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The Mexican branch of the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy has produced a video that explains car-dependency in just three minutes and 53 seconds. It has sub-titles but perhaps US and European film-makers could be inspired by it to make a similar videos for their home markets
The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy is a New York based advocacy group which works with cities worldwide to bring about sustainable transport solutions that cut greenhouse gas emissions, reduce poverty, and improve the quality of urban life. It’s a bicycle-friendly organisation.
ITDP Mexico’s video is short and punchy. It manages to convey complex messages about induced demand, motoring’s hidden externalities and how excessive car use is not the economic saviour many politicians think it is in an entertaining video, but for the US and European countries, the animations would have more impact if they were localised.
The concept of "shadow drivers" is of direct relevance to the bicycle business. These are motorists who drive only because cars currently offer the most convenient mode of transport. They could be switched to public transport – and to bicycles – if cities stopped pandering to cars (a pandering that eventually leads to gridlock).
