SPD on transport

The SPD wants to expand the Bremen port railway so that even more freight moves to and from the ports by rail. It plans to press the federal government for investment in the seaports' hinterland connections.

The SPD wants to expand the railway in the port. Then more containers go by train instead of by truck. The federal government should pay for better links to the rest of the country.

According to the platform, more containers already travel to and from Bremerhaven by rail than by truck, which it calls a top figure among competing ports. Traffic access within the ports is to be optimized further. A new IT system for the port railway is among the ongoing digitalization projects.

The SPD wants to secure Bremen Airport financially through a restructuring plan and shift it to climate-neutral operations through investment. It regards the airport as important for the business location and the aerospace industry.

The SPD wants to keep Bremen Airport. A plan should make it financially stable. Its operations should no longer harm the climate. The workers should be part of this process.

According to the platform, the airport secures the region's link to the major European hubs. In the previous term, the financial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were offset. The comprehensive restructuring plan is meant to create a solid economic outlook. The SPD wants to continue this path together with the airport's staff.

The SPD wants to reorganize public transit in downtown Bremen and move the tram from Obernstraße to Martinistraße. In its view, the tram holds back the development of Obernstraße and the market square. A feasibility study is to provide the basis for the decision.

A tram runs through Obernstraße in Bremen. The SPD wants to move it to Martinistraße. Then a large walking zone can be created. First, a study checks whether this works. After that, the SPD wants to decide.

According to the platform, the urban planning and traffic feasibility study has already been commissioned and is meant to underpin planning for the next 40 to 60 years. A stop on Balgebrückstraße is also planned, because the SPD does not consider the stops at Domsheide and in front of Die Glocke attractive enough. Without the tram, a continuous pedestrian zone could emerge from Obernstraße, Hutfilterstraße, Sögestraße, the market square and later Knochenhauerstraße. Traffic rules are to follow the development of the city center.

The SPD wants downtown Bremen to have as few cars as possible and to be planned from the pedestrian's point of view. The center is to stay reachable by every mode of transport, but not every mode should go into the core of the old town. Parking at the edge, shuttles, bike parking and better walking routes are meant to make this work.

Fewer cars should drive in downtown Bremen. Cars park at the edge of the city center. From there, small buses called shuttles take people further. There should be more parking for bikes. Walking routes should become nicer.

Enough parking is to be available at the edge of the inner center, combined with easy-to-use shuttles for the last stretch. New city logistics services are to make it convenient to get purchases home so that shops can hold their own against online retailers. For bicycles, the SPD is examining parking under the Brill and under Domshof square. Walking links such as from the market square to the Schnoor, from Sögestraße to the Wall and from Obernstraße to the Schlachte are to become more attractive. Routes from neighboring districts and the train station are also to improve for pedestrians and cyclists, along with continuous riverside promenades and a greener look.

The SPD wants no one in Bremen to live more than 500 meters from a transit stop. It also plans on-demand services on the outskirts, more express buses to business parks and a mobility card covering different modes of transport.

The SPD wants more stops for buses and trams. No one should have to walk more than 500 meters. On the edge of the city, there should be rides on request. Fast buses should go to workplaces. One card should work for buses, parking garages, rental bikes and car sharing.

Scheduled repair of existing transport infrastructure is to be the basis for any expansion or rebuilding. In sparsely populated outer areas, on-demand services are to supplement regular lines. Express bus lines with few stops are to connect business parks and larger employers faster; the SPD wants to align timetables with companies' shift times. The mobility card is to combine parking garages, the transit operator BSAG, charging stations, bike rental and car sharing, with unified billing and app-based booking. The program names affordable, climate-friendly and accessible mobility as its goal.

The SPD wants to better coordinate public transit, bike sharing, e-scooters, bike parking and car parking. It plans to expand the Mobi.Punkte (mobility hubs) and create uniform digital payment options so that switching between modes becomes easier.

The SPD wants to connect buses, trams, shared bikes and e-scooters better. There should be more Mobi.Punkte. These are places with several kinds of transport. People should pay digitally in the same way everywhere.

The program sees the quality of urban mobility services as important for quality of life, for the city as a business location and for the shift to environmentally friendly transport. It says this quality depends on services being orderly and complementing each other. The linking is to be arranged together with local mobility providers. As examples, the program names more Mobi.Punkte and uniform digital payment options.

The SPD wants to introduce fare-free local public transit for all Bremen residents through the "Bremen-Ticket." It is to be funded through a solidarity-based model in which everyone takes part. The ticket is to be combined with an expansion of service.

The SPD wants to introduce the Bremen-Ticket. People in Bremen would then need no ticket for buses and trams. Everyone would pay for it together. The cost should be affordable for all. There should also be more buses and trams.

