Abstract
The aim of this study is to explore to what extent a vehicle-sharing system (VSS) that includes electric bicycles and cars, connected to a block of apartments in a middle-sized city in Sweden, can cater for individuals’ everyday mobility needs and reduce the need to own a car. The study connects to two different research areas: the usage of VSS and mobility transitions through pilot projects. Our results show a reluctance to voluntarily sacrifice comfort regarding everyday energy use. Owning and using a private car is to a high degree interpreted as convenient. The results from this study suggest that a VSS has the potential to satisfy mobility needs for people living in urban areas. However, in order for it to be successful, both in terms of satisfying mobility needs as well as being regarded as an attractive alternative to private car ownership, we argue that reconfiguration of modal choice and accessibility on different sociotechnical levels is a necessity. Interventions such as satisfactory public transport and better infrastructure for cycling and walking are suggested, as well as stricter parking regulations, banning cars in certain areas and making car use and ownership more expensive. In other words, the deployment of both soft and hard measures in combination is necessary.
Highlights
The ongoing trend of densification in cities is aimed at creating attractive and sustainable urban environments
The aim of the present study is to explore to what extent a vehicle-sharing system (VSS) with electric bicycles and cars, connected to a block of apartments in a middle-sized city in Sweden, can cater for individuals’ everyday mobility needs and reduce the need to own a car
The results showed that the more space-time restrictions the respondents experienced, for example concerning children and their activities, as in the cases of Marco, Thomas and Molly, the more they believed it was difficult to bike and walk instead of driving
Summary
The ongoing trend of densification in cities is aimed at creating attractive and sustainable urban environments. The conditions for a wide range of services and activities are good, and vehicles that are more space- and energy-efficient than the car can be used [1]. Places for work, shopping, sports and leisure activities, are often located outside the inner city in car-friendly areas, and the roads within and around inner cities are heavily used [2,3]. Cars are parked about 95 percent of the time, which is why there is an overcapacity of vehicles in cities [6]. It is important that densification is followed by significant efforts to reduce private car ownership and to offer mobility alternatives that are attractive and provide good alternatives to car ownership
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