Cities around the world are facing a common challenge: how to move growing populations efficiently without choking on traffic and pollution. For decades, the default solution was to build more roads. Paradoxically, however, research has repeatedly shown that adding road capacity often fails to reduce congestion, because the extra space simply encourages more people to drive—a phenomenon known as “induced demand”.

In response, many forward-thinking cities have changed direction. Rather than prioritising cars, they have invested heavily in public transport, cycling lanes and pedestrian zones. Some have even introduced charges for driving into the city centre. While such measures are sometimes unpopular at first, they have frequently led to cleaner air, quieter streets and, surprisingly, more profitable local businesses.

The lesson is counter-intuitive but powerful: the key to better urban mobility may not lie in accommodating more cars, but in giving people attractive alternatives to using them.