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

Size: px

Start display at page:

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

Damon Simpson
6 years ago
Views:

1 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

levels of car ownership in the world Most adults have a driver s license Extensive road network

First Autobahn, 1931, (Source: BMVBS, 2007) Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J., Kunert, U. 2009.

2 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 Autobahn (A-5) in 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.

3 Percent of Trips Walking, Cycling, and Public Transport Share of Trips in Europe and USA Cycling Walking Public Transport USA ('08) Belgium ('99) France ('08) UK ('08) Norway ('01) Denmark ('08) Germany ('08)Netherlands ('08) Source: Data collected by author from recent national travel surveys.

4 Annual Tons of CO 2 per capita Transport CO 2 Emissions per Capita Walking, Cycling, and Public Transport Contribute to Reduced CO 2 Emissions Per Capita USA Canada Australia Ireland Belgium France Norway UK Denmark Finland Germany Austria Sweden Spain Netherlands Walk, Bike, Public Transport Share of Trips R² = Percent of trips by public transport, bicycle, and foot Source: Buehler, R., Pucher, J Sustainable Transport in Germany: Lessons from Germany s Environmental Capital, International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, Vol. 5, pp

5 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 Source: own picture

6 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

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

Americans with limited car access drive as much as Germans with easy car access Source: Buehler, R. 2010.

8 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

9 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

Percent of trips Americans drive for most short trips Source: Buehler, R. 2011.

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

11 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

) Economy and population have grown faster than German average Strong

eco-industry (10,000 jobs, 500m GDP) Green Party mayor Source: City of

12 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 Source: City of Freiburg Thanks to Bernhard Gutzmer, Uwe Schade, Wulf Daseking (all city of Freiburg), Andreas Hildebrandt (VAG Freiburg)

Stagnating levels of motorization in Freiburg (cars & light trucks per 1,000 population) 900 800 776 700 600 500 400 422 419 445 546 389 613 1950 1970 1990 300 200 248 208 268 2006 100 0 28 13

13 Stagnating levels of motorization in Freiburg (cars & light trucks per 1,000 population) Freiburg Germany USA 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

14 Percent of Trips Declining share of trips by car Car Public Transport Bike Walk 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

15 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

16 1950s 1960s Today Source: City of Freiburg

17 POLICIES THAT RESTRICT CAR USE

Unleaded Gasoline Prices per Gallon in the USA and Germany, 1990-2010 (in U.S. dollars, using PPP) $8.0 $7.0 6.8 7.0 $6.0 6.3 6.4 $5.0 $4.0 3.9 3.9 4.0 4.2 4.6 5.1 5.6 Germany USA $3.0 $2.0 2.3 2.6 2.

18 Unleaded Gasoline Prices per Gallon in the USA and Germany, (in U.S. dollars, using PPP) $8.0 $ $ $5.0 $ Germany USA $3.0 $ $ $ See also: Buehler, R., Pucher, J., Kunert, U Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany, Washington DC: The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program.

19 % Reduction of Social Security Tax Relative to Expected Level Billion Euros Environmental tax reform in Germany, Source: UBA (2005 a and b), Schlegelmilch (2005) Gasoline tax revenues quadrupled over 5 years. Increased gasoline tax revenues used to reduce social security taxes % -0.2% -0.4% -0.6% -0.6% -0.8% -1.0% -1.0% -1.2% -1.4% -1.3% -1.6% -1.5% -1.8% -1.7% Source: UBA (2005 a and b), Schlegelmilch (2005) See also: Buehler, R., Pucher, J., Kunert, U Making Transportation Sustainable: Insights from Germany, Washington DC: The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program.

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

20 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.

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

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

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

24 Traffic Calming also in Freiburg suburbs (Source: Pucher)

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

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

27 Source: City of Freiburg Muensterplatz 1960s

28 Source: City of Freiburg Muensterplatz 2000

29 IMPROVING PUBLIC TRANSPORT

Share of All Trips by Public Transport in Selected German Cities, 2003-2007 Source: Buehler, R.

30 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

Regional Public Transport Authorities Integrate public transport fares and timetables Seamless transfers across operators and public transport modes Steep discounts for monthly/annual tickets,

31 Regional Public Transport Authorities 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:

Freiburg: Regional Coordination of Services and Ticketing Transferable environmental ticket since1984 Regional monthly ticket since 1991 Regional Public Transport Authority 75 towns, 187 operators,

32 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)

33 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

34 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

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

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

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

38 Source: Buehler, Pucher, Berkeley Multi-modal coordination

39 PROMOTING BICYCLING

40 German cycling boom since the 1970s Sources: Broeg and Erl, Mobilitaet und Verkehrsmittelwahl. Muenchen: Socialdata, 2003; Deutsches Institut fuer Wirtschaftswissenschaften, Mobilitaet in Deutschland, 2002, Stadt Koeln Berlin: Bundesministerium fuer Verkehr, 2004.

41 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)

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

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

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

45 Bikeable German suburbs Most new suburban developments have sidewalks and cycle paths This design further separates cyclists from motor vehicles Pucher: Walking and Cycling for Health

46 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)

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

48 INTEGRATE TRANSPORT AND LAND-USE PLANNING

49 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

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

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

52 Vauban & Rieselfeld Neighborhoods (Source: Berkeley and Loeffler)

53 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

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

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

Canada. UK France. Walk, Bike, Transit Share of Trips

Canada. UK France. Walk, Bike, Transit Share of Trips 1950s 1960s Today Relationship between Share of Urban Trips by Transit, Bicycle, and Foot and Per Capita Annual CO 2 Emissions from Road and Rail Transport in Australia, Canada, the USA and EU Countries,