underground station Heinrich-Heine-Allee close to Burgplatz is barrier-free. For further information on barrier-free stops of the Rheinbahn, see www.rheinbahn.de/kontakt/Barrierefreiheit

Under www.rheinbahn.de/tour, all the possible connections and journey times are available about a month in advance.

Sanitary facilities for the disabled
Barrier-free sanitary facilities are available around the event area.

Barrier-free services for the 1st stage on Saturday, 1 July
Grandstands for people with disabilities (wheelchair)
Wheelchair users can experience the first stage from a total of four stands. A grandstand is provided for 80 wheelchair users and their escorts in Heinrich-Heine-Allee, right next to the Deutsche Oper am Rhein. At Reeser Platz, platforms are provided for 90 wheelchair users and their escorts. There are also wheelchair platforms at Graf-Adolf-Platz and at Kaiser-Friedrich-Ring.

Audio description
The audio description on the day of the 1st stage is at Reeser Platz, on the corner of Rotterdamer Straße.

Car parking for people with disabilities
In order to allow for short distances, mobility-impaired people (with appropriate ID) have the opportunity to park their vehicles on special parking spaces for the Grand Départ. Thus, on the day of the 1st stage, 60 parking spaces for disabled people will be set up on Maximilian-Weye-Allee. The distance from the wheelchair grandstand at Heinrich-Heine-Allee is 420 metres, and it can be reached without steps. Further parting areas can be found at Reeser Platz, Feldmühlenplatz, Kaiserswerther Straße. All the parking areas for people with disabilities with the corresponding ID are located close to the stands mentioned above and are shown on the overview maps. A parking ticket has to be booked in advance via the Internet under granddepart.parkvogel.de/shop/parken-fuer-menschen-mit-behinderung for 5 Euros; the parking space is then reserved.

Travelling by public transport
The Rheinbahn, and thus the public transport, is also prepared for people with disabilities. The following barrier-free stops are available at the event grounds: ESPRIT arena/Messe Nord, Freiligrathplatz, Messe Ost/Stockumer Kirchstraße, Nordpark/Aquazoo, Reeser Platz, Victoriaplatz/Klever Straße, Nordstraße, Tonhalle/Ehrenhof, Schadowstraße, Pempelforter Straße, Heinrich-Heine-Allee, Benrather Straße, Steinstraße/Königsallee, Oststraße, Graf-Adolf-Platz, main station. Further information on accessibility at  www.rheinbahn.de/kontakt/Barrierefreiheit.

Crossing the racetrack
Facilities, such as the barrier-free crossings of the racetrack are shown by pictograms in the overview plans. Due to the high speed of the racing cyclists, there are no possibilities to cross the track apart from the ground level crossings. Barrier-free crossing can take place in the following places:

•    Stockumer Kirchstraße (at the trade fair building)
•    Stockumer Kirchstraße (opposite the Congress Center Düsseldorf)
•    Fritz-Roeber-Straße (exit Rheinufer Tunnel)
•    Heinrich-Heine-Allee/Maximilian-Weyhe-Allee
•    Heinrich-Heine-Allee/Grabbeplatz
•    Königsallee/Trinkhausstraße
•    Graf-Adolf-Straße/Breitstraße
•    Graf-Adolf-Straße/Elisabethstraße

Sanitary facilities for the disabled
Sanitary facilities for people with disabilities can be found along the entire cycle route:

•    Fischerstraße/Klever Straße
•    Reeser Platz, Rotterdammer Straße (grandstand)
•    Rheinpark (public viewing)
•    At the Fortuna kiosk (Uhlanen monument)
•    Maximilian-Weyhe-Allee
•    Altestadt
•    Grabbeplatz
•    Burgplatz
•    Marktplatz/Zollstraße
•    Rheinuferpromenade (Kunst im Tunnel)
•    On the grounds of the Festival du Tour (Landtag)
•    Schadowplatz (Kö-Bogen)
•    Graf-Adolf-Platz (grandstand)

Barrier-free services for the 2nd stage on Sunday, 2 July 2017
Grandstands for people with disabilities (wheelchair)
Also for the 2nd stage, corresponding stands are available at Heinrich-Heine-Allee for 80 wheelchair users and at Victoriaplatz (30 spaces) for wheelchair users and their escorts.

Car parking for people with disabilities
Also for the 2nd stage, mobility-impaired people with appropriate ID have the opportunity to park their vehicle on a special parking space: At the Aquazoo, Kaiserswerther Straße, 60 parking spaces are available exclusively for people with disabilities. The parking area is shown on the overview maps. A ticket has to be booked in advance in the Internet under granddepart.parkvogel.de/shop/parken-fuer-menschen-mit-behinderung for 5 Euros; the parking space is then reserved.

Travelling by public transport
The Rheinbahn, and thus the public transport, is also prepared for people with disabilities. The following barrier-free stops are available: ESPRIT arena/Messe Nord, Freiligrathplatz, Messe Ost/Stockumer Kirchstraße, Nordpark/Aquazoo, Reeser Platz, Victoriaplatz/Klever Straße, Nordstraße, Tonhalle/Ehrenhof, Schadowstraße, Pempelforter Straße, Heinrich-Heine-Allee, Benrather Straße, Steinstraße/Königsallee, Oststraße, Graf-Adolf-Platz, main station, Kirchplatz, Rheinbahnhaus, Heerdter Sandberg, Prinzenallee, Lohweg, Am Seestern and Dominikus Krankenhaus.
Further information on accessibility of the Rheinbahn stops under www.rheinbahn.de/kontakt/Barrierefreiheit.

Sanitary facilities for the disabled
Barrier-free toilet facilities can be found at the following locations: Fischer/Klever Straße, Stockumer Nachbarschaftsfest, Rheinpark (public viewing), at the Fortuna kiosk (Uhlanen monument), Maximilian-Weye-Straße, Altestadt, Grabbeplatz, Burgplatz, Marktplatz/Zollstraße, Rheinuferpromenade (Kunst im Tunnel), on the grounds of the Festival du Tour (Landtag), Schadowplatz (Kö-Bogen) and at Graf-Adolf-Platz (grandstand).