Grüne on transport

The Greens want public transit to be funded at least on par with cars. At least half of the state money for municipal transport infrastructure would go to public transit. Municipalities would also be allowed to introduce their own local transit levies.

The Greens want more money for buses and trains. At least half the money for local transport infrastructure should go there. Towns should be allowed to create their own transit fee. Buses and trains should also run early and late.

The 50 percent rule would be written into the state law on municipal transport financing, and the levy option would come through a revised local transit law. Under the "ÖPNV-Konzepte 2.0" (transit plans 2.0), buses and trains would run more where people switch from cars, with more service at off-peak times. On-demand buses can, according to the platform, close gaps in rural areas where regular lines lack demand. Together with transit companies, the Greens want to find ways to address staff shortages. Volunteer-run community buses would continue to receive support.

The Greens want to modernize the state's rail network and bring disused lines back into service. A state-owned infrastructure company would drive expansion and reactivation. From the federal government they demand more long-distance service, additional tracks and an alternative route to the Middle Rhine Valley.

The Greens want better trains in the state. Old rail lines should run again. The state should set up its own company for this. The federal government should build more tracks and provide more long-distance trains.

An expansion strategy for the Rheinland-Pfalz-Takt (the state's regional timetable) beyond 2030 would give regional rail planning a stable basis. Lines that cannot be reopened for now would be preserved, and tram networks such as the Pfalztram or in Mainz would receive funding. All parts of the state should be connected to the nearest ICE hubs. Because of train noise in the Middle Rhine Valley, the Greens want to press the federal government for a bypass route and extensive noise protection. Electrification would also advance with battery-hybrid trains, and noise hotspots identified in the state's noise atlas would be reduced.

The Greens want to keep the Deutschlandticket (nationwide transit pass), hold its price low and make it family-friendly. School students and people doing voluntary service would get it for free, and apprentices at a discount for now. The platform justifies this with social participation and climate-friendly mobility.

The Greens want to keep the Deutschlandticket. It is a pass for local transit across Germany. It should stay cheap. School students should get it for free. People in voluntary service should not pay either. Apprentices should pay less.

The free pass would apply to school students no matter how far they live from school. Apprentices would get a discounted pass through the job ticket scheme, as university students do; in the longer term the Greens aim for a free offer for both groups. They also advocate a job ticket for employees of the state, of public administrations and of businesses of any size.

The Greens want to make cycling a transport policy priority, with more money and staff in the responsible agencies. Building, rebuilding and repairing bike paths would increase significantly, and procedures would be simplified. Safe cycling connections should link all municipalities and key destinations within towns.

The Greens want to do more for cycling. There should be many more bike paths. Building them should be faster and easier. People should be able to ride safely to school, daycare and transit stops.

The Cycling Development Plan 2030 would be implemented and the seven commuter cycling routes built quickly. These routes would in the future be planned like state roads to cut down on coordination between agencies. The state would coordinate planning and construction more closely to relieve municipalities, while still taking nature and environmental protection into account. Municipalities would get more leeway in designing street space, for example with chains of bicycle pictograms. The supervisory authority should not be allowed to block municipal cycling projects for budget reasons.

The Greens pursue "Vision Zero," meaning no deaths or serious injuries in road traffic. To that end, a 30 km/h speed limit should become the norm in cities and villages. Municipalities should also find it easier to set up school streets.

The Greens want no one to die in traffic anymore. In cities and villages, the usual speed limit should be 30 km/h. Towns should be able to close streets near schools to cars more easily. This should make the way to school safer.

The state would actively advise municipalities on using existing legal options for 30 km/h zones and support them financially. At the federal level, the Greens want to push for more freedom for municipalities to decide. Binding state guidelines on applying the road traffic regulations would allow school streets to be set up with legal certainty and little effort; school route plans would receive funding. Town and village centers should have less exhaust and car noise and more room for bike paths, pedestrians and places to meet.

The Greens want to set up significantly more mobility hubs where people can switch between sharing services, bikes, and buses and trains. A mobility control center would better coordinate connections between trains and buses. The platform sees combining several modes of transport as key to climate-friendly mobility.

The Greens want to make changing transport easier. There should be more hubs where people switch modes. These offer shared bikes, shared cars, buses and trains, for example. A central office should coordinate connections better.

The hubs, including those in rural areas, would offer secure parking and charging for bikes. Taking bikes on buses and trains would become easier. Train stations would be modernized and made accessible. Mobility management programs would encourage businesses, public agencies, schools and universities to shift trips to transit, cycling and walking. The control center is meant to keep passengers from missing connections when there are delays.

The Greens give priority to repairing roads, and bridges in particular, over new construction. They reject several major expansion projects, which they consider outdated. New federal and state road projects would be put under review.

The Greens want to fix old roads and bridges first. They mostly do not want to build big new roads. They reject several planned expansion projects. All plans for new roads should be checked again.

The Greens reject expanding the A 1, B 8, B 10 and B 49, widening the A 643 to six lanes, and the Moselaufstieg (a planned road link near Trier). They call on the federal government to reassess all new and expanded road projects in the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan on climate and environmental grounds; planned state roads would also be reviewed. For crossing the Rhine between Mainz and Koblenz, they want to find nature-friendly solutions together with riverside municipalities that do not focus primarily on cars. The ferries would be kept and fully integrated into regional public transit.

The Greens want to expand charging infrastructure for electric vehicles quickly and according to need, especially in rural areas. The official vehicle fleets of the state and its agencies would switch to electric. They also want to advance climate-friendly propulsion in inland shipping.

The Greens want more charging stations for electric cars, especially in rural areas. The state's official cars should run on electricity. Ships should become cleaner too. More goods should travel by ship instead of by truck.

Carpool parking lots run by the state mobility agency and state-owned buildings would get charging stations and, where possible, solar panels. In bus transport, the state would help meet the EU Clean Vehicles Directive's targets for zero-emission vehicles. Freight would be shifted from roads to waterways to cut emissions and noise. Ports would be developed into digital cargo-handling facilities, and shore power would be available at ship berths.

The Greens want a discounted Deutschlandticket (nationwide transit pass) for young people in training, at university or in voluntary service, and for volunteers. They also want new, affordable housing options for young people.

Young people often have little money. The Greens want a cheaper Deutschlandticket for them. That is a pass for buses and trains. Volunteers should get it too. There should be more cheap housing for young people.

The discounted pass would cover students, apprentices and people in voluntary service, as well as holders of the volunteer card or the youth leader card (Juleica). Bus service is to improve, including at night. On housing, the platform names apprentices, students and young people leaving youth welfare care as groups for whom low-cost rentals should be funded.