No energy transition without a transport transition
Why is the transport transition stalling in a country where the car lobby is one of the strongest social forces?
The ADAC has around 20 million members. The ADFC, the interest group for cyclists, has 230,000, and Fuss e. V., which represents the interests of pedestrians, has around a thousand! No jobs or industries depend on pedestrian traffic, and a disproportionate number of children and older people travel on foot, as do more women than men. The poor rather than the rich. Pedestrians tend to be the weaker members of society and are therefore disadvantaged.
What is a livable city?
One that is there for everyone. One where everyone feels safe: children, the elderly, women, men, the poor, and the rich. Some European cities show that this coexistence can be better than in most German cities: for example, Vienna, Zurich, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and Paris. They all have more bike lanes, more pedestrian zones, better bus connections, and fewer cars. At least there is now discussion almost everywhere about a sustainable transport revolution, but one group is often forgotten: pedestrians. For them, things are simply not “moving.”
However, many municipalities are discussing the 15-minute city. Our everyday journeys should be shortened to a maximum of 15 minutes, which means that living, working, shopping, and leisure activities should be coordinated. Developed by Professor Carlos Moreno, the 15-minute city aims to improve quality of life, reduce car dependency, and create a more sustainable, healthier, and livable urban environment.
Take Paris, for example: The French capital is considered one of the densest cities in the world. On average, over 20,000 inhabitants are spread across one square kilometer. Drivers, public transport users, cyclists, scooter riders, and pedestrians all compete daily for space on the narrow streets of Paris. Almost four million people commute to Paris from the suburbs every day. Until now, 60 percent of them have used cars to do so.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo won a referendum on the 15-minute city and, with it, the last local election. Now, pedestrians, buses, and cyclists have priority over cars on many streets in Paris. Paris is now well on its way to becoming a 15-minute city. And the Paris model already has many imitators around the world: London and New York, Amsterdam and Copenhagen, Oslo, Ghent, and Barcelona, for example.
In Germany, too, cities such as Berlin, Munich, and Cologne are pursuing similar strategies to improve quality of life and achieve climate targets by reducing car traffic. There can be no energy transition without a transport transition.
The concept of this intelligent transport revolution is recommended for emulation by politicians who care about the environment and the lives of future generations.
Source
Franz Alt 2025 | Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator
