The emergency of the micro car could be regarded with mixed feelings. The car is relatively clean and could reduce parking pressure thanks to its small size. However, there is the risk of it becoming a second car competing with bicycles and public transport. It sometimes appears to be an illusion to halt the development of owning (second) cars. The government has not succeeded in curbing the increase of motoring, in spite of many efforts to do so during the past decade. Consequently, government policy is increasingly geared to channelling motoring in the right direction rather than aiming for an absolute decrease in motoring itself. Anticipating the emergence of the small city car would fit in well with this policy. From this point of view, stimulating the purchase and use of the micro car could be regarded as a pragmatic next best choice. The municipal authorities have a number of possibilities at their disposal to stimulate the use of the micro car. Very concrete measures in this respect are, for instance, creating small parking places specially for these cars, offering drivers of short vehicles a discount at car parks, tolerating parking that crosses two spaces, giving micro car owners precedence when they apply for permits, and setting a good example by using micro cars as working cars. Although the environment-friendly and compact image of the micro car in general and the electrically driven version in particular is validated by such measures, substantial policy advantages can only be achieved when the car is used as a link in new urban transportation plans. Such plans would present the micro car as a form of `individual public transport' or allow it to be used as part of a chain. (A)
Abstract