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Cars everywhere, the streets in our cities are bursting at the seams.
On average, every household in Germany owns one or two cars.
Benjamin Eckert, DER SPIEGEL:
“Places like this one show: roads shape our cities – and cars as well. And the Germans love their cars. But this love is at the expense of the climate and our health.«
So far, Germany has missed the much-touted traffic turnaround, last year the transport sector fell far short of its climate targets.
The traffic light coalition therefore recently presented an emergency program and is primarily focusing on electric drives - and on incentives to reduce the number of combustion cars.
Volker Wissing, Minister of Transport:
»We want to achieve this through an expansion offensive in the area of cycling infrastructure. The program also includes an expansion and quality offensive in public transport. You know, that's something I really care about."
But is what is planned enough to quickly achieve the climate goals?
What role will the car play in future mobility?
And what about people who want to switch to bus and train today?
Mani Arora owns a kiosk in the middle of Hamburg.
In order to get to his customers on time, he drives to work every day – 18 kilometers from his home in Glinde in Schleswig-Holstein to downtown Hamburg.
And back again, about half an hour each way.
Mani Arora, kiosk owner:
»At the moment I'm at a good 250 euros a month for fuel and you actually notice that. And right now, with the 9-euro ticket story, I thought to myself: Come on, you can try it out, if it's not too much of a hassle."
The 39-year-old can't do without the car entirely, he tells us.
For one thing, he is physically handicapped.
On the other hand, he often has to buy and transport goods on the way to work.
That's why Mani Arora drives the car again today.
The next day he takes the test and has been traveling by bus and train again for a long time.
Will he still be in his kiosk on time?
We accompany him.
A look at Germany as a car country: more than 13 million people commute to work every day, and almost 70 percent use their car to do so.
Most journeys are less than half an hour and end where many people work: in the cities.
Every year, we emit more climate-damaging greenhouse gases on the roads than with all other modes of transport, such as trains or planes combined.
The main culprits are the more than 30 million cars in the country.
And they are used anything but efficiently.
On average, a car is only moved for an hour a day, the rest of the time it stands around.
Only ten percent of all cars are on the road at the same time - enough for long traffic jams and having to constantly look for a parking space.
And the large amount of space in the car itself is usually not really used either: on average, only one or two people travel in a vehicle for four or more.
Lots of cars, that actually means a lot of potential for saving climate-damaging CO2 - theoretically.
In fact, Germany has more cars and more emissions every year.
Benjamin Eckert, DER SPIEGEL:
»The price for this is immense: converted, this environmental damage costs around 52 billion euros every year – and we all pay for it.«
Back to Mani Arora and his way to work - this time by bus, train and the 9-euro ticket.
He has to change trains three times, wait briefly at the stops and then drive almost twice as long as by car.
Enough time to talk to him about his mobility.
Why exactly does he want to leave the car?
Mani Arora, kiosk owner:
»For one thing, let's make no secret of it: the cost factor. This temporary promotion with the 9-euro ticket saves me a lot of money. Then, of course, there is the climate aspect, because the less I drive, the less fuel I use, is obvious.«
Benjamin Eckert, DER SPIEGEL:
"Do you have any other options where you live now?"
Mani Arora, kiosk owner:
»There is no car sharing there. Bike is a bit difficult because of my handicap. That means I either have a car or public transport. I don't think we need to talk about the taxi. In the meantime, that has become unaffordable.«
The 9-euro ticket is currently an opportunity for many people to try it in everyday life without a car.
It is considered a huge success.
Introduced by the federal government to relieve Germans of rising energy prices, the ticket sold 21 million copies within a month.
According to initial surveys, the campaign has actually relieved road traffic.
Politicians and transport associations are discussing a follow-up offer.
A large proportion of Germans would like an extension.
And Mani Arora is one of them.
