Call for €1bn extra per year for German cycling infrastructure

DPA
·1 min read
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An aerial view taken with a drone shows a cycle lane painted in red at the Blaues Wunder bridge over the Elbe. The cycle lane is part of a trial with which the city wants to test a new division of traffic space. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
An aerial view taken with a drone shows a cycle lane painted in red at the Blaues Wunder bridge over the Elbe. The cycle lane is part of a trial with which the city wants to test a new division of traffic space. Sebastian Kahnert/dpa

An alliance of several transport associations has called on the German government to provide greater support for cycling and sustainable mobility.

In a paper published in Berlin on Monday the associations representing car-sharing schemes, cyclists and public transport companies say Germany needs "equal conditions on the roads for all modes of transport. This requires, among other things, €1 billion [$1.08 billion] per year for attractive and safe cycling infrastructure."

The alliance is calling for a mobility guarantee involving "defined minimum standards throughout the country and a legal entitlement to mobility services."

The associations are also campaigning for an increase in regionalization funds, which the federal government uses to co-finance local public transport in Germany's federal states.

The alliance commissioned a study which aims to highlight the economic importance of local public transport, rail transport, the bicycle industry as well as car-sharing and taxi companies.

The study, which was conducted by the consultancy firm Conoscope, says the sector employs around 1.7 million people and generates added value totalling €118 billion ($128 billion) annually.