Cars and private transport: what do you need and what don't you need?

A look at a survey of car drivers in Germany should encourage us to take a look at the need for motorized individual automobiles. What do we break, what don't we need? Thoughts about the car in our everyday lives.

Info: This article is a commentary that serves as food for thought. This is not a fact check. This is not a final solution claim, but rather a basis for discussion. 

In 2021, there were around five million people in the German-speaking population aged 14 and over who drove more than 20,000 kilometers in their car per year. The largest group of drivers (around 14.44 million) have traveled between 5,001 and 10,000 kilometers by car. Compared to the previous year, the values ​​have increased slightly.

https://de.statista.com/statistics/data/study/183003/umfrage/pkw-fahre-kilometer-per-jahr/

We are talking about the fact that not quite half (approx. 43%) of CAR DRIVERS are in the range between 0 and 27 km per day. That's around 21 million people. Approximately 30 million people in Germany are not included in these statistics. You don't drive a car. So we're talking about 51 million people, i.e. around 60% of the people in Germany, who basically don't travel very short distances by car every day.

The average values ​​from statistics are certainly problematic because they say nothing about the actual frequency. Nevertheless, an impulse is worthwhile because there is a large group of people who are able to reduce private transport. Because it shouldn't be about taking cars away from people who need automobility. This is not possible at all due to the catastrophic rural public transport infrastructure. Likewise, the suburban settlement system has made many people dependent on cars.

So let’s focus first and foremost on the 60% who drive very little or not at all. What do they need to get to approximately 0? Apart from the discipline of overcoming your inner weakness for 1 - 2 km, first of all there are incentives and relief.

Make short paths attractive for walking and cycling!

I would like to put forward a thesis: Nobody who has no health problems needs a car for simple journeys of up to 2 km. Not even for simple purchases. Nobody who is able to cycle needs a car for simple journeys of up to 5 km. Not even for simple purchases!

What we need, however, are attractive routes to our goals. Broken sidewalks, unnecessary traffic lights that guarantee car traffic priority, and absurd traffic diversions for pedestrians pose a problem. Likewise for cyclists.

Ergo: Short distances make things easier. This means that 60% of people (in Germany) already have easier access to non-motorized mobility. Make cycle and footpaths barrier-free, safe and attractive.

Revise traffic rules, consider new options

Let’s get to a very big problem, the “but the bad cyclists” argument. Yes, that's right. Cyclists don't like waiting at traffic lights; they use the sidewalks to make their own safe progress on dangerous roads and endanger pedestrians (which is definitely dangerous!). Or they violate traffic rules in other ways. However, the argument does not apply because all road users do that anyway. Anyone in the car drives 30/50/70 where it is marked. Cars park “just for a short time” on sidewalks and cycle paths. Pedestrians also cross red lights. So save EVERYONE the hypocrisy. No matter who. It's all about ourselves and our own progress, so don't lie to yourself!

The biggest hurdle for free-flowing cycling and walking traffic are traffic rules that were created for car drivers. It is therefore important to develop a few visions in which non-motorized traffic gets its own native, hurdle-free traffic routing. That would be an approach. It's just about the few vehicle kilometers per day, which in turn affects a very large group of people

Rely on public transport and finally get your money in your hands!

I am still a very big fan of season tickets. So please let’s work on pricing! In the end, a season ticket (year/month/season etc.) has to cost so much that it has “value”, but again so little that it is affordable. Nor should it be a patchwork solution with exceptions. It shouldn't be complicated. Don’t say “No, that doesn’t apply to this train” or “No, that’s a different transport association”.

Dear Germany, take a look at Austria: the climate ticket is one such example. We pay just under €1100 (that's a VALUE), but we can use this ticket anywhere. It doesn't matter which vehicle. The main thing is public transport. Half of my circle of friends now have one of these tickets and it broadens their horizons.

We therefore don't need "smart minds" who look for problems as to why it doesn't work (in the end they are idiots), but rather smart minds who develop exactly such a solution and are already making beginner's mistakes and are constantly improving to work.

A brief aspect that can also be seen from the initial statistics: The discussion about the range of electric cars is a smokescreen discussion! Ranges of several hundred km for daily journeys are irrelevant for 70% of car drivers! Then again we are talking about on-demand trips. We can certainly argue about electric vehicles, but not about range. Anyone who needs range can also think visionary and perhaps have “the big diesel” as a second or as-needed car. Just think out of the box.

Inspiration for giving up your car!

Yes, there are still a few million people who continue to rely on cars and drive more than 27 km every day. Must. Nobody should take away this group's car and perhaps their livelihood (sad that it is like that). I'm talking about all those who haven't tried out what's possible yet or who haven't yet been inspired by the expansion of infrastructure and attractiveness to have a 0-car.  

These thoughts are therefore not an accusation. Anyone who is dependent on a car for health, physical, existential or family reasons should not have it taken away from them. But if many people who can do it think about it, my goal will be achieved

This particularly applies to densely populated, urban areas. Here it is much easier to take this step. It's about the 40% of car drivers who hardly drive anyway and who have an opportunity to save money.

So what we really need: visions that are developed and implemented. Courage, discipline and PLEASURE for non-motorized transportation. I no longer like hearing why something doesn't work, I like hearing people who do it! Bring it on!

This might also be of interest : Zillertalbahn electric bus charged with a diesel engine? Yes, as a test!

Source: Statista