Subsidies for Cargo Bikes: Heavy Breathing in Car Country

Everyone wants climate protection, but hardly anyone participates: Here is a concrete proposal on the table, namely to subsidize private cargo bikes with 1,000 euros and increase the number of cargo bikes to one million, as the Greens have now suggested. And the proposal is being torn apart by the "usual suspects." There is talk of a bonus for hip urbanites, clichés are being bandied about until the cows come home. FDP deputy parliamentary group leader Ulrich Lange condemns the subsidy for "a clientele whose lifestyle should be generously subsidized by others," and the so-called social media are overflowing with accusations that the top 10,000 are being funded here.

Facts: The myth of the urban hipster

The facts are completely different, as Spiegel Online has now thankfully clarified, referring to a study by the Sinus Institute: Cargo bikes are not being bought by urban high-income yuppies, but the purchase interest is noticeably dependent on income level, being even stronger among the lower class and lower middle class, so the finding. Those who earn less already cycle more, with rising incomes car usage also increases. Over 100,000 cargo bikes were nevertheless purchased last year, sometimes with local subsidies, but mostly only for businesses.

"Cargo bikes are not just a gimmick. They can make an important contribution to reducing the flood of delivery vehicles in city centers. Subsidies create awareness and can get people to buy a cargo bike instead of a second car," analyzes Wolfgang Aichinger, responsible for Urban Mobility at the Think Tank Agora Verkehrswende.

He points out that in addition to subsidies, the creation of appropriate cargo bike infrastructure or integration into logistics concepts must also be considered. Also forgotten are the hidden costs of car traffic. According to him, not just electric cars, but every car is massively subsidized by the public. Including environmental, congestion, and accident costs, each vehicle receives an additional 4,000 euros in incentives from taxpayers, 20 cents per kilometer, as transport researcher Stefan Gössling from Lund University calculates. Bicycle usage, on the other hand, creates a social return of 20 cents per kilometer, not least due to saved healthcare costs.

"The entire system of motorized individual transport costs us in Germany 110 billion euros annually. Mineral oil and vehicle taxes only bring in 60 billion euros," states transport researcher Andreas Knie from the WZB.

The proposed subsidy is therefore a modest sum. Nothing more needs to be added to that. Except: If you want climate protection, you have to start somewhere. Why not with the "low hanging fruits"? And remember a quote from the legendary political enabler Regine Hildebrandt: "Don't always tell us that it can't be done." Instead, dear Unionists and Liberals, tell us concretely and immediately how you intend to achieve the German climate goals in your view. Not acceptable: The nebulous and careless reference to "technologies" and "inventions".