2030 Transportation Development and Mobility Plan (VEP 2030)

While transportation refers to vehicles, infrastructure, schedules, etc., mobility is the ability to travel from point A to point B. Today, people want to be mobile in a comfortable way and are generally not tied to a specific mode of transportation. In addition, we are all much more mobile than we used to be, and the broader context has also changed.

A Mobility Plan must therefore be more than just a plan for car traffic that runs as smoothly as possible. The City of Erlangen’s goal was to develop a holistic and integrated Mobility Plan that would help create environmentally friendly, efficient, and sustainable transportation structures in Erlangen. In addition, new forms of mobility are needed, as well as networked thinking, digital mobility services, and modern mobility management. The VEP 2030 has succeeded in achieving exactly that.

In summary, the goals are based on the following fundamental considerations:

• The objectives of the VEP 2030 are intended to encompass and integrate all modes of transportation
  
• The goals should be geared toward sustainable urban and transportation development
  
• In developing the goals, the aim is to achieve the broadest possible social consensus
  
• The goals should be adopted by the City Council

A key aspect of the philosophy behind Erlangen’s 2030 Transportation Development Plan (VEP) is the early and comprehensive involvement of the entire population. From the very beginning, all citizens were encouraged to participate and clearly express their opinions. At the heart of the participation concept was the Transportation Development Plan Forum, where virtually everyone could feel represented and which met regularly. Among those represented were key interest groups, associations, initiatives, the city’s major employers, and employees as well. The forum met a total of 19 times between November 2013 and December 2020.

Although the Transportation Development Plan Forum did not make any decisions, it oversaw the entire process, advised the experts, and issued recommendations. This was supplemented by working groups, informational events, online participation opportunities, city walks, and more. In addition, the current status was consistently published on the TDP’s website and on social media. Maximum transparency on an issue that affects us all!

The VEP 2030 views Erlangen as part of the region; it does not end at the city limits but includes the surrounding area as well as neighboring cities such as Nuremberg and Fürth. Erlangen’s appeal attracts not only employers and employees but also residents and visitors from across the region. This generates traffic that must be managed in a sustainable manner.

All of this requires a large amount of information. Consequently, data has been collected and analyzed for years, focusing both on developments to date and on projections for the year 2030. Based on this data, recommendations for measures were developed to achieve the goals of the VEP 2030.

The DIVAN traffic model was used as a tool to assess the effects of the planned measures and to work in a targeted manner. This is a database containing constantly updated information on the number of residents, employees, and students at the level of individual city districts. In addition, the traffic model maps the existing road and path network in Erlangen and the surrounding area. It also provides data on traffic volume on individual streets. The traffic model can even be used to generate a forecast for the year 2030. It thus serves as an important decision-making tool for transportation planning; if the results confirm the desired goals, the respective plan can be pursued further.

The VEP 2030 highlights all mobility options in Erlangen—from carsharing to walking. To ensure sustainable mobility, it is important to better integrate the various modes of transportationand thereby enhance diversity. To this end, so-called “mobility hubs” are being established throughout the city. These hubs will offer and connect all modes of transportation. These include bike parking spaces, possibly a bike-sharing system, parking spaces for cars, public transit stops, and car-sharing vehicles—all of which are accessible on foot without barriers from densely populated residential areas and the locations of major employers.

Local Public Transit

Public transit in the city of Erlangen has significant room for expansion, particularly for routes extending beyond the city limits. Making buses and trains more attractive can therefore provide very effective incentives to encourage commuters in particular to switch to public transit. The VEP 2030 outlines practical solutions to attract more passengers to public transit. These include, among other things, direct connections without transfers, better alignment of bus routes with the locations of major companies and the university, and the City-Suburban Railway (StUB). The latter is intended to connect Erlangen with Nuremberg to the south, Herzogenaurach to the west, and, in the long term, Eschenau to the east. Since the StUB serves as both a traditional inner-city tram and a regional light rail system—and is connected to the road network via Park & Ride stations—it is a prime example of the symbiosis between different modes of transportation.

Motorized Traffic

Two highways, one federal highway, and several state and county roads run through Erlangen. Anyone wishing to reach a specific destination by car often has several options. Negative consequences include a high proportion of motor vehicles in total traffic, as well as the associated noise, exhaust emissions, and an immense demand for space for driving and parking.

The VEP 2030 therefore aims to concentrate motor vehicle traffic on suitable roads while simultaneously reducing traffic on other roads through appropriate measures. To this end, a priority network consisting of first- and second-order roads has been developed. This plan also takes into account access roads from major neighboring towns, as through traffic and interregional traffic, in particular, are to be concentrated on the priority network.

