Page 49 - U4SSC Simple ways to be smart

3.4.3 The future of city mobility

During 2020 city dwellers got to experience their cities without traffic and experienced a return of
birds, a lack of noise and clean air. This has led to renewed interest in reducing congestion in cities
and reclaiming space. As people return to the streets, the need for people to maintain a healthy
distance from others has led to greater interest in more space for pedestrian walkways and for cafes
and restaurants to spill out onto the street. Cities have been closing streets and widening walkways.
While some of these changes will be temporary, the general desire to lessen social density will be
lasting. At the same time, fear of using public transport has increased the use of private cars. To
avoid losing the benefits of public transport, cities are going to have to allay such fears.

It is unlikely that cities will be able to do without vehicles entirely. Deliveries need to be made and
people need to transport bulky items to their houses. However, in some cities, there is already a
trend away from driving with young people ignoring the need for driver’s licenses and fewer people
owning cars. These people then also raise awareness of the need for public transport and streets
designed around people rather than cars. The increased use of shared vehicles results in fewer cars
and less parking space being needed. The prospect of driverless cars introduces the possibility
in the future of easy to summon, individual transport that is safe and convenient. These changes
suggest that in the future roads will be more multi-purpose and the design of cities will change
to accommodate changing needs. For now, cities can begin to engage with residents about what
such a future city might look like.

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