Save our streets: Car frame experience reveals how cutting single occupancy car journeys can save miles of road space.
Europe’s responsible micro-mobility operator, Dott, is accelerating London’s pro-bike movement by highlighting the potential space savings on London’s streets if more people switched to cycling in the lead up to World Bicycle Day on 3 June.
Following the introduction of its e-bikes in London, Dott conducted a one-off demonstration in Hammersmith to show how the city can be transformed if more people switched from driving to cycling.
Dott riders took to the streets wearing a specially designed car frame to demonstrate how single occupancy car journeys take up room for at least four cyclists.
By reducing the number of cars on London’s roads by just 20,000 cars, over 88km of roads could be freed up, equivalent to more than the length of the north and south circular roads combined and enough space for over 80,000 bikes[1]. And that’s a modest target, equal to under 1% of London’s 2.64 million registered cars[2].
A huge part of the problem is the high number of car-trips with just one person – 65% of all trips are single occupancy[3], meaning a modest switch from car trips to cycling could substantially decrease congestion and provide more efficient travel across the capital. Furthermore, the majority of capital car journeys are easily completed by bike - according to the Mayor of London’s office, two-thirds of London car trips could be cycled in under twenty minutes[4].
An uptake in micro-mobility services could substantially alleviate the pressure on London’s roads, speeding up city travel and improving air quality too. Despite declines in road usage over the pandemic, an over-reliance on cars is leading to concerning levels of pollution - 100% of Londoners live in an area where pollution exceeds the latest recommendations from the World Health Organization. Road vehicles are the single biggest cause of London's air pollution, producing nearly half of all nitrogen oxide[5].
The new e-bikes will supplement Dott’s existing e-scooter range to help Londoners unlock their city by making it easier to choose environmentally friendly travel, whether for a whole journey or combined with public transport during longer journeys.
Henri Moissinac, Co-Founder and CEO, Dott, said: “Our latest project highlights the absurdity of single drivers hogging the capital’s roads, when other forms of transport are openly available and so much better for both the individual and the community. It’s time we reimagined how we travel across our cities, which is why we’re here to unlock London with clean rides for everyone.
“Following the successful introduction of our e-scooters, our latest fleet of e-bikes offer a safe, affordable, sustainable and effortless journey. In the coming weeks, we’ll be collaborating with boroughs to expand our fleet across the city to help Londoners unlock their city and everything it has to offer.”
Following a successful launch in the London borough of Hammersmith & Fulham, Dott e-bikes will arrive in more boroughs across London in the coming weeks. Priced at just £0.17 per minute with a £1 unlock fee, passes are also available offering lower costs for regular users. All users need to do is download the Dott App, scan the QR code and select a ride to unlock the bike from its parking spot.
For more information visit: https://ridedott.com/
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