Silent – with an added bonus

A silent revolution is under way: the mobility transition. By that, for once, I don’t mean that electric vehicles are quieter than the combustion engine, but that change is happening almost by stealth in German mobility. This is evidenced by the fact that passenger car use has been continuously declining for more than 10 years: from 31.7 passenger-kilometres per individual per day in 2014 to just 27.7 in 2022. Average vehicle mileage has also fallen noticeably – by 17 per cent from 2011 to 2021. The number of registered passenger cars and motorcycles increased by 15 per cent over the same period.

People are now cycling and using public transport more often, showing that while a major leap forward in the mobility transition is still awaited at the federal government level, the public is increasingly climate-conscious. And in municipalities across Germany, there are countless initiatives that aim to make mobility more sustainable and equitable. A glance at Belgium shows the kind of positive impact that this can have: in Ghent, an ambitious mobility plan has greatly improved quality of life for everyone. The city started by massively expanding public transport and the network of cycle and foot paths. Then in 2015, it imposed strict limits on vehicle access and parking in the city centre. Multiple sites were unsealed and greened, and the cityscape has been significantly enhanced. Improved air quality and declining accident figures are an added bonus. The pace of change is impressive: Ghent achieved its 2030 targets for the mobility transition back in 2019, with car usage falling by around 50 per cent within just seven years.

When it comes to freight transport in Germany, there are major barriers, mainly due to the sluggish expansion of infrastructure. Policymakers need to make e-mobility a clear priority here, instead of slashing the funding for application-oriented research in this area, as occurred in 2024. We protested this move as part of a broad coalition of researchers and businesses. Germany is already losing ground here, putting both industry and the climate at risk.

Many policymakers are hesitant to interfere too much in private transport, often fearing that this could jeopardise their re-election prospects. They might like to know that following the measures taken in Ghent, Deputy Mayor Filip Watteeuw was re-elected by a large majority of voters. And wouldn’t you do the same, given the great improvement in quality of life?

Yours,

Anke Herold
CEO, Oeko-Institut
a.herold@oeko.de