The program calls local public transit the backbone of the transport transition and wants to make it the leading mode of transport in Bremen and Bremerhaven. Free transit is to be paid for through a solidarity-based model that includes everyone and is affordable for all. According to the SPD, Bremen would be the only German city of its size with such a project. As earlier steps, the program cites the 25-euro Stadtticket (city ticket for benefit recipients) and the youth ticket.

The SPD wants to expand local transit service substantially. At major stops, a vehicle is to arrive at least every 7.5 minutes during regular hours, and night lines are to run continuously seven days a week. New tram routes and flexible services such as on-demand buses are also planned.

The SPD wants more buses and trams in Bremen. At major stops, a bus or tram should come every 7.5 minutes. Night lines should run every day. The edges of the city should get more service, such as on-demand buses.

Under the slogan "riding without a timetable," checking the schedule is meant to become unnecessary. Expansion is to start in outlying areas and with priority in Bremen-Nord, including the night network. The SPD wants new tram routes for direct links between neighborhoods, a review of new bus lanes and bus gates, more frequent service on weekends too, and traffic-signal priority for transit. A reserve of staff and vehicles is meant to prevent cancellations. For the trip between stop and home, app-based shared taxis, on-demand buses, bike sharing and car sharing are planned. Stops are to be reviewed, including for accessibility.

The SPD wants to strengthen regional rail with more frequent trains so that a quarter of commuters switch from car to train by 2030. To that end it calls for additional tracks, better stations and reliable federal funding. Fare zone 101 is to be abolished.

The SPD wants more local trains. By 2030, one in four commuters should switch from car to train. New tracks should be built for this. Trips to and from Bremerhaven should get cheaper. The federal government should pay for the expansion.

Freight and passenger traffic are to be separated to reach a regional rail frequency of 10 to at most 15 minutes. Top priority goes to a third track between Bremerhaven, Bremen-Burg and the Gröpelingen rail yard, a third and fourth track to Nienburg, and upgrading and electrifying the Bremerhaven–Bremervörde–Rotenburg line. The SPD also wants to quickly implement the "optimiertes Alpha-E plus Bremen" concept and expand park-and-ride and bike-and-ride together with Lower Saxony. A continuous 15-minute service is to run to Bremen-Farge. At the federal level, it will push for rail funding and shorter approval procedures.

The SPD supports amending the Straßenverkehrsordnung (German road traffic regulations) so that a 30 km/h limit can be introduced across residential neighborhoods. It justifies this with greater road safety, less noise and a better quality of life.

The SPD wants to make a 30 km/h limit possible everywhere in residential areas. A federal law must be changed for that. The SPD supports this change. The limit should make streets safer and quieter.

In the SPD's view, a 30 km/h limit in neighborhoods increases safety for everyone and creates more equality among road users. The program names road safety, less traffic noise and a better local quality of life as the goals. This requires a revision of the road traffic regulations, which apply nationwide.

The SPD wants to expand car sharing across Bremen, especially in districts far from the city center. The aim is to reduce private motorized traffic in the long run. Funding schemes for start-up financing are to be examined.

The SPD wants more car sharing across Bremen. Car sharing means many people share cars. Areas far from the city center should get more offers. The SPD will check whether the city gives start-up money.

The program sees car sharing as one building block of transport policy alongside local transit, rail, car and bicycle traffic, all of which also receive public support. The goal is to lower the number of private car trips over time. For services in areas far from the center, the SPD wants to examine suitable funding schemes to provide start-up help.

The SPD wants to install 10,000 publicly accessible charging points for electric cars in the state of Bremen by 2030. This is to be based on a statewide "Strategie Ladeinfrastruktur" (charging infrastructure strategy). Charging stations are to be within a ten-minute walk in every neighborhood.

The SPD wants 10,000 charging points for electric cars in Bremen and Bremerhaven by 2030. Everyone should be able to use them. A charging station should be at most a 10-minute walk away. There should be a plan for the whole state.

On average, about 120 charging points per neighborhood are planned, depending on the number of cars and commuters. Sites are to be agreed with the Beiräte (district councils) and approved quickly, including through digital applications. Binding strategies are to be agreed with public housing companies such as GEWOBA, STÄWOG and BREBAU and with cooperatives. In densely built areas, neighborhood garages are to house chargers so sidewalks stay clear. Solar roofs over large parking lots, an app with real-time data and waived parking fees while charging are also planned. The SPD wants to examine whether a public company should be set up for the rollout.

The SPD wants the public sector to lead on electric car charging. Public parking lots with 25 or more spaces are to get charging infrastructure by 2025. By 2030, parking garages and business parks are also to be largely supplied with charging points.

The SPD wants charging points at parking lots of public offices and facilities. This applies to lots with 25 or more spaces. It should be done by 2025. People should also be able to charge electric cars at work in business parks.

