One for all and everything in one place: mobility points will be created at 28 locations in Dresden and the surrounding area by 2022, where local public transport (ÖPNV), car sharing, bicycle rental and electric charging stations will be connected.
At Pirnaischer Platz, it has been even easier to travel around Dresden in a relaxed, time-saving and environmentally friendly way for a few weeks now. The first MOBIpunkt ("Mobility Point") is part of the new "MOBI" world of services offered by Dresden's public transport company, which aims to better link individual transport. The aim is to give Dresdeners "multimobile" options and thus make it easier for them to do without the private use of cars. Umschalten.de presents the background and plans in which the state capital Dresden, the Dresden Transport Authority (DVB), DREWAG and three other companies are working together. We also asked around how citizens feel about traffic in the city and what opportunities they see in the hubs, the so-called MOBI points.
THE BIG GOAL: AVOIDING DRIVING BANS
The background to the extensive establishment of 28 MOBIpoints by 2022 is the goal of reducing greenhouse gases and especiallyCO2 emissions by 40 percent by 2030. According to the Dresden Climate Protection Staff, the mobility sector alone causes around 30 percent of all nitrogen dioxide emissions in Dresden. The mayor of the environment, Eva Jähnigen, does not want a driving ban for diesel vehicles despite the limit values being exceeded. To make sure this works, she and Building Mayor Raoul Schmidt-Lamontain are working closely with the city's mobility and energy service providers.
THIS IS WHAT TRAFFIC LOOKS LIKE IN DRESDEN
Dresden is also booming, but not only, on the roads. In the city area, car traffic has increased by almost 20 percent in the last 20 years, while lorry traffic has been halved. By way of comparison, the population grew by just under 15 percent in a similar period. Add to this the almost 2.1 million arrivals at Dresden's guest establishments in 2016 - an increase of 25 percent since 2010 alone. Traffic is adapting and citizens are finding new ways to get to their destinations. In 2016, for example, an average of 28,200 cyclists crossed the Elbe between 6am and 8pm, an increase of 40 per cent since 2010. In the same year, 157.1 million passengers travelled with DVB, again growing after years of stagnation. Currently, 20,000 Dresdeners share 250 available car-sharing vehicles - so there are 80 owners for every car. The willingness to break new ground is great in Dresden. The MOBIpunkte are a response to this and are intended to reduce noise, space requirements and air pollution, according to Building Mayor Schmidt-Lamontain.
HOW IS SUCH A MOBIPUNKT CONSTRUCTED?
To make sharing models and e-mobility even more attractive, the scattered offers are to be bundled at the MOBIpunkte. At the pilot location on Pirnaischer Platz, Dresden's tram and bus stops, twelve sz bikes for rent, four vehicles from the car-sharing provider teilAuto, as well as two public e-charging points from DREWAG and even a free air pump. With the concept of mobility points, it is possible to rethink a connection from A to B within Dresden. In 2019, an app will be launched for this purpose, in which all offers will be integrated and intelligently linked. This will allow you to find the fastest and most convenient way to get to your destination in a multimobile way. You can avoid the next traffic jam by renting an e-bike. Your employee does the shopping for the company party with a borrowed e-car. Thanks to the mobility points and the app, the individual planning effort for mobility will decrease and environmental protection will become comfortable.
Even before the release of this app, the various services can already be used. Bike sharing works conveniently via the nextbike app: top up credit, enter the number of the desired bike in the app and unlock it with a lock code. For car sharing, register at www.teilAuto.net and, after successful verification, simply use the app to book a combustion or electric car at the MOBIpunkt. DVB customers receive additional discounts of between 33 and 50 percent. We have explained how charging an e-car at the DREWAG charging stations works here.
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What the people of Dresden think about the MOBIpunkt
"Privately, my wife and I rely completely on car sharing. We are happy teilAuto users. Using public transport or bikesharing to get to the next teilAuto station is nothing special for us anymore," Christoph Kloß, father and freelance consultant, explains. With the DVB monthly pass, the teilAuto and sz-Bike membership, the family could get around much more cheaply and protect the environment. The idea of multimobile linking convinces him: "I think the principle of Park&Ride spaces should be replaced or supplemented by this kind of MOBIpunkte, so that it is much easier for people to do without their private cars." The communication expert also tells us that his former employer relied completely on car sharing as a "company car".
Marketing manager and music journalist Florian Kneffel lives in Neustadt and feels that a car is more of a burden than a relief. "The public transport system in Dresden is also of excellent quality. Almost every area of the city is well connected and even at night it's easy to get from A to B," says the local transport fan. He would like to see many more MOBI points, because they would increase flexibility and are convenient. He only sees room for improvement in the sharing models.
THE PRACTICAL ADVANTAGES OF THE MOBIPUNKT
The mobility of your employees can be improved enormously by a network of MOBIpoints. This makes it easier for employees and companies to do without their own car in the future. The way to the next rental car becomes shorter with this concept and is thus easier to integrate into everyday life. Appointments within the city can be made comfortably and without much effort by e-bike. The way to work becomes quality time thanks to public transport links, during which you can answer emails or simply read a good book - without the stress on the roads. If you already own an e-car and live on the outskirts of Dresden, the MOBIpunkte will allow you to choose your means of transport, similar to a "Park&Ride". This way you can get to the city centre comfortably and according to your individual needs. Your car will charge during this time and wait for your return, gladly also at the more than 200 additional charging points that will be built in the city area by 2020.
CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK
Mobility points will not overcome all the challenges that traffic in a big city brings. However, they are an important step and an exciting concept that is worth trying out. In the future, it will be much easier to do without your own car and to test electric mobility in an uncomplicated way. After the first location at Pirnaischer Platz, five more pilot points will be set up by DVB next: Bahnhof Mitte, Altpieschen, P+R Prohlis, Fetscherplatz and Wasaplatz. VVO is also planning a MOBIpunkt in Radeberg. In total, around 15 MOBIpunkte are to be created in Dresden in 2019 alone. The stakeholders involved are definitely convinced by the idea. The brand is therefore to be expanded further: As early as 2019, sz-Bike will become MOBIbike.
