Peak Car

Driving in major cities in the US, particularly NYC has become a nightmare of traffic. Do drivers even realize that THEY are traffic?  Car manufacturers are scrambling to build vehicles and keep them on the road for car services, and designing electric cars and self-driving vehicles.  Tragically while young people aren’t buying cars like they used to, the automotive industry in the US is also catering to drivers who love their BIG vehicles.  The current increase in pedestrian deaths has recently been attributed in part to the prevalence of people driving these vehicular behemoths, in which drivers are unable to see more vulnerable road users.  People are killed in these crashes rather than injured by smaller vehicles.  But the fact remains, sales are down.  Can US cities take note of success stories across the globe where human life is prioritized over cars? It’s time. Asbury Park Complete Streets Coalition advocates for street design for people, and we continue to advocate for better, safer ways to get around the city.

This Is What Peak Car Looks Like

By Keith Naughton and David Welch

February 28, 2019

“Meanwhile, mobility services are multiplying rapidly, with everything from electric scooters to robo-taxistrying to establish a foothold in the market. Increasingly, major urban centers such as London, Madrid, and Mexico City are restricting cars’ access. Such constraints, plus the expansion of the sharing economy and the advent of the autonomous age, have made automakers nervous. That’s also pushed global policymakers to consider the possibility that the world is approaching “peak car”—a tipping point when the *killer transportation app of the 20th century finally begins a steady decline, transforming the way we move.

*Editor’s note- was this an intentional description of cars?

Read more…

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-28/this-is-what-peak-car-looks-like