From the perspective of creating sustainable, liveable cities, the dominance of private, motorised cars using the internal combustion engine (ICE) based on burning oil or diesel is a significant obstacle to be overcome. A city dominated by fossil fuel based private car-based transport is a net negative in terms of:
- congestion (remember you are not ‘stuck in traffic, you are traffic’);
- the large amounts urban space its requires (more roads and car parking, less shared spaces, parks, urban lakes etc.);
- damaging impacts on the quality of life in the urban environment and the private enclosure of public space (urban space being viewed as a commons – see my previous post on this);
- health impacts of air and noise pollution, and car accidents;
- burdens our health care system with substantial medical costs;
- inequality, working class areas being used as quick routes around the city, in areas where fewer people have cars;
http://qpol.qub.ac.uk/the-social-climate-and-health-reasons-for-making-public-transportation-free/
