Majority want to see city centers without cars

Six out of ten Swedes want to see car-free city centres. Or yes – partly. Because people don't seem as keen on the fact that the parking spaces in town should be replaced and become pedestrian or cycle paths.

Car-free cities are a high priority for many municipalities

More and more cities and municipalities are taking steps to limit car traffic. A review from the New Weather think tank 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 in favor than against.

In our latest Sifo survey, six out of ten (62%) people say they are 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 have better air and a calmer traffic environment, but that is not the same as thinking that the car has no place in cities. As usual, it's 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 charges, albeit somewhat weaker. 47 percent are in favor while 40 percent are against. But there is one measure that does not go home at all - cutting back 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 a large consensus that parking spaces are important for a city's attractiveness, comments Odsberg.

Opinions 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. More obvious is the conflict between city and country. The further outside the big cities you go, 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 of course extra important, says Daniel Odsberg, sales manager Kvdbil.

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

About the survey:
The survey was conducted in Kantar Sifo's web panel during the period 12–16 January 2023. A total of 1,447 people aged 18–79 were interviewed, of which 1,020 people have access to a car. The web panel is nationally representative recruited based on random selection. There is no self-recruitment in Kantar Sifo's web panel.