Grüne on transport

The Greens want four out of five trips in Hamburg to be made by public transit, on foot or by bike. Services are to grow and infrastructure is to be renewed for this. Bus service is to be emission-free by 2030.

The Greens want less car traffic. Most trips should be by bus, train, bike or on foot. They will build more rail lines and bike paths. Buses should run without emissions by 2030.

Rail transit is to be expanded especially in neighborhoods that are poorly connected so far. Autonomous minibuses are to run there as well. New charging stations are to support the switch to electric cars and trucks. Bike paths will keep being expanded, and sidewalks are to get more attention. According to the platform, drivers will also move more smoothly because there is less traffic overall.

The Greens want to designate a 30 km/h limit at night on more streets and enforce the noise action plan more consistently. The platform points to more than 230,000 people in Hamburg who it says are exposed to harmful noise at night. Air pollutants from industry and shipping are to fall.

Many people in Hamburg suffer from noise at night. Most of the noise comes from cars. The Greens want a 30 km/h limit at night in more places. The air should also get cleaner. Ships in the port should have to use power from land.

The platform attributes most of the noise to road traffic and says electric mobility alone is not enough. On air quality, the Greens take their cue from the stricter targets of the revised EU Air Quality Directive. Industrial emissions are to fall through better filters and decarbonized production. Shore power facilities with mandatory use are meant to cut pollution from large ships while they are docked in the port.

The Greens want to revise the operating rules and night-flight restrictions at Hamburg Airport. Departures after 11 p.m. are to be all but eliminated, and late landings are to become much rarer. Avoidable delays are to be penalized more heavily.

The airport is in the middle of the city. Planes make noise at night. The Greens want almost no planes to take off after 11 p.m. Late landings should also become rarer. Airlines that are late without a good reason should pay higher fines.

Some delayed flights would only be allowed with an exemption granted in advance by the noise protection officer. Noise is also to be reduced further in the early-morning and late-evening hours. The party opposes so-called flat takeoffs, which save fuel but are louder in places, because it gives residents' noise protection more weight. The "Allianz gegen den Fluglärm" (alliance against aircraft noise) is to be developed further, and the airport is to keep contributing to the cost of soundproofing in homes.

The Greens want to make public transit the backbone of mobility by building new U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines and at least 36 stations. The goal is for 80 percent of trips to be made by bus, rail, bike or on foot.

Hamburg should get new subway and commuter rail lines. At least 36 new stations should be built in 20 years. Neighborhoods without rail should get a connection. Later there should be a cheaper ticket for older people.

The platform names the U4 to Horner Geest (opening 2026) and toward Grasbrook/Wilhelmsburg (construction start 2027), the S4 by the end of 2027, the S5 to Eidelstedt and Schnelsen, the U5 for 180,000 people, and planning for the S6 and a relief tunnel between the main station and Altona. Passenger service on the freight bypass line, eastward extensions of the U4 and U5, and an upgrade of Berliner Tor station are to be examined. The main station master plan is to be implemented, track capacity increased and the S-Bahn network digitalized to gain more than 30 percent capacity. A rail link from Bergedorf to Geesthacht is to be advanced with Schleswig-Holstein. A cheaper senior ticket based on the Deutschlandticket is planned for the longer term.

The Greens want to make bus service emission-free and denser, with more lines, bus lanes and 500 autonomous midi-buses. In the long term a Stadtbahn (light rail) is to be added, and ferry service on the Elbe is to grow as well.

Buses in Hamburg should run without exhaust fumes. There should be more buses and their own lanes. 500 driverless buses should run in the outer city. Later, a light rail system should be added. Ferries should run more often too.

Buses are to get more consistent priority over car traffic at traffic lights, and express bus lines are to strengthen cross-town links between neighborhoods. Autonomous midi-buses and on-demand services are meant to enable a mobility guarantee across the whole city; the party wants to create additional financial leeway for this. The express bus network could become the basis for a light rail network if demand is sufficient, with ongoing construction projects taking priority. The ferry operator HADAG is to get an expanded timetable and additional vessels.

The Greens want to continuously renovate roads, bridges and energy infrastructure and speed up planning, implementation and financing. Construction sites are to be better coordinated so they burden traffic less.

Roads, bridges and traffic lights should stay in good shape. The city should keep repairing a lot. Construction sites should be planned better. Companies should build together so a street is dug up only once.

Plans include better data, closer coordination of construction programs, for instance among utility operators, and incentives and bans that promote joint construction. An incentive system is to reward meeting deadlines, rules are to be simplified, and the public is to be better informed about construction work. The party wants to build on an average of 186 lane-kilometers renovated per year. During rebuilding, surfaces are to be unsealed, trees planted and rainwater management included.

The Greens want to work with the federal government to develop resident parking into neighborhood parking. Owners of larger vehicles that take up more public space are to pay more once federal law allows it.

Big cars need more space than small ones. So parking should cost more for them. A federal law must allow this first. Parking for residents should become parking for the neighborhood.

