Mobility Check
Which means of transport do the Germans rely on?
With the (e-) car or would you prefer a bike through the streets? In some cities it is easier to do one or the other.
© Anne Czichos / Shutterstock.com
Where and how is it best to maneuver through traffic in Germany? The large mobility check provides information.
Get from A to B reliably and safely, but also flexibly and quickly? This question, which is not always easy to answer, has been bothering people, and not just since the corona pandemic. Statistics from the Association of German Transport Companies (VDV) After around 2019, a year before the pandemic, 10.4 billion passengers were transported across Germany by public transport – equivalent to 94.6 billion km of people covered.
Using the example of the German state capital Berlin, 26.9 percent of all journeys are made by public transport, 29.6 percent on foot, 17.6 percent by bicycle and 25.9 percent by private motorized transport. This is shown by a more than 200-page study by the University of Dresdenwhich was only updated on May 4, 2021. In many other cities, such as Düsseldorf, Leipzig or Bremen, motorized traffic is clearly ahead of all other modes of transport at over 35 percent.
The electric car on the advance? Definitely in these cities
The car insurer CosmosDirekt has devoted itself to another interesting analysis approach for 2021. The “Mobility Check 2021” will focus on electromobility as well as alternative locomotion. 18 major cities in Germany were compared with one another. The four categories are: “E-mobility” (number of approved e-cars), “Alternative means of transport” (such as e-scooters or car and bike sharing), “Local public transport” and “Mobility in the city” (for example general car density).
By far the best in the overall ranking was Hanover. Both “alternative means of transport” and “local public transport” received the highest ratings. Behind them, Stuttgart and Essen come in second and third. In terms of registered e-cars, however, Essen is the best among all 18 cities tested, in contrast to Berlin. There you can not be topped in the category “Mobility in the city”, but when it comes to registered e-cars and the necessary charging stations, the capital even came in last. That coincides with that Paper from the University of Dresdenaccording to which only 0.2 percent of the vehicles registered in Berlin are equipped with electric drives.
The Hanseatic city of Bremen is at the bottom of data collection by CosmosDirekt. In none of the other cities tested was the score for “public transport” worse and also for “alternative means of transport” you landed very far behind.
The reliable bike
Instead of waiting for the delayed bus or venturing into rush hour by car, bicycles are the preferred alternative for many people, especially in the coming summer months – with which you can even do something for your fitness. The “Coya” site has created a global bicycle cities index for this purpose, which lists the best bike cities in the world. In addition to the infrastructure, the number of stolen bikes and bike sharing offers was also included.
Oldenburg is unbeatable in Germany in this regard. Even before Münster and Freiburg im Breisgau, the city secured first place in Lower Saxony. The German cities do not have to hide themselves internationally either, only Utrecht ranks ahead of Oldenburg and Münster. Even the bicycle stronghold Amsterdam couldn’t get past them and only ended up in fifth place.