Mobility data from "Mobility in Germany"

Aachen is a city of short distances. Almost one in three journeys is made on foot. Walking plays a major role here. This is the result of the nationwide representative study "Mobility in Germany", which also provides a lot of data for and about the city of Aachen. While people in Aachen are making more and more journeys on foot, car use is declining and the number of car passengers is increasing. The proportion of bicycles, buses and trains is stagnating or falling slightly. In the city of Aachen, around 1200 households with a total of 2353 people took part in the study.

"In Aachen, people like to walk a lot," said Uwe Müller, Head of the Transport Planning and Mobility Department, in a press conference on Thursday, July 11. "Almost one in three journeys is on foot. That is a top figure in Germany," said Müller.

This statement is based on the "Mobility in Germany" study commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Transport. In 2017, the opinion research institute Infas asked citizens how they organize their daily mobility on behalf of the city of Aachen. The report on this latest representative mobility survey for Aachen was presented to the city in June. And the results are quite astonishing.

The study shows that many people make their journeys in Aachen on foot: 29.8 percent said they did so. In 2011, the figure was only 22.1 percent. By contrast, car use in Aachen is declining: from 51% (2011) to 46% (2017) of journeys. There are now more people in each car than in the last survey in 2011: 1.37 people per trip. In 2011, there were still 1.25 people. And the proportion of bicycles, buses and trains is stagnating or falling slightly. Bicycles account for 11 percent (2011: 11 percent), buses and trains for 13 percent (15.4 percent).

It should be noted that the total number of journeys has increased significantly compared to the 2011 and 2017 surveys. In the 2017 survey year, Aachen residents made an average of 3.5 journeys per person per day. That is 890,000 journeys made by Aachen residents per day. On average, Aacheners travel 41.6 kilometers per day.

Around 1200 households took part in the study

The "Mobility in Germany 2017" study is currently the largest mobility study in the world thanks to its many regional partners such as the city of Aachen. Almost one million journeys are analyzed nationwide. In the city of Aachen, around 1200 households with a total of 2353 people took part in the study. They reported a total of 7900 journeys. The quality of this nationwide study means that the results for the city of Aachen are comparable with those of other cities.

What else is there to say? In Aachen, 68 percent of all households have a car. 73 percent of households have a bicycle, pedelec or electric bike. 37 percent of households surveyed use season tickets for buses and trains.

What marks did the respondents give to the respective traffic situation in Aachen? Footpaths received the grade "good". Driving received a "2", buses and trains a "3+" and cycling a "satisfactory". These scores also surprised the traffic planners. If you ask the respective groups individually (as so-called clientele groups), the results are usually significantly worse.

Another aspect is also interesting: how do people behave over the course of a week when choosing their means of transportation? Only 37 percent of those surveyed use their car exclusively. A further 30 percent use the car, buses and trains or the bicycle several times a week.

Two thirds of all routes end after five kilometers

It is always interesting to see the extent to which respondents use which modes of transport for journeys of up to five kilometers: 43 percent of journeys are made on foot, 26 percent by car, 10 percent as carpoolers, 13 percent by bike and 10 percent by bus or train. After all, two thirds of all journeys made by Aachen residents are completed after a maximum of 5 km.

So it shows again and again. Aachen is easy to get around on foot, both in the city center with its manageable size and in the districts and suburbs.

The regional report of the study for the city of Aachen is publicly available at www.aachen.de/vep.

Counting data - bicycle traffic counts

The FH Aachen has been carrying out bicycle counts in cooperation with the city of Aachen for several years. All bicycles - conventional and electric - entering and leaving the city center via the Alleenring are counted.

In 2021, the first permanent counting stations for bicycle traffic were set up in Aachen. The location of the counting points and the data can be viewed at www.verkehr.aachen.de.

In addition, there is a lot of selective traffic counting, especially at intersections, in which the average daily traffic volume is recorded at these points, broken down by means of transport and direction.

Example from Cologne

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