German traffic researcher: driving a car must become "financially unattractive".
Created: 09/02/2022, 15:30
By: Sebastian Oppenheimer
According to one researcher, in order for a turnaround in traffic to be successful in Germany, measures are needed that make people “put off” driving.
When the fuel needle approaches the red zone, most drivers' thoughts are already revolving around the huge bill at the pump.
After the end of the controversial tank rebate, fuel prices immediately shot up again – although petrol and diesel were not really cheap even in the three months of the tax cut.
Everyone who is dependent on a car is now hoping for better times in terms of fuel prices - not so a researcher at the TU Berlin.
He calls for an end to all car subsidies to encourage people to switch to other modes of transport.
According to a researcher at the Technical University of Berlin, people have to be “disabled” from driving.
(Iconic image) © Michael Gstettenbauer/Imago
German traffic researcher: driving a car must become "financially unattractive".
"The times when the car had priority over all other means of transport are over," says Oliver Schwedes, head of the Department of Integrated Transport Planning at the TU Berlin.
In his opinion, politicians have so far been reluctant to confront drivers with this truth.
According to the scientist, Germany is standing still when it comes to the traffic turnaround: According to the Federal Environment Agency, between 1990 and 2020 – i.e. within 30 years – only ten percent of CO₂ emissions were saved in the transport sector.
While greenhouse gas emissions were 164 million tons of CO₂ in 1990, in 2020 it was still 146 million tons.
Schwedes considers it “questionable” that the federal government will achieve its goal of only emitting 85 million tons of CO₂ in the transport sector by 2030.
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Scientist: Sustainable transport policy must not be based on the "well-being of the driver".
Therefore, the scientist initiated the research project "Pull & Push - Good and Evil", which is intended to investigate the strategies with which a sustainable transport policy can be implemented.
However, the plan should not be based on the "well-being of the driver", but on climate change, as can be seen from a brief description of the project.
However, nothing can be found in it about solving problems that families with children or people in the country without a car would have, for example.
Many people find it very difficult to completely do without a car - this was recently shown by a study by scientists from the University of Hamburg.
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Researchers at the TU Berlin criticize the "parallel financing" of the tank discount and 9-euro ticket
In any case, Oliver Schwedes is particularly critical of the parallel financing of the tank discount and 9-euro ticket: that is one of the “most serious mistakes in German transport policy”.
There would be no reason for motorists to switch from their car to public transport if fuel was subsidized at the same time as public transport.
According to the researcher, the politicians lack the courage to combine the “attractive offers” that are supposed to attract drivers to public transport with measures that “put them off driving” – i.e. make driving a car financially unattractive.
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The scientist is therefore calling for all car subsidies to be stopped – including, for example, the commuter allowance, diesel subsidies and company car privileges.
