Personal car ownership has the allure of freedom, giving Americans the ability to drive anywhere at a moment’s notice. The reality of modern travel is that most trips are less than a few miles.
We like on-demand transportation, but we don’t travel far.
Local governments across North America have some common goals:
- safe neighborhoods,
- clean air and , and
- be smart about limited budgets.
Mobility is often overlooked as a measurable way to achieve those goals. In fact, modern transportation habits tend to run counter to public health and safety goals.
The real and perceived need for personal cars introduces all kinds of pain.
Pain #1 – traffic congestion.
We hate being stuck in traffic. And if we keep up the habits of driving alone everywhere, we’ll never get out of traffic.
Pain #2 – traffic crashes.
I’ve been harping on this for years, and I’m not slowing down. Speed kills. And Americans are fast and terrible drivers. 40,000 Americans will die in traffic this year, but we keep heading out for more.
Pain #3 – parking demand.
When you’re done driving your personal car, you have to store it somewhere. The average person stores their car for 95% of its life. 95% of its life!
[bonus] Pain #4, fiscal burdens to expand car-oriented infrastructure.
Roads aren’t free. Parking isn’t free. But we demand more of both because we’ve been trained to think it’s a birthright.
We have a painkiller.
Shared fleets improve mobility, reduce traffic congestion, and reduce the need for parking structures.
Shared mobility can’t solve the entire traffic crash problem, but it can help. Half our trips would take just a few minutes on a bicycle or an e-bike. That shift alone would save tons of lives.
Communities with “libraries” of shared mobility devices give people from all walks of life access to transportation options without the expense and burden of maintaining personal automobiles.
When I say mobility library, that includes cars, but also think of bicycles, electric scooters, electric mopeds, and other electric vehicles.
They help achieve local government goals and nurture lifelong advocates of clean, safe, sustainable transportation.
Personal car ownership is a pain for communities, and shared mobility is the painkiller.