Dispute over traffic transition: bike paths or contaminated streets?

Dispute over traffic transition: bike paths or contaminated streets?

in Landau, transport policy has left noticeable traces in recent years. In several places, such as the intersection of Hindenburg and Godramsteiner Straße, bike tracks were marked. This was done as part of the efforts of the Landau Greens, who find words praising for their measures. They claim that a current study evidence that this policy led to more people do without the car. Scientists, on the other hand, express considerable doubts about this assessment. Rheinpfalz reports on these diverging opinions.

The reality of the turnover turnaround is more complex than it may appear at first glance. Offer improvements in local public transport (public transport) as well as for cycling and foot traffic require extensive infrastructure measures, which usually result in a changed area layout. These offers can rarely be improved without restricting motorized private transport (MIV), which often only causes cosmetic effects. Therefore, many discussions about individual measures are also fundamental debates about so-called push and pull measures. For example, push measures aim at parking management or speed limits, while pull measures include the promotion of public transport or foot and bike traffic. Future Mobility emphasizes the importance of a network of measures such as noise and air pollutants.

challenges and conflicts of goals in the traffic transition

The challenges for an effective turnover of traffic are diverse. In the first place is the urgent need to reduce the climate -damaging emissions in the regional service. The traffic transition therefore requires a fundamental re -evaluation of the existing mobility approach, which is still heavily based on individual traffic. Cities must try to avoid unnecessary traffic and to promote switching to climate -neutral modes of transport. The scientific advisory board at the Federal Minister of Digital and Transport has emphasized until the end how conflicting this transformation is in urban and rural areas. bpb emphasizes that the overloaded infrastructure in MIV and public transport has negative effects on the environment and quality of life.

A central goal of the turnover of the traffic is to make a “city worth living in”, which includes both climate -political and social dimensions. In addition, the requirements increase through new social conditions and trends such as car and bike sharing. However, the increasing motorization also leads to space competition between different road users, which only enlarges the challenges. The smaller and larger cities in Germany are therefore required to develop innovative approaches to the mobility turnaround and at the same time implement integrative planning concepts that make it easier to switch to environmentally friendly forms of traffic.

The need for changes in the room layout and the entire traffic infrastructure has already pointed out research. Historically, this is shaped by the guiding principle of the car -friendly city. The challenge is to consistently question this approach and instead create a space that grants pedestrians and cyclists equal rights. The discourse on traffic calming and speed reduction is getting louder, and numerous municipalities are calling for legal framework conditions to implement, for example, speed 30. It remains to be seen whether this targeted change of perspective succeeds.

While transport policy is discussed in Landau, a larger picture reflects that affects the cities throughout Germany. New municipal planning processes urgently need to be accelerated and comprehensive offers in public transport must be established in order to achieve the climate goals. In order to actually successfully design this change in mobility, a lived change in society that is supported by everyone is required. This is the only way to become a reality of a sustainable and livable urban future.