Sustainable Energy Solutions for Climate Change by Mark Diesendorf

Author:Mark Diesendorf
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: University of New South Wales Press
Published: 2013-11-11T16:00:00+00:00

Breaking down car culture

The traditional approach to transport planning – building or widening major roads and providing large numbers of parking spaces in urban centres and subcentres – was done under the erroneous belief that this is an effective means of alleviating traffic congestion. In practice, after a brief initial reduction in congestion, the new and improved roads simply attract more vehicles onto the roads. Similarly, providing more parking spaces at major trip destinations simply encourages more people to drive. This phenomenon of induced traffic growth is now recognised by many urban planners. They have responded by closing traffic lanes on major roads and replacing them with light rail or cycle lanes or pedestrian zones; placing congestion charges on entry to city centres (eg, in London, Stockholm and Singapore); reducing the numbers of parking spaces in centres and subcentres while increasing parking spaces for cars and bicycles at suburban train stations; and charging prices for the remaining parking places that reflect land values.

Other strategies available to reduce the incentives to drive include:

• providing shuttle buses to and from major public transport nodes

• printing transport maps on tickets and advertising material

• offering rewards for public transport users

• providing networks of safe bicycle lanes

• ensuring that venues for major sporting and cultural events are well served by public transport.

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