The movement to push cars out of cities, just getting started in the US, has been underway in the EU for decades. Which policies & initiatives have worked? Which are most effective? I discuss a new study that ranks them with one of the co-authors.
my father, though he lived in the last century (1916-1986) made a comment about the American culture that will always stick with me and unfortunately is still with us, at least in the West even today. "it was considered dishonorable to walk more than 10 feet, because that meant that one was too poor to afford a horse." That and bikes are for kids and "coming of age" means driving, is still the air that Americans breath. So sad
This idea might be ridiculously simple-minded, but one the best ways to get cars out of cities is to dramatically reduce the number of vehicles owned per 100k population. Some simple-minded people think that the best ways to do that are to increase the cost of vehicles and to equip them to drive autonomously. We don’t know if that will actually work yet, but we’ll probably begin to find out by 2030. The “theory” behind this is that 1 to 2 mile radius (3 to 15 sq mi) urban & suburban micro grids would facilitate the adoption of more shared “neighborhood” vehicles & efficient delivery/ taxi services based at micro grid hubs. This in turn would mean that a typical family could easily adapt to owning only 1 car per wage earner who actually requires a single ownership vehicle. Many families would save a lot of their income by adopting this model, where occasional vehicle use could be readily provided by a shared vehicle or an inexpensive robo taxi. Adoption of this model could dramatically reduce the amount of space dedicated to both on & off-street parking. This in turn would free-up existing street space for improved & much safer dedicated bike lanes that are adequately protected from rapid vehicular traffic on major thoroughfares. The big problem faced by cyclists is the unsafe proximity of bike lanes & motor vehicle traffic lanes. Lots of cyclists, including school children, are forced to ride on sidewalks, which makes the sidewalks less safe for pedestrians.
my father, though he lived in the last century (1916-1986) made a comment about the American culture that will always stick with me and unfortunately is still with us, at least in the West even today. "it was considered dishonorable to walk more than 10 feet, because that meant that one was too poor to afford a horse." That and bikes are for kids and "coming of age" means driving, is still the air that Americans breath. So sad
This idea might be ridiculously simple-minded, but one the best ways to get cars out of cities is to dramatically reduce the number of vehicles owned per 100k population. Some simple-minded people think that the best ways to do that are to increase the cost of vehicles and to equip them to drive autonomously. We don’t know if that will actually work yet, but we’ll probably begin to find out by 2030. The “theory” behind this is that 1 to 2 mile radius (3 to 15 sq mi) urban & suburban micro grids would facilitate the adoption of more shared “neighborhood” vehicles & efficient delivery/ taxi services based at micro grid hubs. This in turn would mean that a typical family could easily adapt to owning only 1 car per wage earner who actually requires a single ownership vehicle. Many families would save a lot of their income by adopting this model, where occasional vehicle use could be readily provided by a shared vehicle or an inexpensive robo taxi. Adoption of this model could dramatically reduce the amount of space dedicated to both on & off-street parking. This in turn would free-up existing street space for improved & much safer dedicated bike lanes that are adequately protected from rapid vehicular traffic on major thoroughfares. The big problem faced by cyclists is the unsafe proximity of bike lanes & motor vehicle traffic lanes. Lots of cyclists, including school children, are forced to ride on sidewalks, which makes the sidewalks less safe for pedestrians.