Linke on transport

The Left wants urban development to start at the neighborhood level and set up low-car blocks there. The city center is to become a place for living and studying with a social mix.

Fewer cars should drive in some neighborhoods. People there get more space on the street. People should live and study in the city center. Poor and rich people should live there together.

Low-car neighborhood blocks are to be created especially where, for social reasons, fewer people own a car anyway. The space gained is to benefit the neighborhoods. For the city center, the platform relies on university facilities, socially mixed housing, and building that is as small-scale and based on existing structures as possible. Sociocultural facilities are also to be planned at the neighborhood level.

The Left wants to cut car traffic by at least 30 percent by 2030; at least half of what remains should be electric. To that end, public transit is to be usable without a ticket and expanded faster. The expansion targets are to be set out in a mobility law.

The Left wants fewer cars on the roads. Buses and trams should be usable without a ticket. The network should grow faster. A new law should set the goals.

The reduction in car traffic is to cover the whole state, not just downtown. A study is to look at a network that is about as fast and powerful as a metro. Car-sharing providers could get temporary state funding so that commuters, for example, can use such services at no extra cost. The University of Bremen is to develop an app for booking different modes of transport together. The mobility law is also to stipulate that investment be shifted toward public transit, cycling and walking.

The Left wants less private car traffic and more public transit, walking, and cycling, and wants to enshrine this in a mobility law. The debt brake is to be suspended to pay for the necessary investments.

The Left wants fewer cars in the city. More people should use buses, trains, and bikes. A new law should set this down. Bremen should be allowed to borrow money for the costs.

The law is modeled on Berlin's; a committee of the state parliament is to monitor implementation. The program criticizes that only a small part of the 2025 transport development plan has even entered planning and wants to reorganize procedures at the roads and transport office. Citing the climate inquiry commission, it puts the funding need in transport at about 2.3 billion euros. The party does not want enforcement by regulation alone but a democratic redesign of cities.

The Left wants buses and trams in Bremen to be usable without a ticket from June 1, 2024. This is to be funded through higher property and business taxes plus federal money.

The Left wants buses and trams in Bremen to be free. This should start in June 2024. Two taxes should go up to pay for it. People with more money would pay more.

The property tax on housing and the business tax are to rise enough to also leave money for infrastructure, new vehicles, and more staff. According to the program, welfare recipients would be spared because property tax is covered through housing benefits; clubs and nonprofit organizations are to be exempt. For Bremerhaven, the party demands a reduced-price social ticket. Nationwide, it wants the 9-euro ticket back in place of the 49-euro ticket and much higher federal regionalization funds.

The Left wants to create a fast transit network that works without a subway and links places where many people live or work. A planning contract is to be put out to tender in the coming legislative term.

Bremen has no subway. Buses and trams are often slow. The Left wants a fast network without a subway. Experts should draw up a plan for it.

In the party's view, conventional bus and tram lines are too slow to compete with cars, while a subway network could not be built within 15 years and would be very expensive. The new network is to combine existing elements such as the regional S-Bahn with express lines with few stops or special vehicles, for example driverless ones. Space is to be reserved or created for this. Based on the study, a political decision on model, timeline, and investment is to follow; Lille is cited as an example.

The Left wants to enlarge the transit network with new and extended tram lines, more S-Bahn stops, cross-town links, and ferries on the Weser. Poorly connected neighborhoods are to get priority.

Some districts have poor bus and train connections. The Left wants to build new lines. Trains should run more often. Ferries on the Weser river should be added too.

The expansion of the regional S-Bahn with seven new stops and more frequent service is to be sped up; S-Bahn trains are to run at least every half hour, and every ten minutes to Bremen-Nord. Until new lines are finished, extra bus routes are to operate. Buses and trams are to be fully accessible by 2030, and BSAG buses emission-free as soon as possible. The plan also includes more express lines, dedicated lanes, signal priority, and better off-peak frequency. Park-and-ride lots are to be expanded and free for the first seven days per entry.

The Left wants more passenger, freight, and long-distance traffic on rail and plans to expand and reactivate lines for this. Freight is to shift from trucks to rail and water.

The Left wants more trains for people and goods. Some routes should get more tracks. Old routes should reopen. Fewer goods should travel by truck.

The lines to Bremerhaven and Bremen-Nord are to get four tracks, and the Bremerhaven–Cuxhaven line is to be technically modernized. The link from Bremen via Bassum and Sulingen to Rahden is to be revived, and another toward Stade examined. For freight, the party backs the Alpha-E option and disused tracks; residents are to get better noise protection. It also calls for a plan to fully electrify the regional rail infrastructure and convert it to ETCS Level 3 (a European train control standard), plus more staff.

The Left wants to give pedestrians and cyclists more room and names zero traffic deaths ("Vision Zero") as the top goal. Protected bike lanes, faster cycling routes, and shorter waits at traffic lights are to help.

The Left wants more space for people on foot and on bikes. No one should die in traffic anymore. Bike lanes should be safe and wide. Traffic lights should turn green faster.

The budget for pedestrian traffic is to double. Plans include continuous paths at intersections, more roundabouts, premium cycling routes that also reach outer districts, and bridges near Hemelingen and between Walle and Woltmershausen. Red phases for walkers and cyclists are to last no more than 30 seconds; by 2033, main roads are to have a safe crossing at least every 150 meters. Bike and car sharing are to grow, and taking bikes on transit is to get easier. The police are to get a permanent unit against bicycle theft.

The Left demands a 30 km/h speed limit in the city, combined with physical traffic calming. On autobahns, a nationwide limit of no more than 120 km/h is to apply.

