Three experts debate a pressing issue. This time:
Text John Ekkelboom
© Photos Sam Rentmeester
Should cars be banned from cities?
Van Bruggen “Trying to ban cars from cities entirely is an unrealistic approach. For some people, a car is the only way they have of getting around.”
Huijsmans “Cars don’t all need to leave the city. However, to keep a city liveable and future-proof, we do need to start keeping more places free of them.”
Snelder “Especially in highly urban areas, where space is at a premium, it is necessary to reduce car ownership and car use to keep the environment liveable.”
What does this mean for city residents:
Do they need to get rid of their cars?
Huijsmans “In the Netherlands, the average car remains unused for 23 hours of the day. Sharing cars and cycling, walking and using public transport more often is smarter, cheaper and more efficient.”
Snelder “The trick is to make alternatives to cars so attractive that people voluntarily choose to get rid of their first or, more particularly, their second car.”
Van Bruggen “People want the freedom to choose the form of transport they use. For many people, getting rid of the car is unthinkable, especially as long as there aren’t that many good alternatives.”
What does this mean for the retail sector and for deliveries?
Van Bruggen “Services and retail are crucial to the liveability of inner cities. The introduction of Zero-Emission Zones encourages cleaner transport, keeps the city accessible and creates a quieter, cleaner environment.”
Snelder “It could mean that logistic service providers are granted exemptions, or that they must deliver at different times, or transport goods via a logistic hub and/or start using smaller, cleaner vehicles.”
Huijsmans “Shoppers also enjoy a car-free city centre. Shopkeepers must be able to continue their business operations though. In Delft we do that by, among other things, the introduction of time windows during which deliveries are allowed.”
Will the city become more liveable without cars or with few cars only?
“Yes, a city in which cars do not occupy spot number 1 is more agreeable and more liveable. With space for greenery and for meeting people. This is conducive to active exercise, too, which is healthy.”
“Absolutely. Less space for roads and car parks and less car travel result in a safer and cleaner living environment and a nicer environment to spend time in. Attention to the liveability of adjacent areas is also needed.”
“A liveable city requires a good balance of travel options, in which every mode of transport has a place and is accessible to residents. The car, too, should be allowed to remain in the city.”
How do you design car-free zones?
“It is essential that we adapt infrastructure in clever ways, to ensure that urban mobility is safe and comfortable for everyone. We can do this by properly categorising vehicles and making clear rules. Key factors here are speed, width and weight of vehicles, compliance with European rules and urban traffic environments such as cycle lanes and 30-km zones. The aim is to have a city where different modes of transport work together smoothly and safely, without excluding people who are dependent on their cars.”
“The space that is freed up when we do away with parking spots or reduce the number of driving lanes can be turned into accessible, green public spaces offering room for walking or cycling.
This is also sorely needed if we want our cities to be climate adaptive and futureproof. Paved roads and car parks cause extra heating, and during heavy downpours water cannot escape. Trees and plants improve biodiversity, reduce heat stress and create shade.”
“There are various degrees of car-free zones. A zone might be visually car-free, with residents parking their cars out of sight in garages. Or you might reduce the number of available driving lanes and the parking capacity, potentially in combination with making parking more expensive. Finally, you can make access impossible for car and truck traffic. Certain target groups, such as logistics and people with mobility problems, are then given exemptions. The remaining traffic would then park along the edges of the car-free area at mobility and logistics hubs. The freed-up space can be used for housing, parks, water and alternative modes of transport.”
How do you maintain city accessibility once the car is no longer the number one priority?
“You must improve infrastructure that facilitates walking, cycling and public transport. In respect of public transport, things like building new lines, increasing frequency and reducing costs for users come to mind. And you can offer shared vehicles and build mobility and logistics hubs at the edges of car-free areas. Neighbourhood hubs would give residents quick access to different types of shared vehicles. Moreover, sufficient facilities in the area, such as shops and schools, are essential. Then residents need to cover shorter distances.”
“By making cycling and walking routes more attractive, and safer. Within Delft, most trips are so short that they can be done by bicycle or walking. This is why backing active types of mobility is important. For longer distances, combining cycling and walking with public transport is a good and sustainable alternative. Delft has put a lot of energy into promoting cycling since the 1980s. As a result, car ownership is low. Accessibility by car for retail deliveries and accessibility for people with reduced mobility will, of course, always remain a point for attention.”
“Cycles, mopeds, scooters and motorcycles are of great importance when it comes to keeping the city accessible. They take up less space, including for parking, and are easy to integrate into urban infrastructure. Providing good infrastructure for these vehicles allows people to move around smoothly and safely. At the same time, the car remains important to many people, so a balance needs to be struck in which all modes of transport can function side by side.”
‘Delft has put a lot of energy into promoting cycling since the 1980s’
Are there any cities in the world that the Netherlands can learn from?
“Berlin, London, Barcelona and Paris are all in the process of creating more space for bicycles. There are fine examples of throughfares that have been transformed into living spaces. The Netherlands’ extensive cycling network is an inspiring example for the rest of the world. Public transport is well organised in cities like Stockholm, Oslo and Zurich. And many Asian cities see to the construction of public transport facilities first, before housing and businesses are built. In the Netherlands, we have often done it the other way round, which makes it more difficult here to entice people into leaving their cars at home and taking public transport instead.”
“On a work visit to Bilbao I was amazed at how they have tackled their traffic flows there. The city centre is cleverly divided up, with cyclists and pedestrians being given all the space in one street, and a street further down being reserved for cars.
This not only ensures a quiet and safe environment for pedestrians, but also ensures more efficient flow of car traffic.”
“Cities abroad have been taking measures to reduce ownership and the use of cars for decades in order to improve air quality, reduce congestion and optimise the use of space. Many of them have introduced environmental zones, with stricter access policies than we have in the Netherlands. Congestion charges have been introduced in London and Stockholm. Helsinki is promoting Mobility-as-a-Service, offering travellers a wide range of transport options through a digital platform, from public transport and car rental to bike sharing and ride services such as Uber.”
Car-free zones are regulated at municipal level. Would national policy be better?
“Municipalities all want a liveable and safe environment for their residents. The question is whether you can achieve that by the State imposing car-free zones top down. The issue here is providing good alternatives to the car. This calls for national policies on available and reliable public transport, a national budget for measures that promote the use of bicycles, and legislation to improve road safety. Municipalities then attend to the structuring and use of public space. If fewer cars come to the city because the alternatives work well, a car-free city structure will become the obvious choice.”
“Clear policies make life easier for drivers and for transport companies too. They immediately know where they can and cannot drive their cars and trucks and at what times. However, cities differ greatly in terms of spatial design, the quality of their public transport system and the types of residents and businesses they are home to. In addition, they have different objectives. Consequently, they will choose different solutions.”
“If municipalities all keep applying their own rules, it might reach a point where you almost have to document the various rules to know where you may or may not drive. Uniform regulations will ensure that people know exactly where they stand. Moreover, a nationwide policy can ensure a level playing field for entrepreneurs, regardless of which city they operate in, and will help increase the effectiveness of measures.”
‘The freed-up space can be used for housing, parks and alternative modes of transport’