This paper is concerned with the interrelationships among household incomes, urban development patterns, car ownership, tripmaking and modal choice and with appropriate policy responses to what are till perceived as growing problems associated with rapid increases in car ownership and use. To frame the issues, the author uses two papers co-authored by Michael Beesley and himself that critiqued travel forecasts prepared by the authors of Traffic in Towns for Leeds, and their subsequent assessment of French proposals to build a rail rapid transit system for Teheran. This accounts for the "Tale of Two Cities" reference. The paper also reviews research on car ownership and use by other authors. What is perhaps most interesting about the paper is the enduring nature of these questions. (A)
Abstract