Transportation in Europe and the United States: A Comparative Study Prepared by Kristen Eaton, Intern Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO)

Public Transportation in Spain

Rail Transportation in Spain 4th largest railway network in the EU with 8,000 miles State-of-the-Art subway system in major cities By 2010, Spain will have the most high- speed tracks in the world 90 percent of Spain’s population will be within 30 miles of a high-speed station

High-Speed Rail

Number of Passenger Cars Per 1000 Inhabitants

Air Travel in Spain 47 airports and 250 airlines with international connections to all major international cities, with Madrid and Barcelona being the main hubs.

Highway System in Spain 103,300 miles of road network (Ministry of Public Works, 2006) 2nd largest EU highway network with 7,100 miles

Popularity of Bicycling in Germany Bike riding is a common method of transportation in Germany. The above picture is a bike parking facility in Nurnberg, Germany. Bike parking in Munich, Germany

Percentage of All Trips by Mode of Transportation ( )

Passenger Travel and Sustainability

Multimodal Transportation This picture of a city street in Munich, Germany Demonstrates Germany’s multimodal transportation system. In many German cities, individuals will bike, walk, drive, or use Metro rail to travel throughout the city.

Trend in Car and Light Truck Ownership per 1000 Population ( )

Increasing Car Ownership and Use In 2006, the U.S. had the highest and Germany the fourth highest car ownership rate in the world In 2001, Americans made 87% of all trips by automobile compared to 61% for Germans Americans spend five percent more of their budgets on transportation than Germans Source: Ralph Buehler, Determinants of Automobile Use: A Comparison of Germany and the US.,” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, forthcoming

Differences in Travel Behavior in Germany and the United States

Trend in Gasoline Prices,