Why a socially just and intersectional traffic change is necessary.

This year, the transport sector once again records an increase in CO  ₂ emissions  , while all other sectors are on a path (if not exemplary, but at least clear) towards reduction. As stipulated in the Paris Climate Agreement signed by the federal government and in the German Climate Protection Act. Unfortunately, sectoral targets have been lifted. These are the objectives that give each sector, for example “industry”, “buildings” and “transport”, their own target corridors, something that the Federal Minister of Transport, Volker Wissing, is still far from achieving. . Why is that? Due to an erroneous vision of mobility, technical and related to the automobile. What would be needed instead? That’s what it’s about.

The starting point: male domination

No matter which area of ​​mobility we look at: the car and bicycle industry, but also local and long-distance transport, as well as mobility planning in offices, authorities and ministries, have a diversity problem. Only 22 percent of those working in the transport sector are women and, therefore, 78 percent have a masculine vision of mobility. Not out of malice, but out of one’s own experience and socialization. And equality between men and women is only the first step towards diversity. The quota of disabled people, older people and people with a migratory history is still not taken into account here, simply: the diversity that is reflected in our society is not represented in mobility.

The Problem: Car-Friendly Living Spaces Instead of People-Centric Spaces

Even the word hurts: “car-friendly.” How could it be celebrated and implemented so brutally that cities in particular, but also rural areas, became car-friendly and no longer human-friendly? After World War II, German cities were destroyed, but the automobile reflected future prosperity and the dream of autonomous, self-determined mobility, liberated and also isolated from the environment. From the beginning, the International Motor Show (IAA) became a place of pilgrimage and nostalgia for German families. Anyone who could afford a car had “made it.” Immediately after the wars, Bicycles and motorized two-wheeled vehicles were still in the majority on the streets and also on the production lines of the later automobile industry, but with the increasing dominance of the car, the hierarchy on the streets also changed. Starting in the 1960s, the rethinking of urban planning was also reflected in design measures. The conversion to automobile-friendly spaces once again destroyed cities, some of which had been devastated by war.

The 15 Minute City was destroyed

What is now considered the goal of humane and ecological urban planning was completely evident before the planning of car-friendly spaces: a healthy city in which work, life, relaxation, culture and education do not generate long trips spread across different cities. districts, but you can find everything you need for your daily needs in your own neighborhood. However, no later than twenty years after World War II, this functionality and quality of life was destroyed. Because most German cities were built before motorization. With the expansion of mobility, politically and socially desired, it was necessary to create more space for this new and highly individualized mode of transportation. Since the speed of the car is beyond human speed, it requires much more space than pedestrian and bicycle traffic. This space could not be created additionally, but was taken away from the non-motorized. Sidewalks also had to be clearly separated from traffic routes for safety reasons. And parking cars in public spaces also caused an immense loss of space and sealing. Parking in its current form has only been permitted since the late 1950s and, in some cities, even later. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. And parking cars in public spaces also caused an immense loss of space and sealing. Parking in its current form has only been permitted since the late 1950s and, in some cities, even later. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. And parking cars in public spaces also caused an immense loss of space and sealing. Parking in its current form has only been permitted since the late 1950s and, in some cities, even later. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. And parking cars in public spaces also caused an immense loss of space and sealing. Parking in its current form has only been permitted since the late 1950s and, in some cities, even later. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. And parking cars in public spaces also caused an immense loss of space and sealing. Parking in its current form has only been permitted since the late 1950s and, in some cities, even later. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. Parking in its current form has only been permitted since the late 1950s and, in some cities, even later. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited. Parking in its current form has only been permitted since the late 1950s and, in some cities, even later. Sued by a man who no longer wanted to park his car only on his property. Nowadays, cars are allowed to park anywhere unless prohibited.

The good news: automobile privileges are man-made; What is produced at the expense of many can also be recovered. With the appropriate political will and a clear objective: livable spaces for all.

Invisible because unpaid roads

But what will it take to make mobility possible again without owning a car and at the same time design public spaces in a climatically and socially fair way? How to get out of the almost submissive dependence on the car that especially affects women when the first child arrives in the family? Women continue to do most of the care work, and the pandemic has even increased it again. It was mainly mothers and grandmothers who reduced their work hours to homeschool and care for children, staying home and caring for older relatives. Of course, so-called female mobility can also be taken advantage of by progressive men if they do unpaid work, but these are more the exception than the rule and it is to be hoped that this will change soon.

But what is female mobility and why has it not been taken into account for decades when planning transport offers?

Transporting groceries, carrying children in strollers or carrying older people with walkers requires much more specific requirements for the accessibility of transport infrastructure than male labor mobility from home to work. The chaining of paths is more typical of female diurnal mobility than of male mobility. It usually takes place close to home, so a good infrastructure of pedestrian and cycling lanes is essential. Furthermore: the greatest mobility of the feet is found in children and also in the elderly: it is the basis of all daily mobility for people without restrictions. It doesn’t matter if in the country or in the city.

Women’s mobility is much less visible because most of their care work is unpaid and has not yet been made visible through the collection of trafficking data. And where there is no need, there is no offer. As a result, local transport systems tended to be planned from the center of a city or town and did not provide cross-cutting connections essential to care work. Male labor mobility was the measure of all things here: to “make men work”, the system offered above is sufficient. The majority of local transport users are women. A paradox that means that starting a family is often the time when the lack of a functioning multi-modal transport system leads to the purchase of a second car and, therefore,

Transportation and urban planning with a gender perspective are the future for everyone.

Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris, Ada Colau in Barcelona and Maria Vassilakou, former mayor of Vienna, are, among many other mayors, pioneers in focusing their work as “city leaders” on the recreation of liveable cities, climate-resilient spaces and Transportation planning with a gender perspective. The triad has become more inseparable, as it is now important not only to decarbonize transport and move away from car dependence, but also to prepare urban and rural areas for the extreme weather events that are already occurring, such as heavy rains and the extreme heat. . People like Hidalgo, Colau and Vassilakou understood this long before others and began to create a livable and inclusive city. including different perspectives in your planning from the beginning. Cities like Helsinki have focused their work on what is written somewhere in our government’s coalition agreement quite timidly and without any impact on real policy: Vision Zero, i.e. the goal of accepting no more deaths in accidents traffic. In Germany, the numbers decreased during the pandemic due to the partial paralysis of our mobility, but now they have increased again and show, above all, that those who are not protected by transport infrastructure or sitting in a car are dying more and more. . numbers: cyclists. No bicycle helmet in the world saves as many lives as safe infrastructure. 30 million people in Germany cycle at least once a week. More than 70 percent would bike more often if they had safe routes. A huge potential for change!

Conclusion

The mobility of the future starts today. Finally, we must courageously take into account the needs of everyone. Because there is no point in behaving as if the car-centric present is the future world worth preserving. Unfortunately, the pressure for change does not come from within us, but is increased by the climate emergency. The transport sector is no longer just a problem child, it is an adult who defiantly closes its eyes, ears and mouth so as not to have to do the obvious: it can no longer be the norm that a self-determined life is one in many regions. In Germany you need a driving license and your own car. The mobility of tomorrow should therefore be designed by a heterogeneous team that includes more women and also children, older people and people with disabilities.