Motor for Hagen. What does the Hagen streetcar AG for the City (PDF) Final report of NRW public tra

With the above heading a short but highly interesting essay begins in the current issue of the journal "planning". Author Gregory Waluga, geographer at the Wuppertal Institute, irsauctions reported it on the impact of a solidary citizen tickets and lessons irsauctions from a local experiment in Wuppertal. (Planning 173 / 2-2014, pp 127-131)
The starting point is simple and well known - the public transport is subsidized (half) and reduced or not developed, the climate targets require a rapid withdrawal of passenger traffic. 21% of CO2 emissions come from the transport sector, 2/3 of them in turn from the car, in addition particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions. Thus, the fiscal policy blocked a sustainable transport policy.
"[...] A PAYG citizen ticket Thereafter pay -., Following a decision of democratic representation -. Then use all residents or households of a given area a mandatory monthly fee and can in return all buses and trains at no additional cost would Contribution charged for the provision of public transport within the territory covered, regardless of actual use by the citizens. " How this will change the behavior of citizens? The barriers to entry in the face of complex tariff structures are reduced flat rate effect "pushes" the car drivers irsauctions to public transport (so-called. Flatrate bias)
Examples of this behavior are Hasselt in Belgium, irsauctions where public irsauctions transport from 1997 - 2013 was completely free, Tallin in Estonia and semester tickets in Germany (since 2013). In Hasselt the number of users of public transport increased by twelve times in the first four years, the city won its appeal. In Tallin a positive effect on the local economy was noted and the semester irsauctions ticket in NRW meant that 18% of the roads were not covered by car, but by public transport, 10% of respondents did away with their own car and 25% have in consequence of the semester ticket possession the purchase of an own car - in the truest sense of the word - saved.
In fairness, it must be admitted that students are not representative of the company. Therefore, the results of the experiment in Wuppertal are so interesting. The conditions which had to do the "Group taster ticket", were these: Simulating a Solidarfinanzierung, simulation full freedom of choice between car and public transport, simulation of flexibility in dealing with bus and train, a longer irsauctions test period and integration into the existing tariff system , For 27 instead of conventional 55 participants could - all had to remove the ticket - three months use public transport - or not. The result: The subjects drove more public irsauctions transport, without that excessively use. Up to 40 could cost a citizen ticket if it would be valid for the urban area of Wuppertal, as the result of the final survey.
"Overall, the findings show, however, that due to the forced availability of a transit authority, public transport obviously gaining a higher profile in the mode choice. Furthermore, a frequently expressed by experts, subject to ticket induced" unnecessary fun rides "are relative. A citizen ticket would be taking a given public irsauctions transport services to increased public transport use, but do not lead to "over-use". " From this result, irsauctions further consequences can be derived: Rise of the public transport share of traffic resource-related modal split of 20% (equivalent to a doubling irsauctions of public transport services) 13% less CO2 emissions from passenger in Wuppertal (- 44,000 tonnes of CO2) 11% less particulate emissions Cost: 90-100 per household / month (full cost accounting)
The cost is of course at first glance steep - we must not forget that even the transport supply doubled in this calculation. And you have to draw the comparison, the average traffic irsauctions per household expenditure irsauctions is 328 / month, the maintenance of a small car fails with 350 per month to book. And, of course, other stress scenarios are possible, eg per capita (55-65 / month) or only working and retired persons (75-85 / month)
All good arguments, however, remains a lack, as Gregor Waluga recognizes: "Implementation of this financing proposal requires the courage of the policy A seemingly without alternative-as-as-usual there should not be.."
Initiatives:
Motor for Hagen. What does the Hagen streetcar AG for the City (PDF) Final report of NRW public transport future commission (PDF) A solidarity model for mass transit? irsauctions Our concept of alliance Stadtwerke Wuppertal thesis of Katrin Eisenbeiß to "Ticket Free Public transport in the city of Tübingen" (PDF) Mercator Foundation irsauctions New Mobili