And now, deconstruct this world made by and for the car! In Cars – Fake or not (with Isabelle Brokman, Tana editions), a didactic book rich in infographics, Aurélien Bigo shows how the car shapes our lives and explains why it will be necessary to change models. Admittedly, the climate emergency is an absolute priority, but Westerners are struggling to cut the cord. For Le Point, the transport energy transition researcher returns to the reasons for this strong attachment.
Le Point: What is the genesis of your book?
How do you explain the strong attachment of Westerners to the car?
There are two reasons. The first relates to usage. The car has taken such a place in our mobility that it has marginalized other modes of transport. Many users thus find themselves in a situation of dependence, which leads, in fact, to an attachment to their vehicle. There is also an attachment to the object and its imaginations, even if it concerns fewer people.
You should know that car culture is very strong. The car has its own sports competitions, such as the Formula 1 world championship, the WRC rally championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. There is also a rather “popular” passion for tuning. There is also a more elitist culture, with collectors of luxury cars or vintage cars.
What are the imaginaries around the car?
Automotive advertising promotes several “values”. These have evolved over time. There was a time when advertising conveyed gender stereotypes, which is incompatible with current mores. There is also the promise of access to a certain social status. This is still true today for luxury, but it was particularly salient at the time when the car was not very democratized.
The car was also associated with national pride. The made in France was much put forward by the manufacturers in their advertising. Today, the values ??promoted and encouraged by advertising are those of individualism and the freedom provided by the car. This developed a lot and ended up entering people’s imaginations.
Yes for part of the population. She exercises her freedom of movement via her vehicle: to go to work, go shopping, go on vacation or go to a leisure activity… The car is the Swiss army knife of mobility, which is why it is often the preferred way to get around. However, this freedom is relative. When you have to borrow your vehicle for the slightest trip, you fall into dependence. The car then appears as a confinement when the alternatives are lacking.
Are the alternatives to the car satisfactory?
When alternatives exist, and this is not always the case, there is insufficient supply to compete with the individual vehicle. Take the example of the bicycle. If the practice, which is growing, is still underdeveloped, it is because it is sorely lacking in infrastructure and secure facilities. However, the vast majority of the population would be ready to do so if the conditions were met.
When, on the contrary, the supply is substantial, we observe the opposite phenomenon. In Paris, users turn to the metro and RER network, which is so dense and meshes the capital. It’s a fact: riders choose the most efficient mode of travel. However, in France, there are very few areas where public transport is more efficient than the car.
All the landscaping has been shaped by and for the car. At the time when walking was the only mode of transport available, the perimeter of cities was much tighter. The distances between dwellings and main places of activity were “walkable”. Distances have increased considerably with the development of faster means of transport. And the car, because it allows door-to-door travel, has accelerated this trend. Problem: we use this speed not to spend less time in transport, but to go further. Consequence: we end up with very spread out urban areas.
And once you have extended the distances, it is difficult to return to walking and cycling…
Exactly. And once one has dispersed habitats and workplaces throughout the territory, it is difficult to set up efficient public transport lines from an economic point of view. This is why the car will retain an important place in the mobility of tomorrow. However, it will have to be used less, more shared, more sober and electric.
Why do you think this model needs to be corrected?
There are many reasons, but climate change appears to be the most urgent. The car alone accounts for 16% of the CO2 released in France, i.e. half of the emissions released by the entire transport sector.
