According to a survey, the mobility turnaround is progressing very slowly. A current survey by the ADAC, which was available to the German Press Agency in advance, indicates an increasing use of local transport, trains and bicycles. But the changes are slow and the car continues to dominate.
Specifically, 64 percent of those surveyed said that they used a car as a driver on at least 100 days a year. That was 2 percentage points less than in a survey in 2017. For local public transport it was 26 percent – 2 points more than six years ago. The train was named by 10 percent of respondents, an increase of 4 points, and the bike by 28 percent, an increase of 6 points.
If you have a car, you will hardly get rid of it
If what the respondents expect for their use of transport in five years happens, the trend will continue. When it comes to cars, only 11 percent believe that they will use it more often – but 17 percent expect a reduction. In the case of local transport, on the other hand, 21 percent expect more frequent use and only 9 percent less frequent use. It is similar for the train with 17 to 9 percent and the bike with 20 to 5 percent.
Those who expect to drive less often justify this with costs, their own age, climate and environmental protection. Those who expect increasing use most frequently name convenience, family situation and change of residence.
But if you have a car, you will hardly get rid of it. Only 5 percent of those surveyed in this group think it is likely within five years – compared to 85 percent who will probably stick to the car. The reasons to stick to the car are, first of all, independence, convenience, speed and reliability.
Most willing to change their mobility behavior to protect the climate
Most of the time, restrictive measures to reduce car traffic were clearly rejected. This applied, among other things, to higher taxes on fuel, the abolition of the commuter allowance, a halt to the expansion of the road network and the shortage and increase in the price of parking spaces in the city. Stricter exhaust and CO2 values, on the other hand, were advocated by the majority. Investments such as the expansion of local transport or the filling and charging infrastructure for alternative fuels and electric cars were particularly popular.
“The majority of people are willing to change their mobility behavior to protect the climate, but they don’t want to do without it,” said ADAC Transport President Gerhard Hillebrand. “That’s why it’s so important that, despite all the restrictions, the alternatives are always developed further and offered at an affordable price.”