In addition to the road networks, the vehicles themselves will undergo changes. To prepare for an increase in electric cars, the VEP 2030 calls for the expansion of public EV charging stations. Such charging stations for electric cars are also to be located at the mobility stations.

Parked Vehicles

Traffic includes not only moving vehicles but also stationary ones. Parked cars, motorcycles, trucks, and bicycles require space, and that space is particularly scarce in the city center. Furthermore, space for pedestrians can be restricted when parts of the sidewalks are used for parking. This reduces both the quality of the pedestrian experience and traffic safety.

To develop a sustainable parking concept, key objectives were identified based on current conditions and areas for action. Issues such as reducing sidewalk parking, restructuring parking fee systems, and promoting the multiple use of parking spaces will be addressed gradually. The planned measures will result in the loss of parking spaces in the downtown area, which will be offset by appropriate solutions. These include, among other things, promoting Park & Ride and eco-friendly transportation options to reduce private car use in general.

Bicycle Traffic

The conditions for cycling in Erlangen are good: short distances, few hills, and a well-developed network of bike paths. As a result, Erlangen is already known as a “bicycle-friendly city.” Nevertheless, the share of cyclists in total traffic can be further increased. To encourage even those who currently tend to drive to get on their bikes more often, cycling in Erlangen must become easier, faster, more convenient, and safer.

For this reason, a wide range of improvements has been considered. These include express bike routes, expanding the bike path network, bike-friendly pavement surfaces, giving cyclists the right of way on major thoroughfares, and opening one-way streets to two-way traffic, for example. But also mobile bike racks and more bike racks. The main goal of all this is to make cycling safer and more attractive. The share of bicycle traffic is expected to increase significantly by 2030, both within the city and in overall traffic.

Walking

Part of every journey is made on foot. The VEP 2030 aims to specifically support this environmentally friendly, space-saving, and healthy form of mobility—for example, with sufficiently wide and unobstructed sidewalks, routing the most important pedestrian paths through traffic-calmed areas and 30-km/h zones, signage for pedestrians as well, improved crossing facilities, and an enhanced quality of the public environment. As part of the VEP 2030, corresponding quality standards for pedestrian routes have been established, which will be taken into account in future planning.

In addition to promoting walking, the plan aims to highlight its importance and establish walking as a distinct mode of transportation within city administration, politics, and the public sphere.

Mobility Management

Mobility management can be understood as mediating between the supply of mobility options and the demand for transportation—or the mobility needs—of various target groups (residents, businesses, etc.). Relevant measures may include: communication, information, counseling, motivation, education, and training. The overarching goal is to promote more sustainable mobility.

Through sustained and systematic mobility management, mobility behavior can be specifically guided, and approximately five percent of private motor vehicle traffic can be avoided or shifted to alternative modes. Therefore, corresponding projects should be implemented in Erlangen. Mobility management initiatives should initially target the following groups: new residents, large companies, children and adolescents, and students.

The Comprehensive Transportation Plan, which was developed and agreed upon as part of the Transportation Development and Mobility Plan, includes numerous individual measures. Their implementation is intended to achieve the strategic goals of the VEP 2030. Care was taken to ensure that the plans and their measures can be implemented within ten to 15 years.

The results, progress, and effects of implementation will be thoroughly reviewed through an ongoing evaluation in order to adjust or revise the contents of the VEP as necessary. The VEP 2030 is therefore not a completed project, but is being continuously developed and, at the same time, gradually implemented. This allows the VEP 2030 to adapt to actual transportation, economic, and social developments as they occur. This is important because Erlangen’s own momentum, as well as the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on future transportation behavior, can only be roughly estimated at this point in time. The same applies to the introduction of the 365-euro ticket or the e-ticket, the more widespread use of cargo bikes, and developments in (semi-)autonomous driving and electric mobility.

Upcoming projects include the implementation of a parking plan for the city center, the update of the local transit plan, and planning for express bike routes to Nuremberg, Herzogenaurach, Fürth, and Bamberg. Additionally, bike lanes are to be redesigned or established according to a uniform standard. Furthermore, a revision of the municipal parking ordinance is planned for 2021. The intensive dialogue with citizens and other stakeholders will continue.

Through all these projects, the Transportation Development and Mobility Plan continuously advances mobility in Erlangen and makes it sustainable for the future. Ultimately, the city’s traffic flows are to be designed in such a way that residents enjoy living in Erlangen.