Stop & Go

An exhibition about mobility

By DASA Working World Exhibition

DASA Working World Exhibition

Let's go: Stop and Go (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

Mobility Decisions

Mobility is generally considered as positive. "Standstill" appears as a threat. In Germany, people are out and about for approx. 80 minutes every day, which covers a daily average of 39 kilometres. People choose their form of mobility freely. Whether car, public transportation, on foot, or even a completely different form of mobility – everybody decides for themself.

public transportation (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

Public Transportation

With public transportation, many people can be mobile at the same time. This protects the environment and saves money. Although "public transportation" is very popular, people in Germany still use this form of transport relatively seldom. Many see public transport as an unreliable transportation form due to the many delays and bad connections. Especially in rural areas, the supply is often insufficient. Local public transportation has to be more flexible and individual in future to compete with vehicles.

It has many advantages being on the road with public transportation: protecting the environment, reducing traffic in towns the crowded cities, and contributing to a general change in traffic. Above all: you can customize your stay according to your individual needs. Travel time can be converted into lifetime. Those who do not have to concentrate on the traffic, can use their time spending on a bus and train in a better way. As you can drift away from the state of constant attention on the traffic and dedicate yourself to things that you like to do: closing your eyes, drinking coffee, reading a book or listening to music. Of course, travel time can also be used effectively as working time, if your fellow travelers enable you to work in a concentrated manner.

When we use public transportation, we cannot choose our fellow travellers. You may smell or hear things during a journey, you wished, you had not. Poor air and bad smells are among the most common disruptive factors while travelling by bus or train. In busses and trains people meet each other who have got completely different lifestyles and attitudes. They are inevitably confronted with the behaviour of other passengers.
The spatial limitation compels us to listen to private and intimate conversations. In fact, half of the public transport users feel disturbed by loud phone calls of their fellow passengers. Almost a third is annoyed by music which sounds out of low-quality head-phones.

Bicycle Fans (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

On the Bicycle

Cycling is a current trend and is also considered as a practical form of travel. It is a serious alternative to driving and a chance against traffic jams and lack of parking spaces. After various phases of cycling in the past 200 years, this individual and muscle-driven form of mobility is currently receiving particular attention. The selection of different models and individual accessories is huge. Initiatives that politically promote better conditions for cyclists can be found in many places. What will they be able to change?

Nowadays, a bicycle is more than just a bike: cargo bikes can be used for transports over short and medium distances in urban areas. E-bikes support the body during cycling and folding bikes allow a complete mobility chain due to their practical handling. No wonder many people prefer to use a bike instead of a car in traffic.

Together we are strong. The so-called "critical mass" is a worldwide phenomenon. They cycle, on a regular base, as a collective, through the city. Together, the group takes up a large area of the road, which would be otherwise reserved for cars. This concentrated visibility of so many bicycles draws public attention to the importance of cycling.

I love my car (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

Car, Car, Car

By car, we can travel long distances and carry heavy loads without much preparation. But the car is much more than just a means of transport which transports people and goods from A to B. It is a private space where you feel at home. It gives you a sense of freedom, because you can go anywhere you want, whenever you want. But this freedom comes at a price. Some people are willing to spend a large portion of their income on a got set of wheels. Accordingly, they also pamper their beloved car. And this pays off. Because the car is also a means of communication which says a lot about the selfimage of the owner.

Gold nugget (2019) by Photo: Samira ZachaeiDASA Working World Exhibition

The (shiny) appearance is deceptive. This tuned Opel Corsa B features a front spoiler, wing doors and an individualized interior. But you cannot drive fast with it. With its 54 hp, it just gets to a maximum speed of 150 km / h.

Car, car, car (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

A car stands for freedom, fun, speed. By making the machine into wheels, one can transcend ones natural limits in terms of time and space. The VW Bulli appeared on the market, during a time when people had not yet had the opportunity to discover the world with cheap airlines. So the VW Bulli stood for unlimited possibilities of travelling. Today the bus is associated by many young people with the freedom-loving lifestyle of the 1960s and 70s.

Matchbox Car: Lightning McQueen (2019) by Photo: Samira ZachaeiDASA Working World Exhibition

While playing, small children imitate the everyday life that adults show them. So cars appear in many colours and shapes as children's toys. Here you can see Lightning McQueen from the Pixar movie "Cars".

Park(ing) Day (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

But despite all the love for cars, private cars are only moved one hour a day on average. They stand still during the remaining 23 hours. That’s the reason why public or private areas become parking lots, in order to not affect the moving traffic by stopped or parking cars. To draw attention to the situation, the art and design collective Rebar Studio in San Francisco (USA) 2005 proclaimed the first Park(ing)Day. The campaign draws attention to the fact that parking spaces can also be used for other purposes than to park a car: for more nature, seating, playgrounds for children and adults, meeting places or gastronomic possibilities.

