Sustainable Traffic Management:
Freiburg, Germany
Background Information
• Freiburg is a city in
Germany with a
population of over
200,000.
• In the early 1970s it
was a city with major
traffic problems.
5 Pillars of the Plan
Increasing Bicycle Use
Public Transport
Controlling Parking
Concentrating Traffic
Traffic Calming
Pillar 1: Traffic Calming
• City centre turned into pedestrian zone in 1973.
• Cobbles on streets to slow traffic.
• 30 km per hour speed limit on residential roads
Pillar 2: Concentrating Traffic
• Using key roads to concentrate traffic
(Bündelungsstrassen)
• Diverting traffic away from city centre and the
most scenic location (Bank of the River Dreisam)
Pillar 3: Limiting Parking
• There is no free, uncontrolled parking in the city
centre.
• Parking is on a sliding scale to encourage
commuters to park and ride from the outskirts.
Pillar 4: Public Transport
• City promotes public transport including Trams,
and has added new routes in recent years.
• Monthly travel card for entire city and
surrounding districts available cheaply.
Pillar 5: Bicycle Use
• City promotes bicycle use.
• More than 500km of interconnected bicycle
lanes.
• More than 5,000 parking spaces for bikes in city
centre.
• At many junctions bike have priority.
Indicators of Success
• From 1967 to 1997 people using cars on a
regular bases fell from 63% to 40%.
• 4,000 fewer cars using the city centre each day
(even though population increased).
• 70% of local journeys are made using trams.
• 3,000 km of public transport lines.
Possible Exam Question
Describe a sustainable strategy of transport
management in a city in the EU that you have
studied. Evaluate its success.
[8 marks]