Why the Automotive City Concept Doesn't Work

Why the automotive city concept doesn't work
Cars require far more space to transport people than any other form of transport, so there simply isn't room in a typical city for everyone to make their journey by car. The automotive city concept originates in the US, but even in the US, where there is far more space than in the UK, they have seen appalling congestion and pollution as a result, and are starting to look to cycles as a solution. Whilst trams and buses are far more spatially efficient than both walking and cycling, they typically rely on fossil fuels and they have the fundamental flaw that they follow fixed routes. That's fine if your journey lies on a route, but not otherwise. Additionally, journey times tend to be much longer than on a cycle, because a cyclist doesn't have to stop every few hundred metres to collect and drop off passengers, so a cyclist will achieve a higher average speed. Cycling occupies the sweet spot for city transport.

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