Last week I wrote about how owning a car can be the most efficient mobility solution for an individual.
In that article, I argued that because of this fact, cities that want to reduce traffic caused by cars should try to change the equation for individuals, so that other options like walking or public transportation appear more efficient than driving.
However, there is another side to my argument: While a car is usually the most efficient transportation solution for an individual, it may also be the most efficient solution for society. This is because car owners take care of most of their own needs – they buy the car, they maintain it, they drive it. Society only has to provide the road. What are the consequences of this observation?