diff --git a/src/adaptivetimestepper.hh b/src/adaptivetimestepper.hh
index 2636cc1e70e1513ad1a1dd421b307f234f045cf3..c8b9a02978765686caf30a87045d17368e30b3cc 100644
--- a/src/adaptivetimestepper.hh
+++ b/src/adaptivetimestepper.hh
@@ -16,9 +16,9 @@ class AdaptiveTimeStepper {
                       std::function<void(double, Vector &)> externalForces,
                       ErrorNorm const &errorNorm,
                       std::function<bool(Updaters &, Updaters &)> mustRefine)
-      : finalTime_(parset.get<double>("problem.finalTime")),
-        relativeTime_(relativeTime),
+      : relativeTime_(relativeTime),
         relativeTau_(relativeTau),
+        finalTime_(parset.get<double>("problem.finalTime")),
         factory_(factory),
         parset_(parset),
         globalFriction_(globalFriction),
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ class AdaptiveTimeStepper {
     relativeTime_ += relativeTau_;
   }
 
-  double getRelativeTime() { return relativeTime_; }
-  double getRelativeTau() { return relativeTau_; }
+  double relativeTime_;
+  double relativeTau_;
 
 private:
   void stepAndReport(std::string type, MyCoupledTimeStepper &stepper,
@@ -120,8 +120,6 @@ class AdaptiveTimeStepper {
   }
 
   double finalTime_;
-  double relativeTime_;
-  double relativeTau_;
   Factory &factory_;
   Dune::ParameterTree const &parset_;
   std::shared_ptr<Nonlinearity> globalFriction_;
diff --git a/src/sand-wedge.cc b/src/sand-wedge.cc
index 6c7588e859572b6ce76a327467761eaef898737a..47dff61d8f1399eff7c47ac7e171d08e1adbd1da 100644
--- a/src/sand-wedge.cc
+++ b/src/sand-wedge.cc
@@ -327,8 +327,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[]) {
 
       adaptiveTimeStepper.advance();
 
-      programState.relativeTime = adaptiveTimeStepper.getRelativeTime();
-      programState.relativeTau = adaptiveTimeStepper.getRelativeTau();
+      programState.relativeTime = adaptiveTimeStepper.relativeTime_;
+      programState.relativeTau = adaptiveTimeStepper.relativeTau_;
       current.rate_->extractDisplacement(programState.u);
       current.rate_->extractVelocity(programState.v);
       current.rate_->extractAcceleration(programState.a);