The platform compares a small car with a transporter van that occupies considerably more public space yet pays the same price. The graduated fees depend on a suitable basis in federal law. The plan is part of the mobility transition strategy that has already been adopted.

The Greens want to raise bike lane construction from the current 60 to 80 kilometers to 100 kilometers a year in the medium term. The Velorouten (main cycling routes) are to be completed, schools connected to the cycling network, and bike parking at stations greatly expanded.

Hamburg should build or renew 100 kilometers of bike lanes each year. The lanes should be wide and separate from the road. Schools should get good bike routes. Stations should get many more bike parking spaces.

The upgrade of the existing Velorouten is to be finished in the coming term, new routes planned and cycle highways built. District cycling plans are to connect local centers and secondary schools; school streets are to be added to the alliance for walking and cycling. By 2040, 40,000 bike-and-ride spaces at subway, commuter rail and ferry stations are planned. New bike lanes are to be 2.5 meters wide and physically separated from the roadway as a priority. The lower road traffic authority is to be merged into the transport ministry.

The Greens want to launch Hamburg's first citywide walking strategy and renew 80 to 100 kilometers of sidewalks a year. So-called Hamburg Blocks, modeled on Barcelona's superblocks, are to relieve inner-city neighborhoods of through traffic.

Hamburg should get a plan for pedestrians. Each year, 80 to 100 kilometers of sidewalks should be renewed. Fewer cars should drive in some neighborhoods. Parking spaces should become places to meet and green space. Pedestrians should get a green light faster.

The condition of sidewalks is to be recorded systematically, with the worst spots repaired first. The platform names freiRaum Ottensen as the anchor project for the Hamburg Blocks, where through traffic by car is blocked and parking spaces become areas for lingering, greenery, walking and cycling. The surroundings of transit stops are to become more attractive, and pedestrians' rights are to be strengthened in the relevant regulations. A network of fixed stations is planned for e-scooters.

The Greens pursue the goal that no one dies in Hamburg traffic anymore. To get there, they want considerably more 30 km/h limits, especially on minor roads, and at least 20 additional speed cameras.

Nobody should die in Hamburg traffic anymore. So more streets should have a 30 km/h limit. At least 20 new speed cameras should check speeds. The money from the cameras should pay for new cameras.

According to the platform, 20 to 30 people still die in Hamburg traffic each year, with children and people over 65 most at risk. A 30 km/h limit is to be examined more often where there is no room for a bike lane. Revenue from speed enforcement is to fund further cameras. Hamburg is to join an initiative of the German Association of Cities that seeks a reform of the Road Traffic Act and has been joined by more than 1,000 municipalities.

The Greens want to keep reshaping the city center with fewer cars and to reorganize the public space around the main station. Routes from the station to the downtown area and to St. Georg are to become more inviting, which the platform says will also improve people's sense of safety.

The Greens want fewer cars in the city center. The streets around the main station are to be redesigned. People on foot are to get more space. People should feel safer at the station.

Steinstraße is to become a traffic-calmed avenue with wider, greener side areas, and Hammaburgplatz a larger green space. Under the main station master plan, the focus is on Kirchenallee, Steintorbrücke and Glockengießerwall. The areas above the Wallring tunnel are to be redeveloped. In HafenCity, lower speeds and more greenery are planned. Park+Ride is to be developed further and expanded where suitable to connect the surrounding region and outer districts.

The Greens want to take another look at linking the port to the east by tunnel. Their condition is that this relieves traffic on the Veddel and on Harburger Chaussee.

The Greens want to look at a tunnel for port traffic. The tunnel would link the port with Georgswerder. They set one condition. The Veddel area must then have less traffic.

The tunnel would connect the main port route with Georgswerder by passing under the Müggenburger Zollhafen. The platform names relief for the Veddel and Harburger Chaussee as a basic condition. It also wants to check whether a substantial share of through traffic could be shifted out of the city center this way. In addition, public spaces at Wandsbeker Markt, Überseering West and along Bundesstraße are to be upgraded together with the districts.

The Greens want taxis, buses and car-sharing vehicles to run emission-free and want to promote the switch to electric drives for cars and trucks. At the same time, the transport system is to be heavily digitalized to achieve seamless mobility and less red tape.

The Greens want more electric cars in Hamburg. Buses and taxis are to run without exhaust fumes. There are to be more charging points for this. Traffic is also to become more digital, for example with smart traffic lights.

By 2030, 40 percent of cars are to be electric and 25 percent of trucks emission-free. For this, 2,000 charging points are planned by 2025. HVV Switch is to grow, and station-based car sharing will be examined. Last-mile delivery traffic is to cause as few emissions as possible. The digital strategy includes autonomous driving in public transit, digital subway and commuter trains, digital parking management, and AI-supported traffic light and traffic control.

The Greens want to make sidewalks and public transit barrier-free so that people of every age stay mobile. In the long run, the HVV transit network is to offer a senior ticket based on the Deutschlandticket.

