Strategies for More Sustainable Car Use

To many of us it has become a self-evident truth that car-dominant transportation systems are simply unsustainable — the negatives spanning from their no-longer-deniable environmental impact, to other degradations of our quality of life — the loss of time & economic value due to congestion, road safety & fatalities, spatial dominance by the necessary infrastructure, noise, stress & unwell-being, isolation & asociality, etc.

But personal cars will not be disappearing anytime soon. So in addition to reducing car ownership and replacing car use with alternate modes when suitable, it is imperative that when we do choose to use our cars, we do so in more considered and sustainable ways:

Increasing the Benefits

Increasing Vehicle Utilization
Increasing Peak Road Capacity
Improving Fit for Urban Access/Use
Matching Vehicle Size to Trip Purpose
Broadening Vehicle Utility

Reducing the Costs & Harms

Minimizing Pollutants
Minimizing Other Health Impacts
Reducing Manufacturing Impact