Skip advert
Advertisement

"A solution to overcrowded cities? The Urban Car"

Mike Rutherford's taken responsibility for the World Urban Car award at WCotY 2017, which aims to solve the issues of overcrowded city roads

Unless global auto makers concentrate harder on creating cars more appropriate for the increasingly limited road space beneath them, we'll soon sleepwalk into gridlock.

The world's highway 'network' struggles to accomodate the roughly 1.2 billion motors currently driven or parked on/around it. And it's a given that come 2035, when forecasts say the population will hit around 8.3 billion and car numbers 2.0 billion, the required near-doubling of lanes for motorists will not be forthcoming.

Advertisement - Article continues below

Best city cars

That volatile cocktail of more citizens, ongoing upsurges in consumer demand, plus comparatively few new roads could be hellish. And there's another problem: country areas are out, towns and cities are very much in as far as the current (7.4 billion) population is concerned. The balance has tipped, with the majority of folk now living in urban rather than rural areas. In Britain, the ratio is 83:17. And by 2035 it'll be nearer 90:10.

Worldwide, around 4 billion people are now squeezing themselves in, not spreading themselves out. Escaping to (or even staying within) the countryside is losing its allure.

traffic

So let's accept that the global trend is for more town and city living, which inevitably causes much-reduced road space per driver in those non-rural areas.

Skip advert
Advertisement
Skip advert
Advertisement - Article continues below

A part-solution? The Urban Car (TUC). It can be city car sized... or up to 4m long if five or seven tight seats are essential. If it doesn't have ultimate green driving machine credentials it's not a proper urban car. It also needs to be occupant, passenger, pedestrian and cylist friendly. And quiet as a kayak noise levels would help. Affordable buying/running/parking costs (half price charges when bay-sharing, surely) are all essential.

Shell Project M city car

Of course, the urban car has to be fun, and capable of 70mph on occasional motorway trips to the countryside or beach.

Wearing my World Car Awards director and vice-chairman hat, I've proposed and taken responsibility for the World Urban Car competition that will, from 2017, be presented at the New York Motor Show. And during our recent meeting, UK transport minister Andrew Jones asked me to update him and his Department for Transport team on what we hope will be the rise and rise of the purpose-built urban car.

Start getting used to it. This could become the only three or four-wheeled vehicle urbanites - that's most of us - will be legally permitted to drive to and from our neighbourhoods.

What would be your solution to fix our crowded cities? Let us know in the comments below...

Skip advert
Advertisement
Chief columnist

Mike was one of the founding fathers of Auto Express in 1988. He's been motoring editor on four tabloid newspapers - London Evening News, The Sun, News of the World & Daily Mirror. He was also a weekly columnist on the Daily Telegraph, The Independent and The Sunday Times. 

Find a car with the experts

Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Ford Fiesta set to return? Icon could be reborn with a little help from Volkswagen
Ford Fiesta exclusive image

Ford Fiesta set to return? Icon could be reborn with a little help from Volkswagen

The Ford Fiesta could be coming back from the dead, and our exclusive image previews how it might look
News
2 May 2025
New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645
Kia PV5 Cargo on display at Commercial Vehicle Show - front 3/4

New 2025 Kia PV5 van starts from a tempting £22,645

All-new entry into the van market promises competitive pricing and comes with a range of up to 247 miles
News
30 Apr 2025
New Renault 4 2025 review: as good as the Renault 5 with the bonus of extra space
Renault 4 - front

New Renault 4 2025 review: as good as the Renault 5 with the bonus of extra space

The new Renault 4 takes everything that's good about the Renault 5 and adds extra cabin and boot space
Road tests
2 May 2025