The Greens want routes without obstacles. Broken sidewalks should be repaired faster. E-scooters should get fixed parking spots. Later there should be a transit ticket for older people.

Sidewalks are to be repaired faster and lit better. For e-scooters, more fixed parking areas and no-parking zones are planned, including in the outer districts. The party supports a routing tool that shows barrier-free routes to a destination and wants to put up more benches. With autonomous on-demand shuttles, the needs of older people are to be taken into account.

The Greens want to cut emissions from air travel and regard Hamburg Airport's current capacity as sufficient. At the federal and European level they advocate a kerosene tax, a tax on domestic flights, broader emissions trading and higher quotas for sustainable fuels. Rail is to become a convenient alternative to flying.

Flying harms the climate. The Greens want a European tax on jet fuel. Flights within Germany should be taxed too. Trains should be a good alternative to planes. Hamburg Airport should not get bigger.

The airport is to build charging and fueling infrastructure for hydrogen, batteries and sustainable aviation fuels; its Net Zero 2035 strategy is supported. Hamburg is to get better rail links across Germany and Europe through the Deutschlandtakt (nationwide coordinated timetable). Airport fees are to set stronger incentives for modern, less harmful aircraft in order to cut particulates, CO2 and noise. Before takeoff, planes are to be moved by emission-free tugs instead of their own engines, and small and private aircraft are to use more non-fossil fuels.

The Greens want to upgrade the main port route from the Köhlbrand to Veddel and secure the broadest possible federal funding. They back building a new high-capacity Köhlbrand bridge and a tunnel to relieve residents of truck traffic.

The most important road through the port should get better. The old Köhlbrand bridge cannot stay. The Greens want to build a new bridge. A tunnel should keep trucks away from homes. The federal government should pay for much of it.

According to the platform, the existing Köhlbrand bridge can no longer be preserved; the 2024 decision for a new bridge is explicitly supported. The route is to become safe, reliable and compatible with city life for heavy truck traffic. The tunnel between Veddeler Damm and the A252 highway included in the Port Development Plan is to be built to relieve Veddel and the future Grasbrook district of truck congestion. The federal government should cover as much of the cost as possible because the route matters for Germany's maritime connections.

The Greens want to equip all of Hamburg's business districts with high-capacity charging points and build large charging terminals for trucks. Their reasoning is that road logistics is moving to battery-electric vehicles and that the current supply in the port is not enough.

More and more trucks run on electricity. The port has too few charging stations for them. The Greens want to build many new charging stations. There should also be big charging sites for long-distance trucks.

The platform describes Hamburg as a hub for truck traffic to and from Scandinavia, so long-haul trips should also become possible electrically. Because space is scarce, charging sites, parking and logistics should more often be built on multiple levels. In city contracts for construction and logistics, the use of electric vehicles is to be required step by step.

The Greens want to prioritize expanding the port railway and, in the long run, fully electrify and digitalize it. The federal government should be allowed to co-finance it; in addition, more containers are to be moved between terminals by water.

The port railway already carries half of the goods to and from the port. The Greens want to expand it. Later, the trains should run only on electricity. The federal government should be allowed to help pay. More containers should travel by boat inside the port.

The port railway projects in the Port Development Plan are to get priority; the platform points to the federal goal of a rail share of at least 25 percent of freight by 2030. Autonomous rail vehicles and smart control technology are meant to raise efficiency. Hamburg currently pays for upkeep and expansion alone; state aid rules should be changed so the federal government can contribute. Moving containers between terminals by water and better linking of data should relieve roads. A transparent investment plan with key figures and sustainability criteria is meant to give the Hamburg Port Authority planning certainty.

The Greens consider the planned A26 Ost highway dispensable and want to argue against the federal project at every level. In their view, the highway would slow the Sustainable Energy Hub and the port railway expansion and would be wasteful in both fiscal and climate terms.

The federal government plans a new highway through the port. It is called A26 Ost. The Greens think this highway is not needed. They say it costs a lot of money and harms the climate. The moors there should also stay.

The platform argues that an upgraded main port route, more container transport by water and a strong port railway would replace the highway. The route lies on the same land as the energy site at the former Moorburg power plant and as port railway expansion plans. The local moor ecosystems are to be preserved. Because the federal government is the builder, the party says Hamburg cannot stop the project on its own.

The Greens want to take the effects on commercial traffic into account in the mobility transition and support neighborhood parking. Parking exemptions for businesses are to be consolidated and granted with little paperwork.

Tradespeople and delivery services need cars and trucks. The Greens want to take that into account. Businesses should get parking permits more easily. The many different permits should become one.

According to the platform, less car traffic should benefit precisely those who depend on cars or trucks. The party counts not only courier, express and parcel services as commercial traffic but also vehicles of other businesses such as skilled trades. Until the federal government regulates neighborhood parking, applications for parking at a company's place of business should be simple and approved at high rates.