Integrating the Wheels in Freiburg, Germany

Lauren Hilliard • Monday May 14, 2007

During the Summer of 2006, I completed my Bachelors of Science at a UC Davis summer abroad program in Freiburg, Germany. I spent four weeks living and studying the success of Freiburg’s balanced transportation system through community-based research involving interviews with local and state transport authorities. While living in Europe that summer, I wrote articles for this website as part of a series called Exploring Transportation in Europe.

A few weeks ago, I presented my research findings at the Women’s Transportation Seminar International Conference in San Diego. The presentation I gave was entitled Integrating the Wheels in Freiburg, Germany: How the right plan, process, and politics can create a balanced transport system. In an attempt to share some of Freiburg’s wisdom with the rest of the world, I have a copy of my PowerPoint presentation available for download below in Adobe PDF format:

Freiburg, Germany Presentation [PDF] 1.20 MB

I will be giving this presentation at some upcoming meetings in the Sacramento area. Please contact me if you’re interested in attending a live presentation.

 

Category: Presentations •• Region: Germany •• comments

ETE: On GERMAN Hauptbahnhofen...

Lauren Hilliard • Thursday August 17, 2006

We arrived in Berlin’s new and AMAZING Hauptbahnhof (central train station), which cost 900 million euros to construct. This station was absolutely incredible. It was basically a massive shopping mall/transport hub…..how fun that you can go shoe shopping while waiting for the train! This picture shows just a few of the 5 levels in the building to accomodate the various integration of transport:

Level -2: U-Bahn (Berlin’s underground rail network)
Level -1: U-Bahn
Level E: Berlin’s Trams and Busses
Level 1: The S-Bahn train (Berlin’s surface rail)
Level 2: The DB trains (Deutsch Bahn rail company), including RE (regional trains) and ICE (high-speed rail)

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Public Transit •• Region: Germany •• comments

ETE: On GERMAN Traffic Lights...

Lauren Hilliard • Wednesday August 16, 2006

It’s not just me that thinks this little traffic light man is cool! There are an enormous amount of Ampelmann products and stores in Berlin — of which I stocked up on :-) The pedestrian crosswalk dude with his top hat distinguishes former east Berlin so you can always tell what part of the city you are in. I had a hard time capturing pictures of him without causing my own traffic in the crosswalk, so this is a picture I took of a postcard I bought (I told you they have tons of products!).

EDITOR’S NOTE: The ped head in this photo is reminiscent of perhaps the coolest ped heads in the world – in Taiwan. Watch this video and see for yourself!

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Pedestrians •• Region: Germany •• comments

ETE: On GERMAN City Bicycles...

Lauren Hilliard • Tuesday August 15, 2006

Berlin’s “city bikes” that can be accessed anywhere by using your handy (info bit: cell phones are called “handies” here)! You just call the number on the bike and it pops the lock open. These fancy bikes can be found around town; however, I didn’t see a centralized location for them — nor could I figure out what you do when you come outside and the bike is gone because someone called it!

There are also “free bikes” located in various places within Berlin. You just put a deposit down in the morning at these stations and the bike is free until a certain hour that night (you can keep it longer for a fee — like a rental).

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Bicycling •• Region: Germany •• Comments

ETE: On GERMAN High-Speed Rail...

Lauren Hilliard • Monday August 14, 2006

Clocking in at a speed of 250 km/hour (over 150 miles/hour), we took the famous German ICE train from Freiburg to Berlin. The scenic 800 mile trip was much nicer by rail than highway I would say! We had a minor mishap on the journey home though since we got off at the wrong Frankfurt station and missed our connecting ICE train back to Freiburg. But not a problem! We simply caught the next one only one hour later after negotiating new seats for our group of 25 American students who ALL managed to get off at the wrong stop.

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Public Transit •• Region: Germany •• Comments

ETE: On GERMAN Pedestrian Zones...

Lauren Hilliard • Wednesday August 9, 2006

This is a picture of my favorite street in Freiburg! I’m living in the ‘old town’ and absolutely love how this entire part of the city is a car-free zone. There are narrow, cobblestone streets winding everywhere with a few plazas by the Munster and the Rathaus (city hall). Outdoor seating for restaurants is found all over this area, people are bustling around in shops, and down the main corridor is the tram line leading to the rest of the Freiburg area. Having this huge pedestrian zone is a major part of Freiburg’s economy since big and small stores are all located here and see so much business. I certainly have made my contribution!

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Pedestrians •• Region: Germany •• Comments

ETE: Fahrrader in Freiburg

Lauren Hilliard • Tuesday August 8, 2006

Researching European transportation systems from an office in America is interesting; studying multi-modal transport in a classroom in Germany is fascinating; but experiencing what it is actually like to ride, cycle, and walk in Freiburg is the most amazing way to learn about the success of an integrated transportation network.

While walking around the Universitat yesterday, I noticed a small flier posted on the side of a building that said “Wikibuy.de� Recognizing a familiar word wiki (Hawaiian for ‘quick’), I had a feeling that this website might be a sort-of “craigslist� for Germany. Indeed it was! After a wiki search through the site I found the section called “Fahrrader� and within 15 minutes I had arranged via e-mail to purchase a bicycle from a local professional.

He met me this morning under the Schwabentor in the old city, adjusted the seat for me, gave me the key to the lock, and showed me that the front and rear lights turn on as you pedal. And even better, it didn’t cost me anything since his friend will buy it back from me when I leave Freiburg!

The freedom of mobility on bike cannot be beat. I took off to explore the greater Freiburg area for the rest of the morning and discovered so much of the region within only a few hours. I rode east on my new fahrrad on a wonderful bike path following the Dreisam River. The gravel pedestrian path and paved bicycle path were separated most of the way by trees and brush, taking turns being alongside the water. There was only one section of my route that intersected a street, and the bicyclists had the right of way while vehicles were required to yield.

I stopped to eat a nectarine at a children’s park that was – literally – not surrounded by anything expect fields and the bicycle path. There were several mothers’ there who had cycled there with their kids in the back trailer. I found out that this particular bike path gets an average of 15,000 trips per day!

Bicyclists on Today’s Excursion:
25% – Mother’s with kids in their trailers
25% – College students with backpacks
15% – Men and women in spandex and helmets out for cycling exercise
10% – Elderly couples on elderly bikes
10% – Business men in suits
5% – Kids cycling with friends
5% – People going somewhere fast
5% – People going nowhere slow (my category!)
And a guy with the cutest terrier in his rear basket staring at me as I rode behind.

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Bicycling •• Region: Germany •• Comments

ETE: On GERMAN Women and Transport...

Lauren Hilliard • Monday August 7, 2006

I’ve noticed a few interesting things here in Freiburg, Germany about making transport-related activities safer for women. In the parking garages are ‘reserved women-only’ parking spots near the elevators with extra lighting. There are only special transit passes for women at night to use the local trams at discounted prices so that they are not walking by themselves alone. And, I also noticed that the night bus lines will drop females off right at their front door upon their request.

This article is part of the Exploring Transportation in Europe series.

 

Category: Public Transit •• Region: Germany •• Comments

www.flickr.com

Visit our Photo Gallery

Post a Job!
$25 for 45 days

Our Favorite Sites

Partners
Friends of Fremont Park
PedalGR
LAtino Urban Forum

Sacramento
LivinginUrbanSac
Central City Opinion

Planning-Related
CA Transportation Plan

Real Estate
4realz.net