Whenever the future of mobility comes up, the discussion almost always lands in the same place: electric cars, autonomous driving, smart cities, and a blizzard of acronyms that claim they will fix every problem in urban transport.
Yet, increasingly, I catch myself looking elsewhere-more specifically, towards Asia. Anyone who has spent time in cities such as Hanoi, Bangkok, Jakarta or Taipei will know what I mean. Across many parts of the Asian continent, the motorbike is not simply an alternative to the car. It effectively is the car.
While we tend to oscillate between two visions-cities packed with electric SUVs on one hand, and the utopia of an urban society moving almost exclusively by bicycle and public transport on the other-millions of people in Asia travel every day on scooters and motorcycles. And they do so for a very straightforward reason: it works.
© Elliot Andrews / Unsplash - This street is in Hanoi, Vietnam, but it could be in many other Asian cities, and it illustrates just how dominant motorcycles are in local mobility.
They take up far less space, they are affordable, parking is simple, and they move through urban traffic with an efficiency that even the most advanced car struggles to match.
At times I wonder whether we are overcomplicating a problem whose answer has been right in front of us for decades.
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The elephant in the room for urban mobility
The reality is that a significant share of the cars entering our cities each day are carrying only the driver. A vehicle over 4 metres long, well over a tonne in weight, and designed for five occupants is routinely used to move a single person from A to B.
No technology can make that genuinely efficient. An electric motor helps. A hybrid helps too. Synthetic fuel might help-at some point in the future.
But none of these options tackles the core issue: we are using far too much vehicle to transport far too little. That is where two wheels deserve a place in the conversation.
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The climate is on our side
Portugal is not South East Asia, that much is true. Even so, it is also true that we have one of the best climates in Europe for using motorcycles and scooters regularly.
Across most of the country, days of heavy rain are relatively rare throughout the year. And temperatures seldom reach the extremes experienced in many other European nations.
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Even so, we still treat the motorbike as a secondary vehicle-almost a leisure choice-when, in many situations, it could be the most rational option for everyday travel.
It will not fit every scenario, nor will it suit everyone. But it fits far more people than those who currently consider it-especially at a time when cars keep getting more expensive.
“But I don’t know how to ride a motorbike”
This is probably the objection I hear most often, and it is a fair one. Not everyone feels at ease on two wheels. Not everyone wants to learn. But here, too, the market has been moving.
© Peugeot - The Peugeot Metropolis promises the added stability of three wheels combined with the traffic agility of a *scooter.*
Three-wheeled models such as the Yamaha Tricity or the Peugeot Metropolis have shown there is room for in-between solutions. They provide greater stability, help beginners feel more confident, and meaningfully reduce some of the entry barriers that people associate with the world of motorbikes.
And what if you really do need four wheels?
Not everyone is willing to give up the extra comfort of an enclosed cabin-and I understand that. It is not much fun arriving at work after a bitterly cold morning or an unexpected downpour.
For those cases, interesting alternatives are starting to appear as well. Modern quadricycles take up less space than a conventional car, use less energy, and offer far more protection than a motorbike.
© FIAT - Perhaps it is time we stopped viewing quadricycles only as solutions for teenagers and older drivers, and instead as an alternative to conventional cars in urban settings.
They are not perfect-nor do they claim to be. But they do answer an important question: do we really need a traditional car for every urban journey?
That is why I welcome the creation of the new European M1E category. It is still a long way from being revolutionary, but it sends a clear signal: Brussels is finally acknowledging there is space between the motorbike and the traditional car.
And perhaps it is precisely in that space that a meaningful part of the future of urban mobility will be found.
Spotify
CARROS MAIS BARATOS. Novo PLANO Europeu para TRAVAR A CHINA
Quiz
Do you know this answer?
What was the top speed of the Suzuki Hayabusa?
- 300 km/h
- 306 km/h
- 317 km/h
Oops, not quite!
You can find the answer here:
Suzuki Hayabusa. The complete story of the queen of speed
Congratulations, you got it right!
or read the article on this topic:
Suzuki Hayabusa. The complete story of the queen of speed
Author
João Delfim Tomé
A car enthusiast for as long as he can remember, João splits his days between the keyboards of Razão Automóvel and the spanners on the Lada Niva he is restoring.
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/joao_delfim_tome/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jo%C3%A3o-delfim-tom%C3%A9-a04921154/
Tags: Cities, Mobility, Motorbikes, Quadricycles, Scooter
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