Supervision: Jacqueline Radzyk

What factors influence the choice of transportation in daily commuting, and under what conditions are commuters willing to forgo using their private cars? These questions are being explored as part of the project using the city of Verden (Aller) as a case study. The focus is not exclusively on transportation metrics, but particularly on the perspectives, needs, and decision-making processes of users.

As a medium-sized city with approximately 28,500 residents, Verden (Aller) faces the challenge of making its transportation system sustainable for the future. Due to its location between Bremen and Hanover, as well as its good connections to the A27 and B215, Verden is highly accessible within the region. This is reflected in significant commuting patterns, with over 14,000 people commuting into the city compared to around 5,200 commuting out (as of 2022), primarily from Bremen, Achim, and surrounding municipalities.

Significant potential for transformation stems from the planned construction of the new South Bridge over the Aller River, set to begin in late 2027. The existing bridge is deficient both structurally and functionally. The current single-lane traffic configuration with traffic lights helps regulate traffic in the Old Town but simultaneously leads to traffic jams and disruptions in the flow of traffic. In contrast, the planned new two-lane bridge with sidewalks and bike paths on both sides will increase traffic capacity, but at the same time carries the risk of induced traffic and additional strain on the adjacent Old Town. As part of the new bridge construction, the existing parking garage at the Südbrücke (approx. 100 parking spaces) will also be demolished and subsequently rebuilt.

The upcoming changes thus offer a significant window of opportunity to reevaluate existing mobility patterns and test new approaches to traffic management and modal shift. Commuters represent a key target group in this context, as they contribute significantly to traffic congestion while also demonstrating high potential for behavioral change. This student project capitalizes on precisely this moment of transformation and aims to develop strategies for shifting commuter traffic from private cars to alternative modes of transportation.

Using empirical methods, particularly standardized surveys, the project seeks to determine the extent to which commuters are willing to forgo using their own cars and switch to alternative modes of transportation. The study will also examine under what conditions a shift to walking, cycling, or public transit—as well as to combined mobility options—is perceived as realistic and reasonable. Building on these findings, innovative mobility interventions will be developed as the project progresses. These interventions will serve as experimental measures to test new mobility options under real-world conditions and examine their impact on commuters’ behavior.

The project combines transportation planning issues with social, everyday-life, and design aspects of urban mobility. Students are expressly encouraged to identify their own areas of focus. The goal is to develop a wide range of innovative and feasible proposals that can help reduce private motorized traffic in Verden over the long term. In particular, the goal is to relieve congestion in the historic district through targeted management and reduction of through traffic, thereby enhancing its livability. The results of the project are intended to serve as a basis for future planning processes by the city administration and to provide impetus for a sustainable transformation of the urban transportation system.