Abstract
It has been suggested that cars are becoming more expensive to own and operate and the benefits of doing so are diminishing. Young people may not be able to afford insurance, so they are forced to adopt alternatives. Driverless vehicles may make ownership less relevant. So are we experiencing a turning point in vehicle ownership, or is the market changing in other ways? Why have DfT road traffic forecasts been overestimated ever since 1989? (See attached graphic of Government forecasts vs actual traffic). Will they continue to be for the next 25 years? And what follows for Infrastructure and network management? The objective of the debate is to establish whether there is a real disenchantment with and turning away from the private car, especially amongst young people. Professor Phil Goodwin, Emeritus Professor of Transport Policy, UCL and UWE, will speak in favour of this motion; Dr Ivo Wengraf, Research Analyst at the RAC Foundation, will speak against it.