Everything about work II (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

Mobile Professions

When you have a job where you are out and about for most of the day, you are talking about job-related mobility. This means that mobility is an integral part of the work task. The duration, frequency, rhythm and framework conditions of mobility are determined on a company basis and can therefore be influenced by operational measures. A train driver or a bicycle courier will cover a distance of many kilometres per day. They face special challenges on a daily basis. If you walk around the city every day for eight hours - like a traffic warden - you may just change your leisure time behaviour.

How do you always stay on track despite routine and monotony? Does the attention level increase with the speed of driving? For suburban train drivers, this is not an option, as they have to pay attention to numerous speed restrictions. These mark danger spots, such as level crossings with poor visibility conditions or are intended to protect special structures near the rail. New and also temporary speed restrictions are added on a weekly base. Paying attention to those is particularly important and must be integrated into the already challenging daily work routine.

Field administrative workers monitoring the stationary traffic walk at least 20,000 steps per day. The city of Dortmund declares about 100,000 warnings in stationary traffic per year - known as "parking tickets". This means only 12 warnings per day per person for 38 active field administrative workers. There is no incentive bonus for a particularly large number of issued warnings.

Everything about work I (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

Getting to Work

Almost all workers commute today. There are different forms of mobility and intensities. These are associated with various challenges. Depending on the form of mobility, different demands and strains with different consequences for physical and psychosocial health will appear.

About 20% of the employed need around 30 and 59 minutes to get to work. The long-distance commute starts at travel times of at least 60 minutes each way. Whether commuting is perceived as stress depends on a variety of factors. It is of great significance to be able to plan the journey to and back from work. Motivation is a crucial factor when commuting It is less stressful if the commuter decided voluntarily to commute. Being at the mercy of external constraints and conditions, which imply commuting, can be much more stressful.

The so-called "Overnighter" spend at least 60 nights a year away from home due to professional reasons. Depending on the form of mobility, different requirements and burdens with different consequences for physical and psychosocial health become apparent. Those who only see their family on the weekend feel more uprooted and lonely and have to expect the possibility of a separation more often. In case of secondments, the accompanying relatives are sometimes more affected by the consequences of the posting, as the seconded workers themselves. It is astonishing that nearly 15% of the employed are Overnighters.

Dandy with turtle (2019) by Photo: Samira ZachaeiDASA Working World Exhibition

Walking

Walking is the most original form of human movement. As long as the physical requirements allow it, many people still walk a lot today. Nevertheless, the pedestrian traffic only plays a subordinate role in the design of the traffic areas. Only since a few years pedestrians in traffic are seen as an actual development which relies on deceleration and mindfulness on different levels.

With the relatively young discipline of strolling (promenadology), the perception of the environment is examined by decelerated walking of distances throughout the city. Different disciplines such as psychology, urban planning, and sociology are interested what kind of impact slow walking has got on our wellbeing and perception.

In the 19th century, the urban dandy strolled with a turtle over the boulevards of Paris or London. S*he made it clear that s*he had a lot of time. And time was a luxury even back then.

Something is changing... (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

Moving Future

Mobility is currently experiencing an electric boom. Whether cars, buses, trains, bicycles or new self-balancing vehicles - there is now an electrically powered version of them all. Therefore electromobility is a serious alternative to fossil fuels such as gasoline and diesel. But e-mobility alone is too little to change the world. Sharing instead of ownership, mixed mobility and autonomous driving will be the keywords of the upcoming years.

Something is changing II (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

The Powercore Suncruiser is the first solar-powered electric vehicle of the University of Bochum, which has been developed for all-day use. In 2013, the student project participated in the World Solar Challenge in Australia and became vice world champion. In Germany, the solar car has got a road license. It weighs around 340 kg. The top speed is over 100 km / h. At a constant speed of 65 km / h, the range (without further solar irradiation) is about 700 km.

Something is changing... (2019) by Photo: Violetta StuchlikDASA Working World Exhibition

This individual vehicle is electrically powered. The speed is controlled by the weight shift and can reach a maximum of 20 km / h. The battery lasts for a distance up to 38 km. The Segway is mainly used in free time activities, but it is also used for patrols of the police or the rescue service at major events.

Digital applications in the field of mixed mobility (intermodal mobility) pursue the goal of combining different forms of mobility as efficiently as possible. These apps show which types of transport you can combine to get from A to B.

The Future of Mobility

Mobility is an important part of social life, because it brings people together. The actual changes in mobility behaviour can provide clues as how people will be living together, in the near future. At present, traditional ideas of mobility still dominate the worlds mobility models which aim for increasing technological efficiency:
higher, farther, faster. Parallel to the technical developments alternative action strategies also generate ideas for social and societal action strategies. But these are just indicators how the future of mobility could be. No one knows what reality will bring. So until them we will have to wait and keep on dreaming.

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The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
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