Village mobile in Brandenburg: This is how mobility improves without a car!

Village mobile in Brandenburg: This is how mobility improves without a car!

Barsikow, Deutschland - Mobility in rural regions remains a major challenge. In the villages of Brandenburg, where many residents rely on automobiles, innovative solutions are required. In this context, the district of Ostprignitz-Ruppin has launched special funding projects that are intended to significantly improve the quality of life of the residents. So there is also in Barsikow and recently also in spots Zechlin Dorfmobile, which are an environmentally friendly alternative for the residents

The village mobile in Barsikow, which has existed for five years, was supported with a funding of 25,000 euros for the purchase of an electric car. The 180 inhabitants of the village can book this car via an app after registering. Despite an average number of users of 45 registered people, only about 8 different users are usually active per month. An estimated two thirds of the Barsikower have a driver's license, but it turns out that many people have difficulty dealing with the foreign car. The Vice District Administrator Werner Nüse emphasizes the positive effect of the project on the development of the village and community, but also emphasizes the need for better use and volunteer drivers for service trips.

The role of Dorfmobiles

In the rural areas of Germany, over 90% of households have at least one car, while public transport has only a small proportion of traffic. According to Lots.org , 70% of the trips are covered in the car. This leads to an average of 6.3 kg of CO2 emissions per capita daily, which is more than 60% more than in urban areas. In order to counteract the environmentally harmful effects of motorized private transport, various pilot projects were initiated that promote sustainable mobility concepts.

The village mobile in Flecken Zechlin, which is known as the "Fleckomobil", was launched in June 2024 and also aims to offer the residents improved mobility. Its operator strives for a doubling of the occupancy, while at the same time the challenges of low use and the lack of volunteer drivers remain. Despite these difficulties, the initiators of Dorfmobilen consider useful and necessary to promote rural mobility.

The need for citizen participation

The mobility turnaround is a central topic in many municipalities that want to develop new concepts to promote sustainable mobility. Citizens' participation, cooperation and linking different organizations are crucial. Success factors are according to Werstwas.de an early inclusion of the population and the communication of existing offers. A sample project is the initiative "Is it (better)?" in Renningen, which together with the citizens develop innovative mobility concepts.

The municipalities must integrate existing needs of the rural population into their mobility concepts. The Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (Sump) offers you a comprehensive planning instrument that enables a holistic view of mobility. Changes in public space and new usage claims must be observed in order to reduce noise pollution and space consumption and thus increase the quality of life of the residents.

summarized, the initiatives in Brandenburg show that new mobility solutions not only benefit the environment, but can also make an important contribution to a lively village community. The challenges remain, but the communities are willing to find solutions and to actively shape the change into a more sustainable mobility.