In December, transport minister Trudy Harrison said she wanted to end the culture of car ownership and instead move towards making shared mobility the norm. She supports a system that is “fit for the future” and to move away from “20th century thinking centred around private vehicle ownership”.
A system of shared mobility would include the promotion of bike share schemes, car clubs, shared rides, e-scooters and demand responsive transport.
The MP for Copeland in Cumbria told delegates at the Collaborative Mobility UK (CoMoUK) annual shared transport conference, it was “staggering” that nearly two-thirds of car trips are taken by lone drivers.
She also said “mobility hubs” could become a familiar part of our street architecture.
While many drivers were angry at the proposals, there are already a number of initiatives up and running which aim to cut down on the usage of private cars.
READ MORE: Petrol and diesel drivers may receive grants ahead of car tax changes
Participants will also receive a fee for taking part, as long as they promise to log every journey they make, how they made it and whether or not they would have gone in the car to make it.
The scheme is being run to challenge people not to make unnecessary car trips and lower pollution rates in the city.
Bristol is also planning to launch a clean air zone in the summer which will look to charge vehicles which produce large amounts of emissions.
Another scheme was launched in February 2021 in Coventry and paid up to £3,000 per year in public transport tokens if drivers ditched their petrol and diesel cars.
The two-year trial is targeting owners of pre-Euro 4 petrol and pre-Euro 6 diesel drivers to get rid of their older polluting vehicles.
A third scheme was proposed in the American city of San Diego which proposed a ban on the sales of petrol and diesel vehicles which cost over $50,000 (£36,882).
The initiative would also add a 2.5 percent tax on any gas vehicles over $50,000 that are purchased outside of the city and registered within city limits.
In response to the comments made by the transport minister, many Express.co.uk readers responded with frustration.
One commenter, using the nickname Birdmaniw, said: “All very well if you live where there is an adequate public transport system.
“Where I live, we get a little community bus into our local town three times on two days a week, mornings only, which doesn’t give us time to travel to our main town.
“I am 78 so walking three miles each way is not possible and a taxi would cost us over £15.”
Another reader, skipper, questioned why this was being suggested and how it would be run.
They asked: “Who is funding this? The taxpayer? I hope not.
“This scheme is totally impractical for anyone living outside the city.
“Yet another piece of social engineering by the anti-car brigade.”
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