Will roads begin to clear as the public become more aware of the effects of driving on climate change?

Answer 1

I doubt it very much. Personal transport is too closely associated personal freedom.
I think more ecologicaly friendly methods of propulsion (hybreds, fuel cells, electric cars etc) will become more and more common as they become cheaper.

Answer 2

No, people have over the past 100 years developed an unhealthy obsession with driving everywhere in their cars. It would take a lot more than environmental awareness to stop people driving. At the moment people think that having a smaller car that does more mpg is somehow 'environmentally friendly'.
The roads will only begin to clear when we hit peak oil, fuel becomes scarce and fuel prices escalate.

Answer 3

Unless public transport becomes more frequent ,reliable,cheaper and generally more pleasant to use people will never give up using cars.
I remember 1980...and experts were saying then...cars will become redundant when petrol prices go over £3 a gallon....well it's £5 a gallon now in some places...and I still see lots of cars about!

Climate change is a lie anyway....millions more tons of carbon was produced by the burning of coal during the victorian age...and we did'nt get boiled or frozen to death then!

Answer 4

I seriously doubt that the travelling public will ever be weaned off the convenience of private motoring. Car manufacturers are doing their bit to help by producing cleaner and greener engines and,of course, hybrid powered vehicles; but until a viable alternative comes along I'm afraid we will continue to drive the 'technological wonders' that are showcased all over the world by the motor vehicle trade. If it is indeed harming the environment it is only following history. There was considerable public outcry when railways first ran passenger trains, and now they are a superb method of travelling in nearly every country ( except ours, and we started them!!). Oh, Beeching, why did you scrap all those branch lines?
One further point, and a very valid one, is that more pollution is caused by the processes involved in scrapping vehicles than the vehicles emitted while they were being used.

Answer 5

A large proportion of peoples travel is necessary for work, or local so would have little impact on congestion. Travel by other means, i.e. rail or air isn't any "greener" than by car and often costs a lot more.
If there were viable alternatives to the car people would use them, but currently outside of major cities they don't exist.
A lot of traffic congestion is caused by the fact that hardly any major roads have been built in the last 10 years in the U.K., and councils have been busy adding congestion causing road furniture like speed bumps e.t.c. There was a recent study that showed while journey times in Manchester by car have gone up over the last ten years, traffic volumes have actually decreased, so that must have been caused by traffic calming measures. In London they admitted that they resequenced traffic lights to cause congestion before bringing in the congestion charge zone, so most of the success in increased traffic speed was actually due to them re-sequencing the lights again.

Answer 6

NO more and more cars will come onto the road as more people travel by car than any form of public transport
the effects will be that people will change to environmentally friendly vehicles when they become less expensive but it will require huge investment by government
the oil companies will fight it as they will lose money and the government will lose tax revenue
but it will happen eventually probably to late for the planet

Answer 7

No, people are selfish, They enjoy the sensation of being cocooned in a (more than necessary high powered) air conditioned car.

Put them all on pushbikes or motorbikes for the loony car drivers to aim at every rush hour!

If they weren't selfish, they already would be driving round in smaller golf/ micra/ 206 size cars.

They certainly don't need big american cars (4x4 or Older in design and generally gas guzzlers), or sports and fast cars ( that can only break the speed limit to fulfil their design).

Its all image and one upmanship, look at giant Jeremy Clarkman on Top Gearknob -- why is my bbc licence money being used to waste oil and petrol, shred tyres, ruin cars and destroy the planet? Who gave him the job?

The sooner the people realise this and that it's the multinational oil men and car manufacturers of these vechicles are buying a few very nice livings at everyone elses health and longterm expense-- the better.

If every one lived nearer their works and drove smaller cars the air would be better for all and we would not need to spend so much on big motorways or petrol tax.

Even the mail doesn't need to be delivered next day , we have e-mails and parcels can be taken by road, rail (seven day service) and the canals or rivers (Monthly / heavy slow service) -- it just takes planning and care. Remember dgl, upt and femex all make money by speed --- not an eco cost.

This is why the Royal post is bitching because they want to deliver big cherry parcels town to town but won't take your letter for a first class stamp fee 650 miles to your gran on her birthday or after your holiday.
It the same cause, similar symptom.


You as the customer are being slowly conned and until you all keep buying a solar powered mini and have 5 lanes on the motorway, not 3, or buy a car with air con that max's at 85 your kids, grandkids etc. and you are going to get a poorer service, poor earth and a bleak outlook.

Let some one else take the pain, they can pay tomorrow , not today - not me!

If you REALLY audited all the above companies for eco- managed brownie points( not cash) all would be sadly lacking and pushing us down the road to Carmeggoddon!!!!

Answer 8

What you mean is will the roads clear when the public begin to share YOUR view of driving on climate change.
Halting deforestation for one day would counteract the total emmissions of every car in the western world for a year.
We should be concentrating on saving the earths 'lungs' and not parroting politicians' latest agenda to raise tax.

Answer 9

In a nutshell NO . Do you really think people are worried about climate control No. They still need to work and earn a living.
If the government was so worried then we may as well all stay at home and let the country support us. But as we are not working taxes are not being paid .So back to original question sod the climate I need some money

Answer 10

NO even if public transport improves it wont be as convenient as the car what a wonderful invention climate change will happen what ever we do its the way of the world no cars but there was still an ice age or was that caused by dinosaurs farting

Answer 11

No, in this day in age everyone is so indepedent and made a bad name for public tranportation that not many people want to use it. If you run a main hwy with a HOV lane how many cars do you pass in it with no one carpooling? We tried something at my last job, of everyone that lived close to each other to take turns being the DD for a week at a time. It worked ok but there's always problems. Someone always wakes up late, someone smells of smoke or beer. I think these electric cars are a good thought but everyone forgets where the power to run them is coming from ... Power Plants.