2023-11-24 17:15:00
How do pedestrians feel in big German cities? What are they dissatisfied with, do they feel comfortable and safe, what do they propose to change? These and other questions were answered by participants in a study conducted by the All-German Automobile Club (ADAC), the largest such public organization in Germany.
The club has more than twenty million members. He represents the interests not only of those who are driving, but also of all road users, dealing with mobility issues in general, monitoring, and so on.
Pedestrians in big cities in Germany
The first such study took place in 2021. Now, in November of this year, ADAC published the results of a second survey conducted in the largest cities by population in sixteen German states, including Berlin, Hamburg and Bremen, which are themselves federal states. In total, more than 3,250 people were interviewed, at least two hundred in each city.
As stated in the club’s report, residents of the capital of Brandenburg – Potsdam (66 percent) and the capital of Bavaria – Munich (64 percent) feel the safest and most comfortable. The German average was around 50 percent, virtually unchanged from the previous survey.
The worst situation was in the capital of the Saarland – Saarbrücken (38 percent) and the largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia – Cologne (34 percent). The majority of pedestrians here are particularly dissatisfied with both the poor state of the transport infrastructure and the behavior of other road users.
Crossroads in Frankfurt am Main Photo: Arne Dedert/dpa/picture alliance
Electric scooters and bicycles – how do they interfere with pedestrians?
The behavior of those who move around the city on electric scooters is particularly dissatisfying among the surveyed pedestrians in Germany in general. Moreover, this figure increased to 55 percent (+7 percent).
Electric scooters themselves, abandoned in the middle of the sidewalks, also cause irritation. In general, about 50 percent of respondents reported their dissatisfaction with various vehicles left in the wrong places.
Another perennial theme in big cities is the relationship between pedestrians and cyclists. After the end of the coronavirus pandemic, life and old problems returned to urban centers, which even worsened.
Violation of rules and aggressiveness on the part of cyclists often cause negative reactions from pedestrians. At the same time, pedestrians themselves also name the behavior of other pedestrians as reasons for dissatisfaction and irritation. One of them is the use of mobile phones while walking: reading or writing messages in instant messengers and so on.
Electric scooters on the sidewalk in Düsseldorf Photo: Frank May/picture alliance
Drivers and transport infrastructure
Drivers were most often criticized for failure to comply with turning rules, that is, deliberately ignoring pedestrians or inattention.
When crossing the roadway, pedestrians feel most secure at controlled crossings – 88 percent, at zebra crossings – 73 percent. At the same time, many complain about the green phases of regulated transitions being too short. The feeling of safety increases on the streets and in urban areas where the speed limit is 30 kilometers per hour. This was reported by more than 60 percent of respondents.
There are many complaints about the poor condition of sidewalks and walkways, as well as the lack of recessed curbs near some intersections and crossings, which is a big problem for people with limited mobility. Only about 30 percent of respondents rated the organization of barrier-free spaces in large German cities as “very good.”
Recommendations for city authorities
Based on the results of the study, the ADAC Club prepared a list of recommendations for authorities and urban planners. These include laying or creating separate pedestrian and bicycle paths, creating safer crossings, improving visibility near intersections, improving lighting, quickly repairing damaged areas and strengthening control in places where parking rules are most often violated.
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