We're in a village just a mile or so outside Oxford. There's a steep hill. A couple of years ago we surveyed residents' use of transport as part of the Village Plan.Biospace wrote: ↑18 Sep 2023, 5:59pm ...
My concerns would be for more rural populations, in particular the less wealthy. Already the cost of housing in many such areas is beyond many people's reach, those who can afford rents often only just manage to do so. Increases in transport costs could easily see them gone forever.
...
Many households currently depend on their cars. There are several buses a day. There isn't a train station. A few people cycle to work in the city. (The survey was before widespread availability of or familiarity with eBikes.) We have extensive voluntary driving. There are excellent footpaths and several walking groups.
Car use could be decreased by more frequent buses. That's predominantly a matter of subsidy and could be ramped up very quickly.
There might be a new railway station in Cowley, a mile away. But people would still have to get there.
eBikes could make a difference.
But I don't expect to see any decrease in car ownership: they're just too useful for when they are needed.
Jonathan