For decades, cars have been associated with a promise of convenience, autonomy, and comfort. Individually, this may well be true. However, prioritizing the automobile in city design makes urban mobility inefficient and fuels inequality by depriving a large portion of the population of access to opportunities. Using a car is an individual choice that imposes heavy collective costs. Charging for the social costs of this choice is a promising way to discourage it while simultaneously generating funding for sustainable mobility.
Cars spend 95% of their time parked – often on the streets, consuming precious public space. In São Paulo, one of the most congested cities on the planet, cars occupam 88% of road space while carrying only 30% of the population. It seems absurd that so many people still dream of owning a car – in 2020, this was the goal of 45% of Brazilians.
