Mobility Barometer: One in Three Wishes for Better Public Transport Connections
Every third person in Germany is dissatisfied with the accessibility of buses and trains in their place of residence. This is according to a representative study of 2,000 citizens conducted by the research institute KANTAR on behalf of Allianz pro Schiene, BUND, and the German Traffic Safety Council. The respondents mostly desire a much better frequency of buses and trains. There is also dissatisfaction with the infrastructure and safety of cycling and walking. In the national ranking, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Bavaria stand out as the laggards. Leading the way are – besides the three city-states Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg – Thuringia, NRW, and Hesse.
The number of departures is lacking
At least 70 percent of the respondents speak of a generally good connection to public transportation. According to Dirk Flege, Managing Director of Allianz pro Schiene, this shows that a large majority of Germans can use the 49-euro ticket and will benefit from the offer in their place of residence. Additionally, it becomes clear that the majority of people do not perceive the distance to the nearest stop as a problem but rather the perceived infrequent departures at a stop.
“We thereby have a clear understanding that it's not the distance but the frequency that makes people dissatisfied. Here we have identified an important transport policy lever that the federal and state governments can use to directly improve the offer for people within the existing infrastructure," Flege stated.
Respondents complain about stagnation in services
A large proportion of respondents (78 percent) state that the number of departures has not improved or has even worsened within the last five years.
“For the success of the mobility transition, there is an urgent need for an offensive in public transportation services. Instead, from the perspective of the citizens, there is stagnation in many places. Federal Transport Minister Wissing needs to act and strengthen the environmental association. Strengthening pedestrian, bicycle, and public transportation means taking climate goals seriously," demanded BUND Managing Director Antje von Broock.
Cycling & walking: Becoming less safe
People were also asked whether they feel safer on a bicycle and on foot compared to five years ago. Thirty-eight percent of the respondents lament that nothing has changed, while 28 percent even feel that cycling has become less safe than it was five years ago. Pedestrians in almost all federal states mostly state that their feeling of security has not improved. Almost one-third of the respondents believe that there are not enough safe bicycle paths available to them. Consequently, one in five people never ride a bike. Cyclists are particularly dissatisfied with the bicycle paths in Hamburg, Thuringia, and Rhineland-Palatinate.
“The risk of accidents is much lower for train and bus travelers than for car occupants. However, people must first get to the departure point. When less than half, only 47 percent of respondents, say that there are enough safe bicycle paths available to them, there must be improvements. The goal must be to create safe infrastructure that takes the safety of pedestrians and cyclists seriously," urged Prof. Dr. Walter Eichendorf, President of the German Traffic Safety Council.
Bavaria as a sad laggard
The respondents from Bavaria particularly criticize the low frequency of departures. Only 56 percent are satisfied with the number of departures at their nearest stop. Seventy-seven percent state that the frequency has not changed or has even worsened in recent years. Only 75 percent of the respondents are satisfied with the distance to the nearest stop; the second-worst value in the federal state comparison, with only Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania scoring worse.
“It is important to achieve significant improvements here to get more people into public transportation. Only with a good offer can public transportation become the backbone of the mobility transition in Bavaria," criticized BN-Bayenr chairman Richard Mergner.
Prime Minister Markus Söder and Transport Minister Christian Bernreiter need to understand that building more roads will not solve our traffic problems. The focus on a few prestige projects, such as the second S-Bahn trunk line in Munich, is also a mistake.
“We need a mobility turbo, especially in rural areas," appealed Mergner.
BN state representative Martin Geilhufe explains that urgent improvements to the cycling infrastructure in Bavaria are needed to get more people on bikes. Last week, they launched the Radvolksbegehren for a Bavarian cycling law and in a first step handed over 100,000 signatures, Geilhufe pointed out.
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