“The car as a sacred cow: how we need to rethink mobility”

“At the end of June 2024, Switzerland’s population reached nine million. And you know what? They would all fit in the front seats of our cars. I’m not kidding: there are more than 4.7 million cars on Swiss roads. Just three percent of these are electric – but that’s not the point here.

Cars are more than just a means of transportation – they’re deeply engrained in our lives and our environment has been built to accommodate them. Some of my colleagues even describe them as a ‘virus’ still very much accepted by society despite the harm they cause. And as things currently stand, this isn’t going to change any time soon. The persistence of the motor vehicle system is facing an urgent need for change – to slow down climate change and to ensure our quality of life.

More infrastructure = longer distances in the same travel time

The motorisation rate – i.e. the number of cars per 1,000 inhabitants of a place – has remained at a high level for decades – and so has our usage of cars to get around. As in 1970, around half of all commutes are still made by car. What has changed, however, is the speed. The continuous expansion of the road network over the years has created a kind of ‘travel-time optimisation machine’. More infrastructure makes it easier to reach places by road, which in turn allows us to travel longer distances in the same amount of time – a vicious circle that leads to an ever increasing amount of traffic.

The most extreme result of this can be seen across the pond. Los Angeles has been expanding its road network for 60 years, but the traffic jams aren’t getting any shorter – quite the opposite, in fact. The constant expansion of infrastructure in response to increased traffic pressure may create short-term relief, but in the long term, people respond by ‘reinvesting’ the saved travel time.

It’s also clear that there hasn’t been any increase in traffic in Swiss cities for years. They’re simply full – there’s no room for any more cars. This is particularly evident during the peak hours, which now stretch over several hours. Fortunately, the majority of politicians and decision-makers in urban centres have recognised this. For some time now, their reactions have been to implement measures such as reducing the number of parking spaces or converting traffic areas into green zones.

But that alone isn’t enough. What’s needed are strict regulations. Past experience has shown us that relying on people to forgo using their cars in favour of greener transport and providing new mobility options aren’t sufficient to reduce car traffic. However, the car remains a ‘sacred cow’ that is difficult to change or address. There’s enormous potential here, especially in urban areas.

The ‘15-minute city’ or ‘e-bike city’: promising approaches

I consider approaches such as the ‘15-minute city’ to be promising options. This is where all important facilities for daily life are accessible within 15 minutes on foot or by bicycle, a concept that promotes quality of life, reduces car traffic and protects the environment. Another exciting model is the ‘e-bike city’, a planning vision of ETH Zurich in which up to half of the urban motorways are to be converted into green spaces and bicycle expressways. Ideas like these show that there are alternatives that conserve space and safeguard the environment.

In addition to being a transport researcher, I’m also a sociologist. And in this role, I’ve noticed that the discussions today are too heavily dominated by technology. Yes, we need more modern technologies, but what we need most of all is a social change. We have to be prepared to discuss the most fundamental aspects of how we use mobility.

Concepts such as superblocks, where only one road remains open to cars in neighbourhoods, or the aforementioned ‘15-minute city’ paint a picture of how this transformation could succeed. Transport service providers such as Mobility also show that there are alternatives that are not only technically innovative but also socially relevant. Right now, car sharing and similar concepts may still only account for a small proportion of our overall travel, but they create awareness and offer viable alternatives to private cars.

These alternatives have the potential to change mobility behaviour in the long term, especially if they’re developed further and made available more widely. Ultimately, it takes a combination of different innovations to achieve a change on a large scale. For example, electric cars are also a small part of the transport revolution, but their use in cities is ultimately just as questionable as that of cars with combustion engines.

I’m sure that, when all is said and done, only a combination of technological progress and social change will lead to a long-term turnaround in transport. It takes courage and stamina to consistently implement sustainable visions. With companies like Mobility, which promote new forms of transport, we already have important building blocks for making the mobility of the future more sustainable and more liveable. Let’s embark on this journey together – in research, in practice with the federal government, cantons and municipalities, and in dialogue with the public.”

(End of guest article)