Running Head: SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS

FROM GERMANY 1

Sustainable Transportation Infrastructure: Tips From Germany

Jackelin M. Diaz Scamarone
Liberty High School
March 19, 2015

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

In the last few decades, America has become increasingly in more

need of efficient, sustainable transportation infrastructure to keep up with its
own growing population and the technologically advancing world.
Unfortunately, research suggests that the United States government as a
whole has failed to adequately provide a plan that takes into account the
economic, social, and environmental impact and risks. According to
nationally recognized political magazine Governing, [T]ransportation
infrastructure in the United States is in serious disrepair. As roads and
bridges across the country continue to age and deteriorate, governments at
all levels are struggling to pay for maintenance and upkeep -- not to mention
investments in much-needed upgrades and new projects(Nichols&
Holeywell, 2011).In a nation where traffic congestions worsen day by day
and reliance on foreign oil Americas sustainability level is approaching rock
bottom. Due to todays inadequate transportation infrastructure people are
choosing to drive more and more every day, not only putting the nations
economy at risk, but also simultaneously destroying the earths health. When
a greater majority of a nations population excessively drives the results are
higher energy consumption, pollution, and carbon emissions.
International transport and land use researchers Ralph Buehler, John
Pucher, and Uwe Kunert recognize the vast proportional inequality between
two nations equally advanced, The per capita carbon footprint of passenger
transportation in the United States is about three times larger than in
Germany. (Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p. 3). The disproportionate

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

statistics might seem perplexing at first due to gas prices being half that of
Germanys, but data suggests that America spends five percent more of its
budget on transportation than Germany. Yet, America is still cited as one of
the worlds worst examples of sustainable transportation infrastructure.
In 1956, the Federal Highway Trust Fund was established to fund the
United States Interstate Highway System. Today the Federal Highway Trust
Fund serves to finance most of the nations major transportation through
federal fuel tax. Currently, the existing fuel tax has ceased to be sufficient as
of fall 2008, seeing that its revenue began running a negative balance
(Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p. 13). The national predicament will
continue to accumulate if it is not intermediated, The costs of maintaining
the current structure are untenable. The existing gas tax cannot finance the
massive investments needed to fix our deteriorating transportation system.
(p.3). Action must be taken to resolve the issue but not merely band-aid,
short-term solutions instead America must strive for a more long-term
solution worth the investment.
As of 2012, Germany is the most forward thinking country in the
world, knocking the UK off the top spot, according to the Future Orientation
Index [2012]. (Sedghi, 2013). This title can greatly be accredited to the
nations focus on the future supports economic success, which can be
reflected in how Germany has chosen to design and plan much of their
transportation infrastructure. Germanys relentless efforts to create a more

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

sustainable and efficient transportation infrastructure has shown to be an

exceptional international model the United States is in dire need of in order
to manage its rapidly growing population in a modern age where cities have
taken priority.
Unlike other European nations, Germany was given the unique
opportunity start from the ground up after World War II. Much of the
development in and around German cities is as new as that around American
cities, since many German cities were almost completely destroyed in World
War II. (Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p. 6). Because Germany was put in a
type of situation typically known as a blank slate, they were given the odd
advantage to update and redesign their already aging infrastructure more
strategically. Since World War II, The decentralization of German cities has
been fueled by rapidly increasing household incomes, soaring car ownership,
and extensive road construction subsidized by the government (p.6). The
reconstruction of Germany gave the nation the enormous boost to integrate
a more sustainable infrastructure.
Sustainability science has been defined as a new field that seeks to
understand the fundamental character between nature and society, (Luks,
Siebenhuner, 2006, p.420). In the context of improving a nations
transportation infrastructure, sustainability can be defined as a system that
is able to promote shorter trips through modes of transportation that are
both more energy efficient and less damaging to the environment.

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

Sustainability revolves around three main concepts: social, environmental,

and political. Sustainability science had to be above all else integrative
science committed to bridging both the barriers separating the traditional
scientific disciplines and the sectoral distinctions between interconnected
human activities such as energy production, agriculture, urban habitation,
and transportation. (Hansmann, Mieg, Frischknect, 2012, p.4). Sustainable
science is all about how one can learn to integrate new designs to basic
structures in order to fully maximize the efficiency and environmental
friendliness of new structures. According to Buehler and his research team,
a more sustainable transportation system should stimulate the economy,
reduce energy consumption and the carbon footprint, increase safety,
provide equal access to destinations for all groups of society, and increase
the overall quality of life.( Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p. 7).
The similarities Germany and the United States hold can be seen both
politically and economically making them great for comparative analysis.
Politically both nations are known democracies with federal systems of
government, in which the interaction of national, state and local levels
shapes transportation policy.(Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p.5). Both
nations are also in the higher spectrum of the worlds wealth, with Germany
containing a $40,400 per capita income while the United States held a
slightly higher per capita income of $45,800 in 2007(p.5). These two nations
also contain some of the worlds largest extensive roadway systems.
Germany also makes for an excellent comparative nation being the closest

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

country than any other to near the United States amount of car ownership.
The car ownership rate in Germany is 72 percent of the U.S. rate560 cars
versus 780 cars per 1,000 inhabitants. Like Americans, most German
households have a car, but Germans are less likely to own a second or third
car (p.5). Another important similarity the two nations share is
decentralization towards a more suburban sprawl (defined as the expansion
of communities from urban areas to rural ones), though Germanys tendency
to sprawl is controlled more strictly. Although the two nations share multiple
similarities --qualifying the Germany as an adequate exemplar in the first
placeGermanys transportation infrastructure outwits that of the United
States because it exceeds in the criteria of environmental, social, and
economic indicators.
According to the assessment of researchers Buehler, Pucher, and
Kunert, the key to increasing the sustainability of transportation in the United
States lies in changing travel behavior, While perhaps more difficult to
achieve than improvements in technology, travel behavior change has the
potential of reaping far greater and lasting sustainability gains. (Buehler,
Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p.5). In other words, in order to foster a successful
transition into a more sustainable transportation system a social adjustment
must occur. Individuals make their daily transportation decisions based, in
part, on incentives, directions, and investments established by public policy
decisions. Governments influence individual travel behavior through
transportation, land use, housing, metropolitan development, and taxation

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

policies. (p.8). To create this social adjustment the government must

provide strategic incentives such as increasing the cost of traveling by car,
public transit discounts, and more convenient coordination of public
transportation scheduling and locations.
In order for a sustainable transportation infrastructure to flourish in
todays society, government policy must complement each change.
Boehlers research team deduced five fundamental lessons of sustainable
transportation infrastructure that can be learned from Germany: First,
pricing, restrictions, and mandated technological improvements help
mitigate the harmful impacts of car use.( Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009,
p.12). If having a personal car becomes more of an inconvenience and luxury
than a mainstream tool for everyday commuters, people will start exploring
other modes of transportation for the sole reason of saving money that is
more needed elsewhere. Statistically, Making car use more expensive
reduces the distance driven in both Germany and the United States. A 10
percent increase in car operating costs is associated with a 2 percent
decrease in driving distance(p.11). Second, Integration and coordination of
public transportation at the regional and national levels provide a viable
alternative to the car(p.11) is perhaps an even more crucial tip than the last
because without convenient alternate forms of transportation people may
see driving worth the increased costwhich essentially is backtracking.
Suburban sprawl is probably the biggest proponent of the increase in car
ownership, This higher level of car use in the United States is most likely

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

related to lower regional population densities and limited accessibility

without a car. But when transit alternatives are available, Americans are
willing to drive less.(p. 11). Third, targeted regional land planning policies
encourage compact, mixed-use development, and thus keep trip distances
short and feasible on foot or by bike. With the increase of mixed land use,
already developed areas are allowed to grow vertically and so reduce the
amount of untouched land destroyed. Germany has been successful in this
area particularly because of their interaction among jurisdictions, a
strategic role of the federal government, stricter control of new
developments, differences in zoning practices, and less competition for local
taxes among municipalities.( Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p.23). If car
dependence is to decrease then alternate forms of transportation must not
only be efficient but safe as well. Fourth, in addition, local and federal
governments can make walking and cycling safe and convenient modes of
travel. (p.11). Germany and other Europeans like it have successfully raised
the amount of walking and cycling commuters because of governments
prioritizing the convenience and safety of these alternate transportation
higher than that of motorized vehicles which is evident when comparing the
amount of cyclist fatalities, total traffic fatalities per capita in the United
States are 2.3 times higher. The differences in traffic safety are especially
striking for U.S. cyclists, whose fatality rate per mile cycled is over four times
higher.(p.8) Germany traffic safety is significantly better than that of
Americas because the German government recognizes the importance of

SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE: TIPS FROM GERMANY

incorporating extensive cycling and walking infrastructure, traffic calming,

better motorist training and traffic priority of non-motorized commuters.
And fifth, all these policies are most effective when they are fully
coordinated to ensure their mutually reinforcing impact.(p.12)
A common theme throughout the tips is to decrease in car dependence
which concordantly increases the sustainability of transportation
infrastructure specifically pertaining to public infrastructure. Comparatively,
research shows that regardless of residential density or income level
Americans are more car-dependent than Germans. Although gas is sold half
the price in the United States, Americans have still managed to spend more
per capita on the ownership cost of cars. In fact they spend five percent
more of their budgets on transportation (Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p.8).
This difference is mainly caused by the United States government deciding in
the past to invest into massive roadway and parking supply instead of less
expensive walking, cycling, and public transportation facilities that Germany
has chosen to incorporate. Overall, Germans six times as much transit than
Americans, and half the travel per year by car.(p. 3). The vast inequality
between car dependence in the two nations greatly factors into how
successfully sustainable each nations transportation infrastructure is.
Deductively, it can be said that excessively high levels of car
dependence put a nations investment into public transportation
infrastructure at risk--as seen in the negative balance of the federal Highway

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Trust Fund revenue in 2006, but is there a point of compromise? Although

there are almost an equally proportional amount of cars in the two nations,
Germans have still been able to maintain a smaller carbon footprint.
Germans use more fuel efficient cars, buses, and light rail. Consequently,
they consume less fuel, spend less money on transportation, and have a
smaller transportation carbon footprint.(p. 8). The reason Germany has been
able to upkeep their public transportation infrastructure is not because they
have gotten rid of all the cars but instead due to the maintained balance of
transportation modes not found within the United States. While there are
clear mobility benefits that come with car use, it also produces negative
effects such as traffic congestion, pollution, and diminished traffic safety.
(Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p. 12). Germany has been so successful at
balancing their transportation, because they have succeeded in translating
the true cost of owning a car which most importantly includes the cost of
polluting the environment-- known as the environmental tax.The overall
cost of owning and operating a similar car is about 50 percent higher in
Germany than in the United States. Most of that difference is due to much
higher taxes and fees in Germany (p.12). By educating the German
population on the true cost of car dependency allows the temptation to own
a car to become more unappealing at all levels.
Incorporating more efficient and sustainable transportation
infrastructure is by no means an overnight process either. The integration of

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transportation infrastructure is an excruciatingly slow endeavor and must

first gain public support:
The focus should be on investing in infrastructure that supports the
competitiveness and environmental sustainability of the nation, rather
than funding unworthy pork barrel projects of individual states or
districts. This will require a level playing field between all modes and a
firm commitment to integrating transportation, land use, housing, and
economic development plans in order to serve the projected growth
over the next several decades.( (Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p.4).
Once a census on the issue is reached action can be taken at small,
experimental scale then progressively expand. These actions can range from
lowering car speeds (traffic calming), reducing the amount of parking spaces,
higher parking prices and even creating deliberate dead-ends. German
cities create deliberate dead-ends, turn restrictions, one-way street
networks, and extensive car free zones. High-speed limited access highways
(Autobahns) rarely penetrate city centers in Germany as they do in most U.S.
cities.( (Buehler, Pucher, Kunert, 2009, p.14). Even though the examples
above will cause an increasingly significant shift towards a less car
dependent nation, for those who stubbornly unwilling to see the
disadvantages of a car dependent society incentives to encourage the
purchase of more fuel efficient and less polluting cars can be set in place
through tax deductions, much like what Germany already has in place.

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On top of reducing car dependency, the United States in general must

also focus on fixing the fragmented quality of public modes of transportation
already integrated. The term fragmented is used because there is a lack of
flow between modes of transportation. For example many transit stops are
located in areas that are not suitable for walking or biking in need of
sidewalks often found outside urban centers. The integration of different
modes of public transportation at metropolitan, regional, and national levels
makes public transportation convenient and attractive in Germany. This
coordination includes transit services, schedules, and fares within
metropolitan areas.(p.18). Once public modes of transportation have proven
to be more convenient and economically favorable the population as a whole
will slowly accept and may even prefer these public more sustainable forms
of infrastructure.
The importance of efficient sustainable transportation infrastructure
cannot be ignored. Modern and efficient infrastructure whether moving
goods to our harbors and ports or connecting people to services or gigabits
to our offices and homes helps small businesses to expand, manufacturers
to export, investors to bring jobs to our shores, and lowers prices for goods
and services for American families (FACT SHEET: Building a 21st Century
Infrastructure: Increasing Public and Private Collaboration with the Build
America Investment Initiative, 2014).In a modern age where
interconnectivity has become a fundamental aspect of how todays society
functions without efficient and sustainable transportation infrastructures the

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tool that allows the masses to mobilize. The transition into a more efficient
sustainable future takes time, in fact the sustainable transportation and land
use policies in Germany evolved over several decades. Over the years
Germanys public transportation but to better fare and service policies,
feasible integrated systems of public transportation, and higher cost of car
use.
However, some still question the whether or not public transportation
is truly worth the investment. Kenworthy quickly dismisses these beliefs
when proclaiming, Without a commitment to better quality public transport
systems, especially rail, and better conditions for pedestrians and cyclists , it
is difficult for any city to become more sustainable. (Kenworthy, 2006,
p.75). What people forget to realize is that as the population grows, society
becomes more urbanized, and commuters working in urbanized areas tend
to heavily rely on the efficiency of public transportation. Kenworthy concurs
with a straight forward statement, Urban for, as measured by urban density
and centralization of jobs, is found to have a very strong relationship with
transport patterns, especially the level of car dependence and the
effectiveness of public transport (p.69). Ultimately, the importance of the
efficiency and sustainability of transportation in urban communities is
undeniable.
New ideas are continually being tested; many fail, but the best ideas
thrive and are adapted elsewhere, researchers Goldman and Gorham boldly

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state ( Goldman & Gorham, 2006, p. 272). In order to attain both public and
political support for the integration of sustainable infrastructure,
policymakers must effectively communicate the benefits and results of
changes towards a better future. Although good policies appeal to a sense of
greater good and long-term thinking, great policies also deliver short-term
benefits. In the context of more sustainable transportation infrastructure
these benefits come in the form of safer travel, improved air quality, and a
better quality of life. For far too long American public policy in the United
States has been notorious for being crisis-driven and transportation policies
are no exceptions. Almost all policy reforms in transportation towards
sustainability are direct results of energy shortages, hazardous levels of air
pollution, and escalating traffic fatalities. Like Germany has displayed,
striving to become a more forward-thinking nation is the end goal of
sustainability, not tomorrow but today is the time for the United States to
take the necessary steps to prepare for whatever the future holds in store.
21st century businesses need 21st century infrastructure modern ports,
stronger bridges, faster trains and the fastest Internet.
President Barack
Obama
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sustainability governance. Ecological Economics, 63(2), 418-426.
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