Used car prices have increased by 17 percent in the past year

Majority want to see city centers without cars

16 maj, 2023

Six out of ten Swedes want to see car-free city centers. Or yes – partially. Because people don't seem as keen on replacing parking spaces in cities with pedestrian or bicycle lanes.

Car-free cities a high priority for many municipalities

More and more cities and municipalities are taking steps to limit car traffic. A review by the think tank New Weather shows that all of the country's 24 largest cities have this as a goal or ambition. There is also strong support for the plans in public opinion. Even among motorists, there are more people in favor than against.

In our latest Sifo survey, six out of ten (62%) people said they were in favor of closing off parts of inner cities to make more room for cyclists and public transport. Even more (68%) want individual streets to be made car-free. Among motorists, the figures are 61 and 67 percent, respectively.

– There is broad support for reducing the dominance of the car in order to achieve better air and a calmer traffic environment, but that is not the same as saying that we think the car has no place in cities. As usual, it is about letting interests weigh against each other, says Daniel Odsberg, Sales Manager Kvdbil .

Weak yes also to congestion taxes

There is also support for congestion charging, albeit somewhat weaker. 47 percent are in favor while 40 percent are against. But there is one measure that is not going to work at all – cutting down on parking spaces. A full 75 percent are negative about this.

“There are often loud protests when parking spaces disappear and it is easy to understand why. There is broad agreement that parking spaces are important for a city's attractiveness,” comments Odsberg.

Views between city and country

Women and younger people are generally more positive about measures that limit car traffic, but the differences are still relatively small. The conflict between city and country is clearer. The further outside the big cities you get, the greater the resistance.

For example, 18 percent of residents in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö think it is a good idea to reduce the number of parking spaces, compared to only 11 percent in the rest of the country.

“Everyone should have access to the city, and if you live outside, accessibility by car is obviously extra important,” says Daniel Odsberg, Sales Manager Kvdbil .

Percentage who answered "good" to the question: What do you think about the following measures to reduce car traffic?

Åtgärder	Totalt	Bilägare	Sthlm	Gbg	Malmö	Storstadsregioner	Övriga landet
Trängselavgift	47%	44%	54%	43%	50%	51%	44%
Färre parkeringsplatser	14%	9%	16%	22%	20%	18%	11%
Förbud för biltrafik i vissa delar av innerstäder	62%	61%	59%	65%	62%	61%	63%
Dubbdäckförbud i innerstäder	38%	37%	41%	43%	51%	43%	35%
Ersätta parkeringsplatser i stan med gång/cykelbanor	31%	25%	31%	35%	33%	33%	31%
Införa bilfria gator	68%	67%	70%	73%	75%	72%	66%

About the survey:
The survey was conducted in Kantar Sifo's web panel during the period 12–16 January 2023. A total of 1447 people aged 18–79 were interviewed, of which 1020 people had access to a car. The web panel is nationally representative and recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Kantar Sifo's web panel.