What does transport transition mean?
The term "transport transition" refers to the transition from a transport policy focused on individual transport to a more sustainable, efficient, and socially just mobility. In particular, the transport transition aims to reduce individual motorized transport with combustion engines and instead focus on alternative modes of transport such as public transport or bicycles and e-bikes. The goal is to reduce the negative impacts of transport on the environment, air quality, and climate change.
Why do we need a transport revolution?
The transport transition helps address numerous complex challenges and problems of our time to create a more livable environment for future generations. These include:
- Climate change: The transport transition massively reduces CO₂ emissions in the transport sector.
- Air pollution: Reducing the use of combustion engines improves air quality in cities.
- Noise pollution: By focusing on expanding public transport and promoting cycling and pedestrian traffic, road noise is reduced.
- Land use: A transport transition that focuses on sustainable modes of transport can reduce the need for road infrastructure and create more space for green areas or housing.
- Social justice: A transport transition improves access to mobility for all population groups, regardless of income or place of residence.
What is the initial situation in Germany?
Although there have already been some positive developments in Germany regarding the transport transition, implementation is still lacking in many places. However, the importance of a sustainable mobility transition is recognized by many political actors, companies, and civil society. Nevertheless, private transport remains dominant, and the share of alternative modes of transport is still too low. Especially in rural areas, the infrastructure to offer people an alternative to the car is often lacking. Therefore, there is a fundamental need for financial incentives and funding programs to make switching to environmentally friendly modes of transport more attractive.
What measures are needed to advance the transport transition?
The transport transition requires a variety of measures at the political, economic, and societal levels to be successfully implemented. The following key aspects are central to ushering in the transport transition:
- Promoting public transport: Investments in the expansion and modernisation of public transport are important to create an attractive alternative to individual car transport.
- Expanding bicycle infrastructure: Promoting bicycle traffic is an important component of the transport transition. This includes expanding bicycle paths and bicycle parking, creating safe bicycle lanes, and providing bike and e-bike sharing systems.
- Promoting electromobility: Electric vehicles play an important role in reducing emissions in the transport sector. Measures such as expanding charging stations, financial incentives for the purchase of electric vehicles, and promoting research and development in battery technology can accelerate the transition to e-mobility.
- Strengthening car sharing and ride sharing: The shared use of vehicles through car sharing models and ride sharing reduces the number of vehicles on the roads and optimizes the utilization of existing resources.
- Promoting sustainable transport alternatives: The development and support of sustainable transport alternatives such as low-emission buses, trams, train connections and alternative propulsion systems (e.g. hydrogen) is important to reduce dependence on individual transport.
What is the federal government doing to promote the transport transition?
The Federal Government is responsible for developing and implementing policy measures and frameworks designed to support and advance the transport transition. These include, for example, financial incentives such as the purchase premium for electric vehicles, the expansion of charging infrastructure, and the promotion of public transport. Various objectives have been formulated to achieve sustainable and climate-friendly mobility. Here are some of the most important goals:
- Climate neutrality in the transport sector: A key goal is to make the transport sector climate neutral by 2050. This means that greenhouse gas emissions caused by transport should be drastically reduced or completely offset.
- Increasing the share of electromobility: The German government aims to have seven to ten million electric vehicles on German roads by 2030. This involves expanding the charging infrastructure to enable convenient and widespread charging of electric vehicles.
- End of combustion engines: From 2035, no new cars powered by gasoline or diesel will be allowed to be sold across the EU. The only exception is for cars that can be fueled with e-fuels, i.e., synthetic fuels produced using renewable energy.
What can individuals do to promote the transport transition?
Every single person can contribute to the transport transition through conscious decisions. Specifically, these include:
- Switch to environmentally friendly modes of transport: Short car journeys should be completely replaced by bicycle, e-bike, or walking. For longer journeys, you can choose the train instead of the plane, as rail travel produces significantly fewer climate-damaging emissions.
- Use car sharing: Instead of owning your own car, you can use various car sharing services, especially in cities.
- Inform and raise awareness: By sharing information about the transport transition and the benefits of sustainable mobility, you can raise awareness in your own community and encourage other people to also take action and contribute to climate protection.
It's important to note, however, that individual action alone isn't enough to fully achieve the transport transition. This requires major structural changes, political measures, and investments. Nevertheless, individual decisions and behavioral changes can have a positive impact on your own environment!