The 2025 requirement covers government office parking, lots in front of public facilities and publicly operated parking areas, including those of publicly owned companies. In the BREPARK and STAPARK garages, six in ten spaces are to have a charging point by 2030. In business parks, half of employees' electric cars are to be able to charge at work each day by 2030. Park-and-ride lots are also to get enough charging options.

The SPD wants to push back parking on sidewalks without abruptly removing a very large number of parking options. To do so, new parking rules are to be drawn up for individual neighborhoods, supplemented by neighborhood garages. Parked vehicles are to be checked more closely in all districts.

The SPD wants fewer cars parked on sidewalks. But many parking spaces should not disappear all at once. Each neighborhood should get its own parking plan. There should be more neighborhood garages. The SPD wants to check illegal parking more often.

According to the program, district centers and areas near downtown have more cars than legal parking spaces, so sidewalks are often only partly usable. The overriding goal remains road safety, meaning clear passage for emergency vehicles as well as accessibility and pleasant public space. The plans are to be developed mainly for areas with high parking pressure. Neighborhood garages and parking areas are to hold cars, bicycles, cargo bikes, e-scooters and electric mopeds. Tighter checks are meant to keep blocked streets and driveways from hindering emergency services.

The SPD wants to close the autobahn ring around Bremen soon with the final section of the A 281, the Weser crossing. The Cherbourger Straße in Bremerhaven is also to be completed. The program regards both projects as central to the two cities as business locations.

The SPD wants to finish the A 281 autobahn. Then there will be a ring around Bremen. One section under the Weser river is still missing. The Cherbourger Straße in Bremerhaven should also be finished. The SPD says this matters for the economy.

In the SPD's view, what matters is that the A 281 links the A 1 and A 27 autobahns and thereby closes the ring. That requires building the fourth section, the Weser crossing. According to the program, the formal planning approval is already in place. The projects appear under the heading of commercial traffic.

The SPD wants to put more money into repairing and expanding sidewalks and bike paths. Plans include premium bike routes to outer districts, faster construction of bicycle bridges over the Weser and barrier-free paths. E-scooters are to be ridden and parked only in designated zones.

The SPD wants to spend more money on sidewalks and bike paths. Broken paths should be repaired. There should be new fast bike routes into the city center. Pedestrians should wait less at traffic lights. E-scooters may only be used and parked in certain areas.

For pedestrians, the plans include shorter waits and longer green phases at signals, better orientation aids and lowered curbs. Premium bike routes are to connect districts far from the center, and the bicycle bridges in the east and west of Bremen are to be built faster. Secure parking at stops, more bike sharing, decentralized cargo bike rental and safer bike paths in business parks are also planned. More delivery traffic is to shift to cargo bikes, and fast motor-assisted bikes above 20 km/h are to be required to use the road. The Beiräte (district councils) are to set measures to be carried out within a year, with residents involved.

The SPD wants to further reduce the number of traffic accidents. It plans more frequent speed and following-distance checks, stronger separation of traffic modes and better lighting. In residential areas, temporary play streets are to be set up more often.

The SPD wants fewer people to be hurt in traffic. Police should check speed and distance more often. Cyclists should get protected lanes. Streets should be well lit. Residential areas should more often get play streets for a limited time.

The program considers the number of people injured in traffic too high despite a decline. Protected bike lanes are to separate traffic modes, and sufficient lighting is to prevent places where people feel unsafe. Bike racks, raised planters or curb extensions (the "Dutch nose") are to slow traffic at junctions and intersections and allow safe encounters even with trucks. Temporary play streets, for example on weekends, are meant to improve the quality of public space and neighborly life.

The SPD wants to use the Weser river as a transport route and create regular ferry connections between several districts. The ferries are to be usable at the normal local transit fare. The program expects this to relieve roads and bridges and to benefit tourism.

The SPD wants ferries on the Weser river as a means of transport. The ferries should run regularly between several districts. People should use them with the normal bus and tram ticket. This should take pressure off roads and bridges.

Stops are planned in the Altstadt (old town), Woltmershausen, Überseestadt, Gröpelingen and Bremen-Nord. The SPD cites a feasibility study finding that new ferry lines could shift many trips. The ferries are to be integrated into the Bremen transit fare system of the BSAG (the city's transit operator). The plan also includes good paths along the river.

The SPD wants to cut transport CO2 emissions mainly in commuting and car trips to work. The shift to buses, trains and bikes is to be planned starting from commercial zones and large employers, and an adequate charging network for electric cars is to be built quickly.

Many people drive to work. That causes a lot of CO2. The SPD wants more buses, trains and bike paths to workplaces. It also wants more charging stations for electric cars soon.

The program names commuter traffic and inner-city car trips to work as the largest sources of transport emissions. Cooperation with neighboring towns and districts is to be deepened and set the direction for expanding local transit, regional rail and bike paths, including premium routes. The SPD also considers a faster switch to electric mobility the most important lever. Both cities are therefore to get enough charging infrastructure as quickly as possible.