Transportation
Freiburg is the only city in Germany where car ownership rates are on the decline. At 430 cars per 1,000 people, total car ownership in Freiburg is the lowest in Germany and even further below the U.S. average of 640 cars per 1,000 people. This trend can be attributed to the closing down of downtown Freiburg to cars in 1973, heavy investment in expanding the catchment area and ridership of Freiburg’s tram network. This expansion occurred at a time when many other cities throughout Germany were in the process of dismantling their tram networks. As a result, approximately 85% of Freiburg’s population live within the catchment of a tram stop, and car ownership rates are the lowest in Germany.
Tram catchment area
Source: Greenlivingpedia: Freiburg, on the road to sustainability
Additionally, Freiburg has made substantial investments in its infrastructure for cyclists, including installing more than 500 km of bicycle paths, and more than 5,000 parking spaces for bicycles throughout the city. The result is that over 1/3 of all trips in Freiburg are made by bike.
Freiburg's modal split compared to other cities in Germany and the United States.
This breakdown of missions related to vehicular traffic shows that Freiburg is ahead of most compact US cities in terms of emissions.