UMKEHR e.V. - Informations- und Beratungsbüro für Verkehr und Umwelt

About us

UMKEHR (Turnaround), the information and advice centre for traffic and the environment, concerns itself with almost all aspects of sustainable mobility. The focus of its work is on traffic policies, planning, and safety, mobility management, traffic calming, road construction, children and young people, senior citizens, cycle traffic, local public transport and the railways.
Since 1978 we have been supporting citizens' initiatives, various local groups and other parties concerned, in their efforts to achieve humane and environment friendly traffic conditions. This includes:
• priority for pedestrians, cyclists and users of public transport
• reduction of car and aircraft traffic
• deceleration in the growth of polluting traffic
• comprehensive citizens' participation in traffic planning

We try to achieve these objectives in the following ways:
• The “Mobilogical” is published quarterly
• UMKEHR and FUSS, the association of pedestrian traffic in Germany, with whom we work closely together, are working on further publications
• we offer individual advice to interested parties. We give tips as to whom one should contact, and which arguments one should use; we run a public library of books on the subject and have an extensive collection of articles on every aspect of “People, traffic and the environment”. In addition, we can provide contacts with other people, organisations or lawyers involved in the field.
• Every two years we organise BUVKO, the national environment and traffic congress, in various towns and in conjunction with local initiatives,

We carry out numerous projects, mainly together with FUSS, on traffic policies and traffic calming:
• Street Usage Order (StNO) – renew the StVO to make it more user- friendly.
• 30 Kmh speed limit in towns
• walking customers – shopping on foot
Pedestrians: crossings and footpath networks:
• Crossing book for people crossing streets
• Footpath networks - implement 20 green pathways in Berlin
• Town plans for pedestrians – continually improve and develop
Senior citizens and children in traffic :
• reduce accidents involving the elderly
• walk to school and kindergarten – a worldwide campaign
• learn mobility – preparation of an Internet data bank of teaching materials
Parking:
• parking of bicycles on footpaths – essential information for local authorities.
• safe, stumble-free footpaths
Hiking and health:
• Healthy walking – internet platform for exercise
• barefoot path with railway connection – maintaining the trial scheme in Brandenburg.

On request we can offer other net participants advice, give a presentation, and provide up-to-date information and contacts in the field of our work.