1. What does the Centre for Research into Energy Demand Solutions (CREDS) report warn about regarding the electrification of cars?
2. According to the report, what strategy does the government need to develop in order to improve people's quality of life without relying on cars?
3. How does the report criticize the government's approach to addressing traffic and transportation challenges?
4. What are some of the alternative transportation methods that people are adopting in cities?
Simply electrifying cars will not solve issues such as traffic jams, urban sprawl, and parking space problems. The report calls on the government to create a strategy that enables people to have a good quality of life without relying on cars.
Car use has been neglected in government policy, which traditionally focused on increasing road space to meet demand. Reducing demand for cars should be prioritized instead.
While there will always be people who need cars, many young people in cities are opting for alternative transportation methods such as public transport, cycling, and car sharing. This lifestyle change can lead to benefits like reduced obesity, pollution, and road danger, as well as increased social interactions.
Car ownership is deemed inefficient due to the fact that vehicles remain parked for approximately 98% of their existence, with one-third of cars not being utilized every day.
The government should prioritize walking, cycling, public transport, and vehicle-sharing. They also suggest incentivizing local councils to create housing developments that are easy to access without cars.
This more active lifestyle means less obesity, pollution and road danger and greater sociability as people meet their neighbors on their way to work.
It also allows parking spaces to be liberated for more housing or gardens.
The government, the authors say, should be encouraging other people to follow the lead set by the young.
“It is a happy accident that car ownership is static in every age group except the over-60s"
“But it is a really expensive investment. If people do not have cars they can spend the money on other things.
“Often once people start to live without a car they wonder why they wanted one in the first place – a car is so much hassle.”There is a huge challenge in charging vehicles – especially in urban areas with no off-street parking.
What is more, drivers tend to be choosing hybrid vehicles rather than pure electric cars – and that will lock in fossil fuel usage into the future.
People are also buying status-symbol SUVs which clog up narrow city streets - the report says banning them from some areas might be a solution.
Will driverless cars help?
The other great technological change under way on the roads is driverless cars.
The report warns this dream could also turn sour as car owners may choose to live many miles from their workplace, using their car as a mobile office while sitting in traffic jams they have helped to create.
Chart showing car ownership in England since the 1950s. In 1951 only 14% of households owned a car. By 2016 it was 75%.
The AA’s president Edmund King agrees electric driverless cars could make congestion worse.
4. What are some of the alternative transportation methods that people are adopting in cities?
Simply electrifying cars will not solve issues such as traffic jams, urban sprawl, and parking space problems. The report calls on the government to create a strategy that enables people to have a good quality of life without relying on cars.
Car use has been neglected in government policy, which traditionally focused on increasing road space to meet demand. Reducing demand for cars should be prioritized instead.
While there will always be people who need cars, many young people in cities are opting for alternative transportation methods such as public transport, cycling, and car sharing. This lifestyle change can lead to benefits like reduced obesity, pollution, and road danger, as well as increased social interactions.
Car ownership is deemed inefficient due to the fact that vehicles remain parked for approximately 98% of their existence, with one-third of cars not being utilized every day.
The government should prioritize walking, cycling, public transport, and vehicle-sharing. They also suggest incentivizing local councils to create housing developments that are easy to access without cars.
This more active lifestyle means less obesity, pollution and road danger and greater sociability as people meet their neighbors on their way to work.
It also allows parking spaces to be liberated for more housing or gardens.
The government, the authors say, should be encouraging other people to follow the lead set by the young.
“It is a happy accident that car ownership is static in every age group except the over-60s"
“But it is a really expensive investment. If people do not have cars they can spend the money on other things.
“Often once people start to live without a car they wonder why they wanted one in the first place – a car is so much hassle.”There is a huge challenge in charging vehicles – especially in urban areas with no off-street parking.
What is more, drivers tend to be choosing hybrid vehicles rather than pure electric cars – and that will lock in fossil fuel usage into the future.
People are also buying status-symbol SUVs which clog up narrow city streets - the report says banning them from some areas might be a solution.
Will driverless cars help?
The other great technological change under way on the roads is driverless cars.
The report warns this dream could also turn sour as car owners may choose to live many miles from their workplace, using their car as a mobile office while sitting in traffic jams they have helped to create.
Chart showing car ownership in England since the 1950s. In 1951 only 14% of households owned a car. By 2016 it was 75%.
The AA’s president Edmund King agrees electric driverless cars could make congestion worse.
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