Abstract
The seemingly unstoppable rise in levels of car ownership and use is a phenomenon that calls for better understanding on the part of sociology. Indeed, on one hand it contributes to two global issues that will impact disproportionately on future generations: oil depletion and climate change. On the other hand, it entails a crucial (intra-generational) equity dimension, related to the differential in accessibility to services and opportunities between car users and non-car users. In this paper, I argue that the very nature of car dependence – here defined as a dynamic and self-reinforcing macro-social process with systemic properties, that strongly resists any attempt to induce change despite increasing awareness of its negative externalities – urges scholars to focus on the trade-offs between intra- and inter-generational equity. This kind of analysis shows that while the implications of ever-increasing car dependence for intra-generational equity are very equivocal, most of the policies envisaged to stop it are feared to have negative impacts on intra-generational equity, and thus often meet strong resistance. This is likely to bring to a “transport policy stalemate”, where no serious attempt is made to reduce car use and all hopes are concentrated on a “technological fix” to eventually solve all problems. I conclude that these contradictions are arguably a defining feature of car dependence, one of its main drivers and an important reason for its path-dependent nature. In this context, research questions focused on the margins of the car system, and notably on carless households, are of great interest
Original language | English |
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Pages | 26-27 |
Number of pages | 2 |
Publication status | Published - 2011 |
Event | Lancaster Sociology Summer Conference 2011 - Department of Sociology, Lancaster University, Lancaster, United Kingdom Duration: 4 Jul 2011 → 5 Jul 2011 |
Conference
Conference | Lancaster Sociology Summer Conference 2011 |
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Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
City | Lancaster |
Period | 4/07/11 → 5/07/11 |
Keywords
- car dependence
- sustainable transport
- transport policy
- sustainability
- intergenerational equity
- transport and social exclusion
- transport disadvantage