BIW on transport

The BIW wants to abolish Bremen's low-emission zone because, in its view, it harms retail, tourism and skilled trades. Downtown should stay easy to reach by car, and public parking should no longer be removed. The party rejects a congestion charge.

The BIW wants to end the low-emission zone in Bremen. It says the zone hurts stores. Cars should get into downtown easily. There should be enough parking. The BIW rejects a fee for driving into the city.

According to the BIW, retailers lose customers to shopping centers outside the city because of the zone, and poorer trade businesses cannot afford low-emission vehicles. It says residents' quality of life does not improve noticeably. To support downtown retail, parking would be offered in the centers and at outlying sites with public transit links. Shoppers who spend a certain amount could park there free for a limited time.

The BIW wants to quickly modernize and expand rail, road and waterways in the hinterland of Bremen's ports. This is meant to avoid bottlenecks as cargo and container traffic is expected to grow. Several rail and highway projects are named.

Bremen's ports should handle more goods. That takes good routes. The BIW wants to expand rail, roads and waterways quickly. This includes several highways and rail lines.

The BIW sees transport infrastructure as decisive for competing with other ports in northern Germany and neighboring countries. The platform highlights the Hannover/Bremen–Hamburg rail line (Y-Trasse) and the rail network in the Weser-Ems region. On roads, it calls for widening the A1, completing the A 281 and soon building the A 20 coastal highway.

The BIW wants lasting road repairs and smoother traffic in the city centers. It opposes what it sees as one-sided restrictions on drivers and calls for a balance between mobility, the economy, and the environment.

The BIW wants roads to be repaired properly. Traffic lights should be timed so cars stop less often. Roundabouts should replace many intersections with lights. Residential areas should get more calm zones. Trucks should not drive through them.

Plans include synchronized green lights on all main roads, fewer traffic lights, bus bays, more right-turn-on-red arrows, and roundabouts in place of signalized intersections. Priority signals for buses and trams should be better coordinated with car traffic. Cobblestones are to be replaced with asphalt or smoothed, which is meant to cut noise and help cycling. The BIW rejects shared space for large cities; instead it wants more traffic-calmed residential areas with parking bans and additional shared parking lots. Through truck traffic is to be routed onto bypass roads.

The BIW rejects a general speed limit on the three-lane A1 and A27 highways and wants flexible electronic speed control instead. A 30 km/h limit should apply only for safety reasons, such as near schools and kindergartens.

The BIW wants no fixed speed limit on the A1 and A27 highways. Electronic signs should set the speed depending on conditions. A 30 km/h limit should apply near schools and kindergartens. The BIW does not want 30 km/h on main roads. Speed cameras should only serve safety.

The electronic system would respond to traffic volume, weather, and time of day. The platform rejects 30 km/h zones on main roads and through roads. Speed checks should serve only to defuse accident hot spots. The BIW says municipalities must not use them as a source of revenue.