Bikes, buses, pedestrianisation ... are we really beginning to see the end of the car age in cities? Readers shared their thoughts and hopes for the future

As we settle into the 21st century, bike share schemes proliferate, more streets are being pedestrianised, public transport continues to expand, urban highways are being removed and cycling infrastructure is growing. So at this rate we won’t need cars in cities at all, right?

The reality of course is that in most cities, cars still dominate, their convenience and allure not yet undermined by their impact on health and the environment. Will the car-free urban vision only thrive in places like Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Helsinki and Seville? What future does the car face in cities around the world?

Our readers shared their thoughts about urban transport, and discussed whether the end of the car age really could – or should – be in sight.

The debate: goodbye to cars in cities?

Many of our readers can’t wait for a day when cities are rid of private and polluting cars.

I live in Bangkok and decided after my last 9 year stint here with a car not to buy one. Life far less stressful than the previous 3 hour daily minimum in jams. One thing we do have which health and safety needs to get to grips with in the UK is the ‘motorcycle taxi’. Just hop on the back and zip to the nearest underground station. - WellYouSayThat

Cars are an outdated symbol of wealth from a time when we had little idea of our effect on the planet. Pollution machines that can kill instantly. Of course there are benefits to fast travel but if more people cycled and used improved public transport on scales of cost for the luxury/speed of service, the air would be much better and far fewer people would be dying on the roads. - naycha

In Denmark & the Netherlands mobility is improved for the elderly & disabled precisely because they prioritise cycling & walking over private cars. Mobility scooters & wheelchairs have full use of the universal high quality bike paths, & the elderly are often seen cycling well into their eighties. Cars have not been banned there, it’s just that every road transport decision takes the needs pedestrians & cyclists into consideration first, & private motorists last. - xavierzubercock

We are living in a period of history where the car dominates our lives. Not mine and not my kids, I look forward to a future where everywhere, not just Utrecht, a fantastic cycling city in the heart of the Netherlands, takes cycling seriously. I value a society that caters for all abilities and doesn’t treat cycling like it’s a dangerous sport. - christabelaroo

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Cyclists and pedestrians in the Latin Quarter of central Copenhagen. Photograph: Yadid Levy / Alamy/Alamy

People need cars (or at least want them)



Although there is talk of “peak car” , some of our readers pointed out that in certain places and situations, cars remain vital. Others anticipated that our culture’s love of the car is unlikely to wane.

Life without the car may be practicable for the very rich, either of money or of time, but for the rest of us its a non-starter. Take my journey to work, from Hull to Manchester. Usually takes me 90 minutes in the car. If I were to do this on public transport, it would be 3 hours, one way! - ID9456653

I live in Leicester, which in 2013 was reckoned to be the 72nd most congested city in the world. I can’t see how this wonderful car-free vision can come about in a place like this. Our privatised bus system will provide transport to and from the city centre, but if you need to move in a different direction at any point, there won’t be a bus to take you. The buses are unreliable as well; you can’t expect them to regularly get you to work on time. Like the trains, they’re outrageously overpriced. Are there practical alternatives for people who are unable to walk or cycle far - the very young, the very old, the disabled, the sick? What if my family and I fancy going out to the countryside for a while? How do we get there without a car? I don’t actually like living in a city, and if I can’t get away to some green once in a while, it has an effect on my well-being. I don’t want to have to own a car, and I wish far fewer people around me had them as well. They’re expensive to buy and maintain; they pollute; they are a danger to pedestrians and cyclists (not to mention other vehicles on the road); they physically segregate areas; there are far too many of them . . . the list goes on. But I just don’t see enough practical alternatives on offer yet. - LindaLou

I’m all for engines getting cleaner and emissions going down over time. I’m not in favour of restrictions on speed or power, when or where I can drive, or self driving cars. - Alcoholocaust

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Traffic in Manchester city centre. Photograph: Christopher Thomond

But will it happen?

You thought that, for starters, cities would need extensive, affordable public transport networks and infrastructure that enables car alternatives – and therefore huge amounts of investment and bold leadership.

Building solely for the needs of motor transport has proved a costly and deadly cul-de-sac, but reversing this lemming leap will take not just some cash, but lots of leadership, commitment and wrangling. Such commitment already exists in the Netherlands and Copenhagen where, by a variety of means, cycling as a mode of transport is not simply encouraged and promoted, but also aspired to and, most importantly, enabled. In most of the English speaking world, bike travel is mistakenly viewed as a problem that can and should be solved by means of infrastructure designed more for the needs of motor traffic, to be only grudgingly provided for specifically, but in general to be pushed aside or totally eliminated altogether. A mass cycling culture will only appear with the creation of safe spaces for cycling on. But in the UK we are many years away from having that outside some small pieces of London and a tiny number of other cities. It may cost money, but it will cost more in the long term to keep ignoring the elephant in the room. It has already been demonstrated almost everywhere properly designed protected bike lanes have been installed, that local business benefits, vulnerable road users benefit, and even those who continue to drive benefit. The UK’s own DfT reported that protected bike infrastructure would recoup £5 for every £1 spent on it. - congokid

Living a car-free life is actually really cheap if you plan it right and the alternatives are accessible and low-cost. But for this process to be accelerated, we need that most hard to achieve thing: joined-up thinking. It is about ensuring easy and safe cycling and walking, cheap and convenient and reliable public transport, and a range of good value car hire schemes for those times when a car really is nice to use. The potential for a real societal shift is there - anyone who visits a range of cities from Rennes to Copenhagen can see that the move creates wonderful, liveable cities, and these are where people want to live. We just need more and more smart nudges to keep the process going. - PhilipD

The tram scheme in my nearest large city was scrapped, due to cost. Given this lack of infrastructure quality and expanse, can I assume that we’re not going to be part of this car-free utopia? I am no fan of motorcars in city centres, or indeed the curse of cars in general. However, the truth of the matter is no British cities are even CLOSE to London public transport wise. Invest heavily first, or hands off my car! - shelltune

Facebook Twitter Pinterest London has an extensive public transport network: but what about other cities? Photograph: Alamy

... and it wouldn’t work outside city centres

Consensus is that towns and suburbs are unlikely to get the sort of infrastructure investment received by city centres – so for many people, cars remain the only reliable option for getting around.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Suburban life: reliant on the car? Photograph: David R. Frazier Photolibrary/Alamy

Not for a long, long time ...

In Jakarta, Indonesia more than 1000 additional cars and motorcycles are added to an already overloaded road system every day! Not peak car here any time soon. - Platypus35

What about electric or shared cars?



If the future doesn’t get rid of cars entirely, could it see a different sort of car use? With electric cars mitigating pollution and shared car use cutting ownership, some readers discussed whether these transport formats could be the way forward.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Autolib, the electric car-share scheme in Paris. Photograph: Pawel Libera/LightRocket via Getty Images

Electric cars that use a battery recharged every day at home are not the solution. Perhaps the answer is electrified roads. Perhaps it is free electricity to recharge cars at all parking places in the city centre to encourage people to leave the big car at home. Let’s see governments round the world investing in this technology. The big incentive is that whoever comes out with the winning technology will then be the world leader.