Traffic in German cities is constantly increasing. Especially in the boomtown of Munich, gridlock is already a reality. Yet Munich has all the resources it needs to meet the challenge. The next few years will be crucial for the future of mobility. A commentary.
A solution to the traffic problems is in sight: Flying taxisOn every cabaret stage and at every local bar, you get a laugh as soon as the word 'air taxi' is mentioned. Ever since the then-designated State Minister for Digitalization, Dorothee Bär, said in the 'Heute Journal' in March 2018 that digitalization meant more than infrastructure and broadband expansion - one also had to think about topics such as autonomous driving and air taxis, air taxis have become a German Memes Many feel confirmed by this: in their knowledge that out-of-touch politicians are concerned with castles in the air rather than real needs, in their reflex against new things, and in their hostility towards technology. Flying taxis! We've never needed them.
Who needs something like that?
The way the issue of flying taxis is being addressed is symptomatic of the current debate about solving the traffic problems in German cities. New technological approaches are being questioned inquisitively about whether they could actually solve all the problems—keyword: e-scooters. Of course, they won't, because even in the future, not all commuters will be getting to work by flying taxi or e-scooter. Perhaps these are truly dead ends. Only time will tell.
A similarly spiteful undertone was also found around 10 years ago in the public discussion about the introduction of so-called free-floating car sharing, i.e. car sharing with the option of parking the rented cars in any parking space: Who needs that?
With the same unconditionalness with which technological innovations are demonized and ridiculed, the bicycle serves as a savior for mobility in the city of tomorrow. If only everyone rode bicycles, all problems would be solved. Many Munich cyclists' sense of mission is evident in their riding style: Get off the bike path, I'm saving the world!
The standstill threatens
The whole discussion has a very German and very rigorous feel to it. But of course, it cannot be denied that something must change quickly. A look at the numbers shows the scale of the problem: In 2005, there were 667,977 motor vehicles registered in Munich. By the end of 2018, this number had already risen to 832,524. This corresponds to an increase of 25.6 percent. Munich's population rose by 16.8 percent over the same period, from 1,259,677 to 1,471,508. In other words, Munich has grown strongly in recent years, but its car population has grown even faster. By 2040, the city administration expects the population to increase further by around a quarter, to 1.85 million. In addition, there is a steadily growing number of commuters from the surrounding area. More than 400,000 people travel from outside Munich to their jobs in the city every day – more than in any other German city. In short: If everything continues as it is, very soon nothing will work anymore.
It's getting even more crowded and crowded in Munich
Munich is no longer the million-strong village it probably never was, but a high-tech metropolis whose global influence will continue to grow. Adequate mobility is a fundamental prerequisite for maintaining the quality of life of Munich's residents, despite all economic success. Solving this problem will require a healthy dose of pragmatism. What we don't need are identity-based trench warfare between people who tie their entire existence to their mode of transportation: car fanatics, aggressive cyclists, and militant pedestrians.
The space must be reorganized, taking different interests and needs into account. Constrictions and bans are not the right tools for a cosmopolitan metropolis. Instead, what is needed are services: new parking garages at the S-Bahn stations, ideally free for MVV subscribers. An S-Bahn so reliable that commuters from rural areas are happy to leave their cars at home. 'Multimodal' transportation outside the city center, such as MVG bicycles in the surrounding area to get to the S-Bahn station. More MVG lines on and under the streets. More bus lanes. Wide, safe bike paths. Safe sidewalks where children can move freely without being endangered by cyclists or scooter riders. Parking spaces for e-scooters. More of everything. None of this is new and will cost a lot of money. In the run-up to the 1972 Olympics, Munich's transport system was brought up to date at enormous expense. Today we need a new effort on this scale.
And of course, some will have to make sacrifices: Parking spaces for drivers will be removed. Cyclists will have to learn to brake for those less able to move. We all have to get used to the fact that Munich will become even more crowded and crowded.
New mobility needs new solutions
Munich holds a decisive advantage in this regard. As a high-tech location, startup hub, and home to excellent universities and research institutions, Munich can become an open-air laboratory for new, smart, and digital mobility solutions. As part of the 'Smarter Together' project, new solutions for the smart city are already being tested in Munich. The Innovation and Startup Center will open at Leonrodplatz in early 2021. Munich Urban Colab opened. Scientists, startups, and established companies will work here on new solutions in the areas of mobility, living and working, artificial intelligence, and energy supply.
Only recently, Munich prevailed over Berlin and Hamburg and was awarded the contract as new location of the IAA By moving from Frankfurt am Main, the former auto show aims to completely reinvent itself and develop into a mobility platform. The decision to hold Munich also confirms the city's innovative strength in competition with other German cities with over a million inhabitants. Furthermore, the IAA can send decisive signals for Munich's transformation into a smart city.
The German government is also focusing on Munich as a model city for new mobility. Federal Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer has announced the establishment of a mobility center in the state capital. Munich Merkur reported, 500 million euros of federal funds are to be invested in the
“German Centre for Mobility of the Future.” Speaking to the newspaper, Scheuer:
"We have many creative minds, incredibly good initiatives, scientists, startups, industry, and small and medium-sized businesses. Now we need a major breakthrough that combines all of this with global appeal and is unique in Europe. The new center will use new technological possibilities to find answers to how people want to move around in the future and how goods will be transported."
To prevent Munich from being overwhelmed by the consequences of its growth, many things must be done right in the near future: massive expansion of infrastructure, redistribution of public space with the involvement of Munich's residents, and the testing of new technical possibilities. And part of the solution may well be Flying taxis.