Mani Arora, kiosk owner:
»I think nine euros is unrealistically permanent. But a lower price would not be so wrong. (...) Then I would even consider taking out a subscription, even if I drive a car, just to say that I now also take the train. Because it turns out, I'm not pressed for time, I'm in no hurry, I'll take the train. Protects the environment, protects your car, protects your wallet! Get on the bus!”
Mani Arora has completed half of its route.
Everything is still going according to plan.
We'll see him again the next time we change trains.
At a trade fair in Cologne, we looked at how industry, transport and urban planning imagine mobility that is – almost – car-free.
The magic word here is »intermodality«.
So a mix of different means of transport: partly autonomous local transport, safe cycle paths and footpaths and more sharing offers.
Benjamin Eckert, DER SPIEGEL:
»If you have all the companies here to believe, then we will soon be moving in the cities completely differently. The car will stop more often. Instead, we will rather move on scooters, on cargo bikes or in autonomous buses and trains.«
The startup Lynes has developed an app so that people are already using alternatives to the car more often.
Tobias Hubbes, Lynes:
»In our app, we reward people for taking the bus, train and bike throughout the year. So I get on a bus, press start, at the end I press stop again, I get points.«
The app compares movement data with the public timetables of the local transport providers - and thus knows whether the users are really not driving.
At the end of the month, whoever has made the most journeys on public transport receives shopping vouchers – or can plant trees.
Tobias Hubbes, Lynes:
“Yeah, we just think that this competition just encourages people to maybe do a little bit more, because you see on the ranking list: ah, okay, I'm maybe fifth right now, got passed, now maybe I want to overtake the other person again.«
Indeed, incentives are a key element of the transport transition.
According to experts, alternatives to the car should be accessible, less complicated and, above all, cheaper.
At the same time, driving must become less popular, for example through higher taxes, more expensive fuel and parking spaces - or through a speed limit.
But the Ministry of Transport is still struggling with rules and prohibitions.
Volker Wissing, Minister of Transport:
»I have to weigh up the rapid achievement of climate protection goals on the one hand and the mobility requirements and society’s acceptance of measures on the other.«
According to media reports, the Ministry of Transport was considering introducing a "climate ticket" after the 9-euro ticket.
In the most recent emergency program, however, there is no longer any talk of this.
After all, the transport minister is basically open to a successor.
How expensive such a ticket would be - and how big the incentive would be - is still open.
Despite its success, the experiment with the 9-euro ticket also reveals where there are still problems.
The rush is great, some bus and train routes, especially at peak times and during holiday traffic, are completely overcrowded.
Mani Arora wants to accept that in the future.
Mani Arora, kiosk owner:
»If it's good for me, there's no reason not to use public transport more often. Except, as I said, if I have to go shopping or something, that's something else. But otherwise? Except for the cosiness or the luxury, which you just get used to at some point, I actually really have no reason to drive a car.«
But although local transport is relatively well developed here on the outskirts of Hamburg, Mani Arora also has to plan twice as much time for his commute to work by public transport – at least.
Mani Arora, kiosk owner:
“So now we've got almost half an hour compared to the previous plan. But the bus looks full. The question is how many get out. No one. OK, two."
Our cameraman has to stay outside for the last part of the route today - and take the next bus.
It runs at least every five minutes here.
Mani Arora, kiosk owner: »Yes, we've reached our goal.
30 minutes late.
But good.
There's worse.
I'll probably use public transport at least three times a week now out of the five days I work.
There are worse things."
Many people feel the same way as Mani Arora: The alternatives to the car have actually been around in the city for a long time.
But to get rid of the car altogether, many of them are currently still too expensive, too unreliable and not flexible enough.
Politics in particular can change that.
Benjamin Eckert, DER SPIEGEL:
“And the people who would switch to local transport if it was affordable and well developed. The 9-euro ticket showed that.«
Use the existing incentives and perhaps do without a little convenience - only we can do that ourselves. Because the traffic turnaround also begins in our heads.
It is we humans who drive the many cars.
Only we can leave them where they are more often - and think about how we can get from A to B differently.
The climate would thank us.