The Car in the City
by Lizabeth P. Kingsley
"The Car in the City" conference, organized by Metropolis, an association of over 50 cities worldwide, was convened in Paris to discuss urban remedies for problems of escalating auto use. Following the conference, IPA held a luncheon for New York City's transportation community at which the conference delegates, led by New York City Transportation Commissioner Elliot G. Sander, shared their findings.
Every city is suffering the effects of dramatically increased auto use, largely caused by greater affluence, the convenience of cars, and auto-dependent suburbs (most prevalent in the United States). Developing countries have an alarming increase in auto use, and have difficulty adapting because of little increase in roadway capacity, no regulation of parking, and primitive traffic signals. Part of the global problem of increased auto use is that motorists do not pay the full cost of driving. According to research by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), wasted time, air pollution, noise, and accidents due to auto transport consume an average of 10% of nations' GNPs. This percentage roughly equals nations' health care costs, and is escalating at the same pace. Measures to counter the effects of increased auto use include managing autos with new technologies, boosting public transit, and limiting the use of autos in cities.
Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are technological innovations being introduced in some cities to increase the effectiveness of existing roadways. ITS inform drivers in real-time of traffic conditions. There are impressive and attractively priced in-car electronic maps currently available in Paris; upon inputting a desired location, these systems display the best route to follow and the estimated duration of the trip. Many cities are expanding public transit systems to address the problems of escalated auto use. An increasing challenge, however, is obtaining funds to pay for these infrastructure improvements.
There was a consensus at the conference that the automobile, universally embraced due to its convenience and affordability, should not be treated as an enemy. Instead, cities should try to formulate practical solutions to its shortcomings. This sentiment underscores the growing recognition that a broad mix of transportation policies will be needed over the next two decades. These policies include traffic-calming measures, such as making cities more accessible by walking and bicycling, and congestion pricing during peak travel times. While traffic-calming measures are accepted widely, there seems to be no panacea for citizen objections to additional tolling.
Additional OECD research suggests that a permanent solution to problems caused by the automobile is to design land use patterns that reduce dependence on the auto. Conference participants agreed that achieving real changes in settlement patterns and travel behavior will require an ambitious public education program to convey the consequences of increased auto use and a vision of appealing alternatives.
Principal elements of a global transport policy were recommended to Metropolis for adoption at its biennial Congress in Tokyo in April 1996, and for submission to the United Nations Habitat II conference in Istanbul in June 1996. Numerous elements were proposed: standards, regulations, and taxation that decrease road congestion; stronger land use controls to integrate urban growth and transport, promote mixed use developments, limit urban sprawl, and restore rundown areas; transport policies that change people's attitudes toward auto use and encourage use of other travel modes; and technological innovations to improve road safety, produce clean cars, reduce noise, and develop systems of "smart" vehicles, roads, and transit.
Cities around the world are confronting the same challenges of increased auto use, and in many cases are considering the same solutions to transportation management. The Car in the City conference revealed, in Commissioner Sander's words, "We truly are a global village."
From IPA Report, Spring 1996
Lizabeth P. Kingsley is a member of the IPA Senior Staff.