Why don’t I own a car?
I have not owned a car since 2009 after realising that I was driving less than 5000 kilometres (3000ish miles) per year due to mainly walking everywhere. My home was an apartment in Surry Hills, Sydney. Work was a 20 minute walk away; my personal trainer and gym were less than ten minutes away; and all the good food I could ever wish to eat was no more than 15 minutes walk in every direction.
Since selling my Mini Cooper 11 years ago, I have rented cars for longer trips; used Zipcar car share while in Seattle, USA; and made Uber a lot richer. My choice of neighbourhoods in Australia and the US have always been based on being close to where I work and play.
My latest passion is finding ways to reduce the use of fossil fuels to slow climate change. Car pollution adds carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter to the air. This accelerates global warming and contributes to major health problems for humans and animals. Decreasing levels of car pollution is what I want to use my vast technical and product skills on, now that I am returning to Australia.
But where can I make the most difference?
Like any system, the key is to understand the biggest pain points before even thinking of how to solve them. If people know that emissions from cars are a major contributor to climate change then why are they still driving?
On Thursday, the 11th of November 2020, I asked Twitter what would make them give up owning a car. Better public transportation was the main reason people cited but the more interesting discussions were around why people can not quit the car right now.
Why can’t people give up their cars now?
Key takeaways:
* Most people said that the city or town they lived in did not provide timely public transport options.
* The COVID-19 pandemic has made people take up driving because of the uncertainty around safety on public transport.
* People with children couldn’t fathom how they could use public transport in its current state with their small people in tow.
* In Australia, car share options were limited and not reliable enough to count on especially in emergency or urgent situations.
* Bike riders said they need better cycle paths inside and outside of urban areas.
So, what can I do with this information?
I am going to dig deeper in to these answers with more primary interviews and polls focussing on the different options. People who work in this area have connected with me to discuss technology and other product options. Reading and researching more detailed books, articles and surveys as secondary sources will help extend my knowledge of this area.
If you want to discuss this with me or share information or apps that already address these topics, I would love to talk. Ping me!
Damana Madden 
I put together the following competition in 2014 –
https://www.element14.com/community/community/design-challenges/in-the-air-design-challenge
The winner put together a Total Carbon Footprint monitor using sensors and a phone app. Problem: he put the app together for Windows Phone. I think if the concept could be revamped and revisited so that people understood the consequences of their choices they might use cars less, go on a “carbon diet”, per se. Just a thought.