Calls for ‘forced’ car ownership to be ‘eliminated’ over transport and emissions concerns

A new YouGov poll found that almost a quarter of people in outer London feel “forced” to own a car due to a lack of transport options. In contrast, half of survey respondents in central London said they were able to live car free thanks to effective transport links.

The research, which was commissioned by former London mayoral candidate and Green Party Assembly Member Sian Berry, also found 14 percent of those in central London feel forced to own a car.

Commenting on the study, the Councillor for Camden said more needs to be done to improve public transport and leave cars behind.

She said: “Cuts to public transport services will make this awful situation of Londoners feeling forced to own a car even worse.

“The Government and the mayor must step up and restore funding to national rail and bus services across the whole city.

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In December, the MP for Copeland in Cumbria told a sustainability conference that owning a car was “outdated 20th-century thinking”.

She suggested that the country should move to “shared mobility” options to cut carbon emissions.

Nearly two-thirds of car trips are taken by lone drivers, something that Ms Harrison called “staggering”. 

The MP added: “The challenge is to move further and faster to make shared mobility less of a novelty and increasing the norm to make it as easy, as convenient and as accessible as possible,” she added.

“We are reaching a tipping point where shared mobility in the form of car clubs, scooters and bike shares will soon be a realistic option for many of us to get around.

“I think the benefits are really significant: from clean air to healthier populations to greater connectivity for more people, no matter where they live.”