Traffic
Associations and unions are calling for a speedy change in transport
According to unions and associations, the transport transition should speed up. photo
© Stefan Puchner/dpa
From the point of view of several unions and associations, more efforts from the government are needed to achieve a transport turnaround. They demand a comprehensive mobility guarantee for all citizens.
In a joint paper, trade unions and associations called on the government to speed up its ecological and social transport transition for the rest of the legislative period. This requires strengthening the public rail system Transport and bicycles in the so-called environmental network, says the position paper that is available to the German Press Agency.
It will be presented today by the Pro-Rail Alliance, the ADFC, the Zukunft Fahrrad association, the Railway and Transport Union (EVG) and IG Metall. There is also a need for a new role for car traffic with fewer vehicles and fewer journeys made by car.
Criticism of the blockade attitude of some countries
“Our goal is a mobility guarantee,” write the organizations. “This means defined minimum standards throughout the country and a legal right to mobility services.” This requires better offers in the so-called environmental network: “A continuous cycle path network as well as secure cycle parking facilities, an uncomplicated ticket system for local and long-distance public transport, significantly increased regionalization resources and significantly more staff in public transport.”
In order for the states to have more leeway in implementing these goals, the planned amendments to the Road Traffic Act (StVG) and the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO) are needed quickly. At the end of November, the reform failed to achieve the required majority in the Federal Council. “Now some federal states are putting the brakes on with pretextual arguments,” criticized the ADFC federal chairman, Frank Masurat. “It’s cynical that they want to cement the privileges of car traffic at the expense of the safety of cyclists.”
Demands from the associations are not new
According to the organizations, technical progress is needed in rail freight transport, whose share of total freight transport the federal government wants to increase to around a quarter by 2030. What is meant is the so-called digital automatic clutch. It enables freight trains to be coupled quickly and automatically and is intended to make rail more competitive compared to road. The remaining truck traffic should therefore be battery-electric or hydrogen-powered and should focus primarily on feeder traffic to the transshipment stations.
The associations’ demands are not new. Traffic researchers also believe they are necessary for a successful traffic turnaround. The transport sector in Germany has been missing the federal government’s climate targets for years.