[sustran] The Seven Simple Truths of Sustainable Mobility: Part II

[eric britton]

Dear Per,

 

This is a brilliant question (below) and I have posted it as a comment to
World Streets as well as here. And thanks, I am very happy to have my best
go at it, because you are getting right into the guts of the issues. 

 

If you have just made me the mayor of Stockholm, Cairo, or Beijing, here is
how I would go about my job.

 

1.     I would accept your expert recommendation and set a target to reduce
the number of households in the city proper by 50% in the next five years,
targeting 10% reductions already  in 2012.



a.     I would not present myself for reelection unless my targets are met
(or at least come very very close).



2.     I would further mandate that this transfer will take place by choice,
a citizen's choice.  That is to say, it's my job as mayor not only to cut
low occupancy own-car travel in our city, but also to provide "better than
own car" options for all. I am confident that by working with the best I can
achieve that and that in the process half the households in my city will
sell off that unnecessarily expensive car, save money, save hassles, and get
to where they want to go more quickly than if they hung on to their
elephant. 



3.     What this last (better than car) refers to is of course an integrated
cocktail of multiple modes and choices, and it is my job to make sure that
my cocktail is better, faster and cheaper than hanging on to your car (in
most cases). 



4.     Sticks: While on the one hand I will be making life just a bit more
constrained for car owner/drivers year by year (fair enough since they in
the past have benefited from huge public subsidies for inefficient and
unfair use of the public infrastructure), my staff and I, together with a
wide range of transport providers and others concerned will use the full
available toolkit. My tools for doing this would include:

a.     Steady transfer of street space to more space efficient modes

b.    Full cost pricing for parking throughout the city, along with steady
cuts in on-street parking (in stages like the rest of course) as we transfer
that space to better uses.

c.     For drivers travelling through the city center to get to their
destination, the first step will be to reduce the speed limit to 50 kph (30
mph) on the main axes, with aggressive enforcement by all available means.

d.    I would also seriously consider enacting road user charges on these
through axes (though not using last generation technologies since things are
moving very fast in this area pushed by technology advances)

e.     I would put an end to all road construction and widening, and use the
money allocated or planned for them for advancing the New Mobility Agenda in
my city.



5.     I accept that I will have fierce and at time insulting resistance
from not only  the car lobby and many local business people (at first, until
we have prove our approach is also good for business).  I am prepared to
take that heat. But there will also be initial resistance from  many honest
citizens who are car owner/drivers and have not only have become accustomed
to using their cars without constraint (Freie fahrt für freie buerger) and
have as a result organized their lives around their car. But these people
will be able to hold on to their cars if they deem them necessary, it is
just that the cost and time in transit will be gradually increased over the
five year transition phase.  And in any event as the advantages of the new
arrangements become clear, many of them will buy into the new mobility for
reasons of their own.



6.     And in parallel as we start to clear lanes and streets of their old
use patterns, we will be bringing in new modes and travel options that in
their totality prove a "better than car" transportation option for the city.



7.     Then when I have been elected mayor again, I will start the whole
process over. After all, this is a democracy and the people voted for me to
do just that.

 

I realize that I have not responded to all your questions Per, but I would
hope that the above sketch would deal with the highlights – at least as I
see them.

 

Vote for Britton. 

 

 

 

 

On Behalf Of per.schillander at trafikverket.se
Sent: Friday, 25 February, 2011 12:06



Eric, 

Yes, I agree, these are seven simple truths, worth repeating. But 
 maybe
they are so simple they’re not useful in the ‘old mobility reality’? Let me
pick an example (exception) for Truth number 3:  

 Suppose you have a city, crowded with cars. How big proportion of the
cars/VKT could remain in a future? 80, 50, 30 or zero per cent? Since the
car have so many advantages zero is less plausible. Let us aim at 50 %,
close to many calculations and visions. Suppose this city also have a large
proportion (20 %) of traffic going through the city center. It’s easy to see
the use of a new road “going pass” the city and many politicians may strive
for that. Even in the future picture with 50 % less car traffic this new
road may fit and make a good ‘net value for money’. The new pass-by road
could ease the crowded city center and create new capacity, but also for PT
and bikes. Isolated the road is bad, but in the future vision it make sense.


 This is not unusual, in fact a standard wish/demand from city councils
today. As I try to sketch it could be wise to build a new road, with
(limited) increased capacity IF (and only if) it fits into a plan for new
mobility and rebuilding a city center. I believe there are many examples of
this kind of city shaping in our part of the world. The hard task is, as I
see it, to sketch a sensible picture of the future city, relate it to the
demands of today and make the politicians understand it. What could be built
and what should not? 

 

Best Regards 

Per Schillander 
National expert 
Car-Sharing/Car-Clubs and Car-Pooling/Ride-Sharing 

Direct: +46-31-63 52 28 
Mobile: +46-70-658 52 28 

Swedish Transport Administration 
405 33 Gothenburg, Sweden