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Peter Jones Professor of Transport and Sustainability, University College London
although people like to get to the city centre by car, in many cases, they don’t really want to see the car once they are there…
As Peter Jones points out, the paradox is that “although people like to get to the city centre by car, in many cases, they don’t really want to see the car once they are there.” An extension of the park and ride system, or a similar public-private transport hybrid solution, where people can reach the city by car, but leave their vehicles out of sight once they reach their destination, could be a way to strike this balance. A further challenge for policy makers with regard to parking is the need to accommodate developments in technology that are forecast for the future. For instance, future trends in car usage may require additional investment in infrastructure in car parks, such as recharging points for electric vehicles, pay machines that accept travel cards/contactless payments, and adapted spaces for developments such as single-seater cars, which James Bellini sees as the car of the future: “I think so much product design in the 20th century was based around the notion of the nuclear family, and that is the sole reason I can think of why cars have four seats in them traditionally. Family sized packs of cornflakes and sliced bread and all that stuff, I think, is seen in the long run as a very 20th century thing, as I think the car itself will also soon be seen as a 20th century hangover.” While there is clearly a greater need for more investment in public transport, the car is likely to remain the most popular and convenient mode of transport for the significant future. Therefore, it is important that in conjunction with public transport policies, policy makers think creatively to see how we can improve the experience of accessing the town and city centre for private transport users. Without this, it is unlikely that the town centre of the future will be a place that people want to live, work and ultimately, spend money.