2008 Travel Scholarship Report - Dorothy McCarthy, Berlin

Dorothy McCarthy 2008Berlin: Setting the Standard for Public Transport.

With the ever increasing intensity to become more environmentally sustainable  Germany with its already stringent environmental policy is leading by example, especially in regard to its public transport network.

Berlin was restored as the capital of Germany right after the unification of the two German states in 1990 and currently has a population of approximately 3.5 million. Public transport in Berlin is now well developed with nine underground lines, 15 suburban train lines, about 150 bus lines and 28 tram lines operating in the eastern part of Berlin. Many buses and some subways and city-trains also run a night service. The double-decker buses serve a citywide network of 1,917km and the local public transport network is supplemented by 371km of tram lines, 151km of underground railways (U-Bahn) and 321km of suburban train services.

With all these facilities it is clear to see that the usefulness of a motor car is some what diminished, and with this comes reduced emissions into the environment, less air and noise pollution and reduced congestion throughout the city. 

After hearing about Berlin's successes in regard to transport I decided to take a visit there and see for myself. As the reason for this need for public transport is to reduce emissions I ensured I kept my own emissions to a minimum and therefore travelled by coach rather then by plane, which would be the equivalent to 5 months emissions from the average UK car.

I arrived by coach into Berlin Bus station after a 27 hour bus journey starting from Manchester's Chorlton street national express bus station. This might not be the most appealing sounding transport option, but breaking down the journey and having a few over night stops allows you to see the gradual changes in culture as you travel across the continent.

From central Berlin's bus depot I took a short walk to the nearest south going S-bahn, taking me to Friedrichshagen station. The trams were very punctual, and frequent, with spaces for bicycles in each carriage which were well used. Ticket prices were also very reasonable, with youth week tickets available at discount price as it was during the holiday period.

I stayed with the Brosch family, there daughter Pauline who I had met at BGS while she was undertaking a Foreign exchange, her family were very welcoming upon my arrival and had formulated many of their own plans for how they thought was best for me to see all the sites of Berlin in the limited time I had there. After a hearty dinner of German sausage and salad I was ready for bed, looking forward to the adventures to come the following day.

In the morning I was lent the spare family bicycle by Pauline's father, this was to be my main mode of transport throughout my stay. At first I was dubious about Paulines suggestion to cycle into Berlin, firstly, it was quite a distance from the leafy suburbs of Friedrichshagen and secondly, I assumed the traffic would be bustling and concentrating on not getting in the way of the cars would leave little time for site seeing. Both of these worries were needless however, the ride to the city flying by as we went along the cycle path through the forests to the south east of Berlin, the journey was quick and it all seemed to be down hill. (in actual fact it was totally flat, but as I was used to cycling at home in hilly Rossendale it was lovely to change!)

Upon arrival in Warschauer we rode round to Alexanderplatz where we sat in the park and ate our sandwiches while watching the Salsa dancers who were practising nearby. Cycling round the city was great, being slower then a car it gave time to really take in the sites and feel of the city, oppose to being shut off from it. The cycle lanes where wide and along every road, and even had there own traffic lights. They were popular and in frequent use, and due to how flat Berlin is a very practical and quick way of getting around. After a while we began to get hungry again so headed to the nearest S-Bahn to get home. Again the trams were punctual, clean and frequent, with services available late into the evening so we were soon home and making plans for the next day.

After an early start we hopped back onto our bikes and cycled to the nearest tram stop. This was a neighbourhood tram, much smaller than the S-Bahn it was narrow and very jerky, getting the bikes on needed more then a little skill as you had to get on quickly or the doors would shut and there were 5 big steps to climb up which was quite a challenge with a bike. The locals seemed to have the knack though, so it was clearly me in need of a little more practice!

Once we had got to the nearest train station we switched over to the u-Bahn, getting off near Kreuzberg, where I was told after my amazement at the lack of hills in the area, I could find one. Kreuzberg hill is made entirely of the rubble of buildings destroyed during the war, and, after climbing it we took the cycle route down the main avenue to the Brandenburg Gate.

The Berlin Wall was another spectacle I was keen to see. The transport routes here seemed oddly fragmented, and didn't seem to function as smoothly as others around the city. Pauline explained this was because of the separate systems that used to be in place on each side of the wall, which had been crudely linked up, but rather haphazardly. The Palace of Tears, which has now been converted to a nightclub was the site of the old station between the two sides of the wall, where family's were separated and on may occasions never united again.

Upon our return after my last day of exploring the city a group of us went out together for a meal at Rabu, the local bar before my departure, it was a lovely evening and a great send off. The evening however took an unexpected twist on our ride home through the woods, when we were perused by an angry wild bore which we had disturbed, it seemed intent on popping our bicycle tyres!

On the morning of my departure I was sad to be leaving as my time in Berlin seemed to have flown by. I would definitely recommend travelling by coach or train, it is a lot more social than planes as you get to know the people you are travelling with, this was especially true for my return journey. From Berlin to Holland I was invited to the wedding of a couple who had just then and there at the coach station got engaged before the groom returned home to Holland and the bride to Poland. From Holland to London I met an Australian who was working in London as a nanny for the year who was kind enough to offer me a bed if ever I was in the land of Oz. From London to Manchester I met a fabulous African chef, who's packed lunch was far superior to mine, and when I expressed an interest in how she had made it was invited along to her home for an African cooking class.

The incentive to be green and reduce carbon emissions was my primary aim on my visit to Berlin, but from the experience I have learnt that there are further benefits to public transport I had not even considered. Travelling with people and interacting with them gives you a much more enjoyable journey than secluding yourself in the car. I had a fabulous time, and am currently using what I have learnt in Berlin and their successes regarding public transport to implement a new night bus system at my university in Aberystwyth. 

Dorothy.

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