Traffic experts acknowledge that while ride-sharing promises to improve urban space, it can also increase car use and reduce the number of public transit users. Because it is much easier and cheaper to use a car now than before. At the same time, public transportation takes too much time compared to the car.
Even when carsharing services appeared in America, the excitement was great. It was hoped that perhaps people would use cab services, which were more spatially efficient, instead of driving. However, it soon became clear that carsharing services were actually moving many people from public transportation to cabs.
According to surveys, about 40 percent of Uber and Lyft customers responded that if this service were not possible, they would travel more by public transport. Thanks to car-sharing services, there were more car rides before the 2017-2019 pandemic than ever before. The number of car accidents worldwide has also increased because there are more cars on the streets, which is also partly due to rental cars.
Although rental car services like Renty are the only way for some people to use a car, studies show that rental cars, in general, are reducing car use and ownership. Car rental services have a number of advantages that make them attractive to all customers. That is why every year the number of people who prefer to rent a car instead of buying one is increasing.
A step forward from current solutions is a service where more than one person is in the same car. The most attractive transportation solution in the city is still the use of public transportation by as many people as possible. In this case, the spatial footprint is much smaller. It also allows for a more diverse urban space.
If we stop for a moment and think about what a transportation system could be to create the best possible urban environment, car rental services are a small but efficient step in that direction. A bigger step would be to improve public transportation systems so that there is a tighter schedule, a wider network, and modern services that make the trip as comfortable as possible for people.
Milan is a successful case study
The decline in auto sales should also be seen in a broader sense: as a reduction in the overall car fleet. The trend is that in Milan over the past 20 years, the car fleet has decreased by 200 thousand cars: while in 1990 in the city there were 922,040 private vehicles, in 2012 there were already 716,094. A phenomenon that runs counter to regional and national statistics: over the past twenty years, the number of cars in Lombardy has risen from 4.8 to 5.8 million, while the figure for the country as a whole has increased by 10 million units.
As for Milan, this is the result of a gradual transformation that began with a review of urban space (the relocation of residents from the center to the outskirts of the city, where rents are lower and, in general, life is cheaper). Also, a significant role played by special measures to relieve traffic: from improving the system of public transport and the introduction of tolls to enter the city center (the so-called Area C) to the organization of new opportunities to rent cars.
Also, Amsterdam, Zurich, Vienna, and London are good examples of traffic management. These are cities where public transport is the best way to get around the city, not only for ethical reasons but also for rational reasons.
Conclusion
The great achievement of recent years has been that the dualism of means of transportation has been destroyed. Now there are other, alternative, options and services for getting around comfortably other than one's own or public transportation.
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