Travel Behavior, Transport Policy, and Sustainable Transport in Germany and the USA

Similarities between Germany and the USA Federal system of government, tradition of local self-government Strong economy, high standard of living Important automobile industry Highest levels of car ownership in the world Most adults have a driver’s license Extensive road network Much urban and suburban (re)development since World War II First “Autobahn”, 1931, (Source: BMVBS, 2007) Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J., Kunert, U “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany,” Washington DC: The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program.Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany Autobahn (A-5) in 2010.

Walking, Cycling, and Public Transport Share of Trips in Europe and USA Source: Data collected by author from recent national travel surveys.

Walking, Cycling, and Public Transport Contribute to Reduced CO 2 Emissions Per Capita Walk, Bike, Public Transport Share of Trips Transport CO 2 Emissions per Capita Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital,” International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 5, pp Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital

More sustainable urban travel in Germany than in USA  ~3 times more CO 2 emissions per capita in USA  ~3 times more energy use per capita in USA  2.2 times more traffic fatalities per capita in USA  U.S. households spend more for transport (17% vs.14% or $2,500 per year)  Higher annual per capita government expenditures for roads and public transport in the USA ($625 vs. $460)  Obesity rate more than twice as high in USA Source: own picture

Walking, cycling, and daily physical activity in Germany and the USA Buehler, R., Pucher, R., Merom, D., Bauman, A. “Active Travel in Germany and the USA: Contributions of Daily Walking and Cycling to Physical Activity,” American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Vol. 40, No. 9, September 2011, pp Active Travel in Germany and the USA: Contributions of Daily Walking and Cycling to Physical Activity

At all income levels Germans drive for a lower share of trips than Americans Share of All Trips Source: Buehler, R “Determinants of Mode Choice: A Comparison of Germany and the USA,” Transport Geography, in press.Determinants of Mode Choice: A Comparison of Germany and the USA

Americans with limited car access drive as much as Germans with easy car access Source: Buehler, R “Transport Policies, Automobile Use, and Sustainable Transportation: A Comparison of Germany and the USA,” Journal of Planning Education and Research, Vol. 30, 2010, pp Transport Policies, Automobile Use, and Sustainable Transportation: A Comparison of Germany and the USA

Americans drive more than Germans at every population density ~60% of Americans live here ~60% of Germans live here Source: Buehler, R “Transport Policies, Automobile Use, and Sustainable Transportation: A Comparison of Germany and the USA,” Journal of Planning Education and Research, Vol. 30, 2010, pp Transport Policies, Automobile Use, and Sustainable Transportation: A Comparison of Germany and the USA

Americans drive for most short trips Percent of trips Source: Buehler, R “Determinants of Mode Choice: A Comparison of Germany and the USA,” Transport Geography, in press.Determinants of Mode Choice: A Comparison of Germany and the USA

Framework: Federal Policies in Germany  Taxes and regulation make car use more expensive  More funding for walking, cycling, and public transport  Land-use planning is stricter and requires cooperation among levels of government  Strategic leadership through national transport and land-use plans at the federal level  Specific policies developed and implemented at the local level

Case Study: FREIBURG 220,000 inhabitants, 120,000 jobs, 30,000 students Gateway to Black Forest region (620,000 pop.) Economy and population have grown faster than German average Strong environmental policy since 1970s Germany’s environmental capital Important eco-industry (10,000 jobs, €500m GDP) Green Party mayor Thanks to Bernhard Gutzmer, Uwe Schade, Wulf Daseking (all city of Freiburg), Andreas Hildebrandt (VAG Freiburg) Source: City of Freiburg

Stagnating levels of motorization in Freiburg (cars & light trucks per 1,000 population) Sources: (BMVBS, ; City of Freiburg, 2009b; FHWA, ) See also: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital,” International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 5, pp Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital

Declining share of trips by car Sources: (City of Freiburg, 2007; University of Dortmund, 2001) See also: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital,” International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 5, pp Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital

Sustainable Freiburg  VKT Car use declined by 7% from 1990 to 2005  On local roads: -13%  Per-capita CO 2 emissions from transport: -13%  Only 29% of U.S. average  Bicycle fatalities per 10 million km cycled:  Freiburg: 1.2; Germany: 1.7 ; USA: 5.8  Public transport operating budget subsidy per year:  Freiburg10%, Germany 25%, USA 65% Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital,” International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 5, pp Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital

1950s 1960sToday Source: City of Freiburg

POLICIES THAT RESTRICT CAR USE

Unleaded Gasoline Prices per Gallon in the USA and Germany, (in U.S. dollars, using PPP) See also: Buehler, R., Pucher, J., Kunert, U “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany,” Washington DC: The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program.Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany

Environmental tax reform in Germany, Gasoline tax revenues quadrupled over 5 years. See also: Buehler, R., Pucher, J., Kunert, U “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany,” Washington DC: The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program.Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany Increased gasoline tax revenues used to reduce social security taxes

Highway user taxes and fees as share of road expenditures by all levels of government in Germany and the United States Road Expenditure = Highway User Taxes and Fees Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J., Kunert, U “Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany,” Washington DC: The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program.Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany

Freiburg: Traffic Calming of Neighborhoods (Source: City of Freiburg)

Typical residential street in Freiburg BEFORE traffic calming reforms Typical residential street in Freiburg AFTER traffic calming reforms

Traffic Calming throughout residential neighborhoods in Freiburg Improves safety and encourages more walking and cycling (Source: City of Freiburg)

Traffic Calming also in Freiburg suburbs (Source: Pucher)

City Center Pedestrian Zone since 1973 (Source: City of Freiburg & own pictures)

Freiburg: Less parking and more expensive (Source: City of Freiburg) Current Planned

Muensterplatz 1960s Source: City of Freiburg

Muensterplatz 2000 Source: City of Freiburg

IMPROVING PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Share of All Trips by Public Transport in Selected German Cities, Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Making Public Transport Financially Sustainable,” Transport Policy, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp Making Public Transport Financially Sustainable

 Integrate public transport fares and timetables  Seamless transfers across operators and public transport modes  Steep discounts for monthly/annual tickets, students, and elderly  Goal: improving service and connectivity  State-wide public transport tickets  ~30 Euros for up to 5 people for entire day during off-peak hours and on weekends Source: Regional Public Transport Authorities

Freiburg: Regional Coordination of Services and Ticketing  Transferable “environmental” ticket since1984  Regional monthly ticket since 1991  Regional Public Transport Authority  75 towns, 187 operators, 3050km of routes  Annual ticket: 450 Euros  Students pay 69 Euros for 6 months  RegioMobil Card includes car sharing  Signal priority for light rail  Financial efficiency increased (Source: City of Freiburg)

Trend in Annual Public Transport Trips in Selected “Verkehrsverbunds" in Germany, (in percent relative to 1991)* Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Making Public Transport Financially Sustainable,” Transport Policy, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp Making Public Transport Financially Sustainable

Passenger Revenue as Share of Public Transport Operating Expenditure in Germany and the USA, Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Making Public Transport Financially Sustainable,” Transport Policy, Vol. 18, No. 1, pp Making Public Transport Financially Sustainable

Freiburg: Expanding light rail (Source: City of Freiburg)

Attractive & convenient trams, buses, metros, and suburban rail trains Source: City of Berlin Source: author’s pictures if not indicated differently Source: City of Freiburg

Freiburg: Integration of modes Suburban and long-distanc e rail Light rail Bike station: parking & rentals (Source: Google Maps) Train station Bus station

Multi-modal coordination Source: Buehler, Pucher, Berkeley

PROMOTING BICYCLING

Sources: Broeg and Erl, Mobilitaet und Verkehrsmittelwahl. Muenchen: Socialdata, 2003; Deutsches Institut fuer Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Mobilitaet in Deutschland, 2002, Stadt Koeln Berlin: Bundesministerium fuer Verkehr, German “cycling boom” since the 1970s

Federal involvement in bicycling National bicycling plan (2002) Flexible funding mechanisms (GVFG) Construction of bike paths along federal roads €1.1 billion to doubling the extent of bikeways along federal highways from 1980 to 2000 Technical expertise (BAST) (Source: BMVBS)

Extensive, fully-integrated bikeway network in Freiburg (Source: City of Freiburg) Crucial to have full connectivity of cycling facilities!

Bicycle Infrastructure: Lanes, Streets, Paths, Boxes (Source: City of Freiburg, Swearingen White, and own pictures)

Note exclusive cycle path in middle and completely separate pedestrian walkways on both sides Most German cities feature safe and attractive bike paths

Cycling training and testing course in Berlin Most German children take cycling lessons by the 3 rd or 4 th grade and must pass a police-administered cycling safety test! (Source: own pictures)

(Source: Fahrschule24.net) German law strongly favors pedestrians and cyclists over motorists

INTEGRATE TRANSPORT AND LAND-USE PLANNING

Freiburg: Complementary Goals of most Recent Transport and Land–Use Plans  Goals of Land-Use Planning:  Improve quality of life  Create a “City of Short Distances”  Strengthen Freiburg as regional center  Preserve city center as historical district  Goals of Transport Planning  Minimize car travel  Shift car trips to other modes  Mitigate harmful impacts of cars See also: Buehler, R., Pucher, J “Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital,” International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 5, pp Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany’s Environmental Capital

Freiburg: 80% of all residents live within 0.5 kilometers of light rail (Source: City of Freiburg)

Accommodating growth within city limits (Source: City of Freiburg)

Vauban & Rieselfeld Neighborhoods (Source: Berkeley and Loeffler)

Lessons for Implementing Sustainable Transport Policies  Sustainable transport policies must be long term, with policies sustained over time, for lasting impact  Policies must be multi-modal and include both incentives and disincentives  Fully integrate transport and land-use planning  Implement controversial policies in stages  Plans should be adaptable over time to changing conditions  Citizen involvement is an integral part of policy development and implementation

Lessons for Implementing Sustainable Transport Policies Integrated Land-Use and Transportation Planning Expand Transit Complete Bike Network Traffic Calming Bundling Car Traffic Parking Management

Thank you! Ralph Buehler, Assistant Professor Urban Affairs and Planning Virginia Tech, Alexandria Center Phone: