Tuesdays at APA-DC: Travel Behavior, Transport Policy, and Sustainable Transport in Germany and the U.S

Travel Behavior, Transport Policy, and Sustainable Transport in
Germany and the USA
February 21, 2012


Reliance on the automobile for most trips contributes to costly
trends like pollution, oil dependence, congestion, and obesity.
Germany and the U.S. have among the highest motorization rates in
the world. Yet Germans make a four times higher share of trips by
foot, bike, and public transport and drive for a 25 percent lower
share of trips.


This presentation investigated daily travel behavior in the two
countries and then examined the transport and land-use policies
in Germany over the last 40 years that have encouraged more
walking, bicycling, and public transport use.


Using a case study of policy changes in the German city of
Freiburg, Ralph Buehler identified policies that are transferable
to car-oriented countries around the world.