1000 euros for private individuals: Greens are calling for a subsidy for cargo bikes

The Greens want to spend one billion euros in the next legislative period to promote cargo bikes.

On Sunday, the party received criticism from the CDU, FDP and left for its proposal to demand a million cargo bikes from the federal government with a grant of 1000 euros each.

According to the will of the Greens, privately used cargo bikes will also be eligible for a subsidy in the future.

Currently only companies, municipalities or associations can apply for funding.

"There is no clean mobility for free," said the Green budget politician Sven-Christian Kindler to the editorial network Germany (RND).

Cargo bikes are of great importance in the turnaround in traffic.

Many craftsmen and small businesses could also offer their services and trips with e-cargo bikes.

But there is not enough funding for them.

The same applies to rental systems for e-cargo bikes and for families who want to buy a cargo bike.

Sharp criticism came from the FDP.

"The Greens want to use the taxpayers' money to operate clientele policy," said vice parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr on Sunday for the AFP news agency.

"We will not save the world climate by subsidizing cargo bikes in Berlin-Kreuzberg."

Rejection from the left too

Efficient climate protection does not need any further "bureaucratic mini-subsidies, but comprehensive emissions trading with a hard CO2 cap," said Dürr.

That is the best way to reduce CO2 emissions and achieve the climate targets.

He called on the Greens to work together with the FDP for an expansion of the certificate trade to all industries "instead of getting lost in the small and small".

CDU General Secretary Paul Ziemiak said on Twitter that the Greens' proposals in the current election campaign would be "increasingly absurd and unworldly".

The initiative of the Greens also met with rejection on the left. "Cargo bikes can be of help in some cities, in rural regions they help practically no one," said left parliamentary group leader Amira Mohamed Ali of the newspaper Die Welt. "Anyone who believes that they can initiate the turnaround in traffic with state funding for cargo bikes is on the wrong track." Rather, local public transport should be consistently expanded and ticket prices reduced.