The commuter dilemma can also be heard in our audio library:
Many of us reporters who report on the region or the Osnabrück area live in Westphalia or in the district and drive to work in the morning as a matter of course. We did not evaluate whether the car share of the distances covered is also 66 percent for us journalists, as is the case according to a representative survey in the Osnabrück district. What is certain, however, is that mobility has so far been primarily determined by the car, even here. We regional reporters appreciate being able to travel flexibly to appointments in the district and enjoy the convenience of being able to get to the editorial office relatively quickly, especially when traveling from more rural areas.
Now it is said that the Deutschland-Ticket is the biggest reform in public transport, that it finally puts an end to the jungle of tariffs with a uniform price of 49 euros per month for the entire German local transport system and thus offers commuters in particular a strong incentive to switch. In addition, the Osnabrück region is a public transport model region and will invest 20 million euros in the coming years to make life without a car more attractive.
Reason enough for us to take a closer look at the local public transport and cycle paths in our region. In our ten-part series “Commuter’s Dilemma: Everyday Reality vs. Climate Goals” we describe clearly how long we need for which routes compared to the car and describe how we master the challenges on the way to the goal. Some tours turn out to be torture, but on other routes the alternatives to the car are unbeatable: they not only impress with their environmental friendliness and lower travel costs, but in some cases even with a shorter travel time and a higher fun factor.
Our editors are also testing an e-cargo bike in the mobility series. During the self-experiment, our head of regional reporting, Jean-Charles Fays, finds out which means of transport he uses to get to the editorial office the fastest.
Photo: André Havergo
And who knows, maybe we will lure some of you out of your comfort zone with our self-experiments. We precisely trace our routes on maps. Just try out the routes!
The new series on the traffic turnaround “Commuter’s Dilemma: Everyday Reality vs. Climate Goals” starts on Saturday15. April. We will publish a new part of the series several times a week until mid-May. This article will be continuously updated. In the coming weeks we will provide an overview of all the parts of the series that have already been published and summarize the stories. For each story, our editors also shoot a video with an opinion-strong summary, which we present at this point as well as at “Instagram” and “Tiktokpublish.
Read these stories in the new series:
1) Car or cargo bike: who gets to their destination faster in Osnabrück? Jean-Charles Fays takes the test (April 15) Our regional reporter chief Jean-Charles Fays used to be stuck in traffic jams on the Osnabrücker Wall almost every day on his way to work. That has changed since he got a cargo bike. You can read in the first part of the series “Commuter’s Dilemma: Everyday Reality vs. Climate Goals” whether this really saves him time on the way to the editorial office. You can also find a video about the start of the series here.
2) Tour or torture to Hagen? Is the bus in the Osnabrück area an alternative to the car? Raphael Steffen’s self-experiment (20. April)
3) Train as a replacement for the car: That’s why Xenia Schwenk commutes by train from Rheine to Osnabrück every day (22. April)
4) Is the bicycle also an option for commuters in the Osnabrück area? Wallenhorster Marcus Alwes tries it (24. April)
5) From the Westphalian province to Osnabrück: Can the train also replace the car for commuters from the Münsterland? Wibke Niemeyer takes the test (27. April)
6) Where most of the buses in the district are cancelled: can you now rely on the bus from Wallenhorst again? Jessica von den Benken takes the public transport test (1st May)
7) Commuting at speed: Is the “S-Pedelec” an alternative to the car for trips to the surrounding area? Raphael Steffen from Osnabrück tries it out (May 4)
8) From Bad Laer to Osnabrück without a car: Stefanie Adomeit does the stress test (6. May)
9) Right of way for cyclists: Belmer Holger Jansing commutes to Osnabrück via the cycle expressway: These are his experiences (8 May)
10) Is the express bus from Westerkappeln to Osnabrück an alternative to the car? Frank Wiebrock takes the test (May 13)
If you live a car-free life yourself and want to tell us how your everyday commute works in the Osnabrück region by bike, bus or train, then we would be happy to report on it. Write to: [email protected].
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