"Alliance for Modern Mobility"

ADFC assures cities of support

21 November 2019. Today, the Federal Ministry of Transport, together with the federal states and local authorities, is establishing an alliance for modern mobility. The aim is to create more space for environmentally friendly means of transport.

This also includes the rapid expansion of cycling in accordance with the climate package of the Federal Government. The bicycle club ADFC is represented with a keynote speech. ADFC Federal Executive Director Burkhard Stork assures mayors of full support in the expected land conflicts.

ADFC National Director Burkhard Stork said in the run-up to the event: „From 2020, for the first time there will be real money from the federal government to finance high-quality cycle path networks, cycle bridges and cycle parking facilities in the municipalities. To make sure that this money gets to the roads quickly, mayors and their administrations must start planning now - and build really good cycle paths from 2021 at the latest. As everywhere else in the world, there will be conflicts when it comes to redistributing road space. This is where it is important to show attitude and leadership, dear mayors. The ADFC, with its more than 450 branches nationwide, will strengthen you in this!"

Climate package: 900 million euros more for cycling
The papers on the climate package explicitly state that "the potential of cycling, which is far from being exhausted" is to be exploited. Together with the federal states and municipalities, "cycling networks" are to be implemented on which "every road user" will feel safe and "every route can be covered by bicycle". Area-wide cycle path networks" are to be created by converting normal roads into "cycle lanes", "converting lanes into protected cycle lanes", "safely redesigning junctions" and building "modern cycle parking facilities". In addition, cycling traffic is to be accelerated by "green waves" wherever possible.

The Federal Government is investing a lot of money in all these projects: 1.45 billion euros will be available for cycling until 2023, which is an additional 900 million euros in this period. The money is available through medium-term financial planning even after a change of government. StorkAlthough the climate package as a whole is disappointing because it continues to set disincentives for excessive car use, it marks a vehement departure for cycling. Not only does the government intend to at least triple cycling. It also admits that the previous, rather cosmetic methods of promoting cycling do not go far enough. From 2020 onwards, there should be really ambitious and high-quality construction for cycling, that's the signal to the cities!"

About the ADFC
The Allgemeine Deutsche Fahrrad-Club e.V. (ADFC) is with more than 185,000 members the largest representation of interests of cyclists in Germany and worldwide. It advises on all matters relating to bicycles: law, technology and tourism. Politically, the ADFC is committed to the consistent promotion of cycling at regional, national and international level.

Source: ADFC PM from 21.11.2019

Links
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Keywords: Car Free, Bike-/Velo-City, DE-News, Climate protection, Mobility, Transition Town, Environmental policy, Ecology

Particularly strong increase in expensive cities

Average building land prices for individual development by district type 2007 to 2016 Fig.: BBSR Bonn

Between 2011 and 2016, the average price of building land for owner-occupied homes across Germany rose by 27 per cent from 129 euros per square metre to 164 euros. In the major cities, the price per square metre of building land rose by 33 per cent - from just over EUR 250 in 2011 to just under EUR 350 in 2016. This not only makes residential property significantly more expensive, but also puts the brakes on affordable rental housing construction. This is the result of an analysis by the Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development (BBSR).

The analysis is based on purchase price data from the official expert committees for property values for the last five years. In the urban and rural districts, the price level and increase lagged behind the major cities. However, even there the increase was well above the general rate of inflation. In the urban districts - often districts surrounding large cities - purchase prices for undeveloped land rose from 132 euros per square metre in 2011 to 156 euros per square metre in 2016 (+19 per cent), while in the rural districts, the price per square metre of building land rose from 64 euros to 78 euros in 2016 (+20 per cent).

The average purchase price for a plot of land for owner-occupied development also rose significantly - by 27 per cent to EUR 112,000 in 2016. In the major cities, the average purchase price for a plot of land for owner-occupied development was just under EUR 200,000 (+ 25 per cent). Average purchase prices have risen particularly sharply in expensive cities. "Rising land prices determine the purchase or construction costs to a considerable extent, especially in the growth regions. This makes residential property more expensive," says BBSR expert Matthias Waltersbacher. "In tight markets, high building land prices are also driving rents for new builds up to EUR 14 to 16 per square metre. This means that privately financed residential construction at affordable rents is no longer possible."

While the transaction figures for plots of land for owner-occupier development remained fairly stable in the urban districts between 2011 and 2016, they fell by 30 per cent in the major cities. Transactions fell particularly sharply in expensive cities such as Cologne, Frankfurt am Main and Stuttgart. Rural districts recorded an increase of just under 15 per cent in the same period. "Property prices have recently risen so sharply that the pressure to realise them often no longer allows for the development of single-family homes," says Waltersbacher. "More and more buyers are looking for alternatives in the surrounding area."

The analysis is based on an examination of the independent cities and rural districts for which transaction data for properties is available via the purchase price collections of the expert committees for property values in a complete time series since 2011. This representative longitudinal section covers around a third of all cities and districts in Germany. A comprehensive analysis of the land and property market for the years 2015 and 2016 will be presented by the Working Group of the Higher Expert Committees, Central Offices and Expert Committees in the Federal Republic of Germany (AK OGA) in December 2017 with the German Property Market Report.