The Left wants a speed limit of 30 in the city. Big roads with four lanes keep a limit of 50. On highways the limit should be 120 at most. Fixed speed cameras should check this.

A 50 km/h limit is to remain only on four-lane roads and expressways. Fixed speed checks are planned at least near schools, transit stops, and large intersections. The program expects much less speeding as a side effect. The police unit against "car posers" is to be enlarged; cars with illegal noise-producing modifications are to be seized and scrapped in cases of posing.

The Left wants to reduce the car's share of traffic by narrowing roads, removing a quarter of parking spaces, and making downtown car-free. The freed-up space is to be used for sidewalks, green areas, housing, and playgrounds.

The Left wants fewer cars in Bremen. Wide roads should become narrower. One in four parking spaces should go. Downtown should be car-free. The space should be used for green areas, paths, and homes.

The elevated road at the main station is to be closed to cars in the long run and turned into green and recreational space. Access roads to downtown such as Friedrich-Ebert-Straße are to shrink to two lanes, and Ostertorsteinweg is to stay permanently car-free. In suitable residential areas, superblocks modeled on Barcelona are planned, where only residents' traffic is allowed. Parking lots of supermarkets and municipal buildings are to be usable outside opening hours.

People aged 60 and over are to get a lifelong free transit pass and monthly free taxi rides if they deregister their car. The program argues that many older people rarely use their car but still need it for certain trips.

Many older people rarely drive anymore. The Left makes them an offer. People over 60 who give up their car ride buses and trams for free. They also get free taxi rides every month.

The offer is aimed at everyone aged 60 and over and is voluntary. The taxi rides are meant to cover trips such as weekly shopping or doctor visits when transit stops are too far away or not reachable for health reasons. To carry this out, the city is to examine setting up its own taxi company.

Once the A 281 is finished, the Left rejects any further new or widened autobahns in Bremen and opposes continuing the A 20. It cites the protection of peatlands that store CO₂.

The Left wants no new highways in Bremen. Only the A 281 should still be finished. The A 20 should not be built further. Otherwise important peatlands would be destroyed.

During construction on the A 281, the Neustadt district is to be shielded from diverted traffic. The B6n road is to be planned only as a tunnel under the airport. The party demands better noise protection along federal roads and autobahns. Truck traffic cutting through residential areas is to be reduced through traffic management and construction measures.

The Left demands resident-only parking across the whole city with a socially acceptable base fee. A roundtable, a plan from the transport authority, and a municipal towing service are to tackle parking on sidewalks.

The Left wants parking for residents only across the city. The price should be fair. Big, heavy cars should pay double. Cars should no longer park on sidewalks.

Especially large and heavy vehicles are to pay double fees; the revenue can go to cycling, walking, and public transit. A roundtable of authorities, the state disability commissioner, and district councils is to identify the spots where sidewalk parking is stopped first. The program considers immediate enforcement everywhere unrealistic. Park-and-ride is to take priority over neighborhood parking garages.

The Left supports the EU-wide end of new non-climate-neutral cars from 2035 and wants to expand charging stations. It rejects subsidies for hybrid vehicles and for cars running on e-fuels or hydrogen.

From 2035, no new gasoline or diesel cars should be registered in the EU. The Left agrees with this. It wants more charging stations for e-cars and e-bikes. Hybrid cars should no longer get subsidies.

Bremen's public vehicle fleet is to be fully battery-electric by 2030. Instead of company cars, the party wants to promote company bicycles. The program justifies rejecting e-fuel and hydrogen cars with their low energy efficiency and lack of energy independence. The installation of charging points in supermarket parking lots is to be subsidized.

The Left rejects closing the passenger area of Bremen's airport or privatizing the airport. It cites business travel, international logistics chains, and the airport's status as critical infrastructure.

The Left wants to keep the airport in Bremen. Passengers should still be able to fly from there. The airport should belong to the city. The Left does not want to sell it to private companies.

According to the program, passenger service is needed not only for private trips but also for work and logistics. The party regards selling the airport as giving away critical infrastructure. It also rejects a publicly funded airport serving only the aerospace industry, because in its view this would endanger the Airbus site and the path toward climate-neutral flight.

The Left wants to renovate port infrastructure in Bremen and Bremerhaven and raise the share of rail transport. The northern German ports are to cooperate as one system instead of competing, so that logistics chains become climate neutral as quickly as possible.

The ports are important for Bremen. The Left wants to renew old port facilities. More goods should travel by train. The ports in the north should work together. Big ships should have to use electricity from land while in port.

Renovating the quays, modernizing cargo-handling facilities, and more rail transport are seen as central tasks for staying competitive and securing jobs. Under the cooperation, the ports are to be used according to their respective strengths and geography. The shore power requirement for large ships is to be implemented as quickly as possible. Sites linking truck, rail, and ship are to be expanded, especially the Holz- und Fabrikenhafen and the link between the GVZ freight center and the Neustädter Hafen. After the end of planning for the Bremerhaven offshore terminal, decisions on waterside connections and ecological commercial areas are to be made quickly.

The Left wants to improve public transit in Bremen-Nord. Buses are to be timed to connect with trains and serve outlying areas at frequent intervals, and a fast ferry on the Weser is to be added.

The Left wants better buses in Bremen-Nord. Buses should wait for the train. Remote neighborhoods should also get frequent buses. A fast ferry should run on the Weser river.

Buses are to leave so that people with disabilities can also make the transfer from the train, and they are to wait when trains are late, especially the last bus at night. The program criticizes that bus lines were cut with reference to the S-Bahn and that neighborhoods such as Aumunder Wiesen were cut off. The ferry is to run from Farge to the Waterfront and be part of regular public transit. The background, according to the program, is that places like Schönebeck lack shops close to home.