Berlin leads with bus lanes – but where is the progress?

Berlin leads with bus lanes – but where is the progress?

Buses on the street—what about the bus lanes in German cities? A current comparison of cities shows that Berlin, with an impressive 121 kilometers of bus lanes, has the highest proportion of special lanes in Germany. This corresponds to around 2.3% of the entire road network. This emerges from a study by German Environmental Aid (DUH), which collected data in 40 cities. Aachen and Mainz follow in second and third place, both with a share of 1.4%. Munich and Hamburg are also coming close and show that bus lanes are very popular in many cities.

But what about the other cities? Only five of the 40 locations surveyed were able to reserve more than 1% of their road network for bus lanes. In contrast, cities like Halle (Saale), Krefeld, Magdeburg and Oberhausen even have no bus lanes. Jürgen Resch, the federal managing director of the DUH, has sharply criticized the small proportion of bus lanes in most large cities. He notes that pop-up bus lanes are a cost-effective and immediately effective solution to avoid traffic jams and late buses, which not only lead to worse air quality but also higher CO2 emissions.

Criticism and lack of action

In Berlin, the Senate is not planning any additional bus lanes despite a change in the law that would make it easier to create new bus lanes. This has led to discontent within the SPD in the transport committee. The CDU, on the other hand, argues that bus lanes would take up space for other road users, which further fuels the discussion. Cities such as Cologne, Stuttgart and Bremen have also not designated new bus lanes, which increases the pressure on those responsible to address the problem.

Another concern is the use of the existing bus lanes. These are often released for other types of traffic either at a certain time or through additional signs, which increases the control effort. In addition, bus lanes are often used or parked by motor vehicles, which significantly reduces the effectiveness of these special lanes. A positive trend, however, is that many cities are increasingly using priority switching for buses at traffic lights in order to shorten journey times.

Alternatives and future approaches

An example of a more creative approach is Düsseldorf, where the city plans to rely more on mixed solutions. Munich, on the other hand, is pursuing a consolidation of bus routes on central routes and has increased the frequency in order to improve connections. These approaches show that there is not only a lack of bus lanes, but also innovative ideas for improving local transport.

The dialogue about the future of bus transport in German cities should never end, because ultimately the mobility of many citizens depends on these decisions. It remains to be seen how cities will respond to the current challenges and whether new solutions will be presented soon.