The challenges to combating pollution and climate change seem to be endless. Technological advances to remove polluting particulate emissions from the engine have been successful but wear and tear on tyres and brakes presents another environmental issue.
So what if, as suggested, we remove all but handful of vehicles (and therefore tyres and brakes) from our roads? What impact will that have on our infrastructure and urban areas?
It raises interesting questions about how landowners and investors can future proof their assets, both residential and commercial. Flexibility may well be key; most people would probably be content to convert their spare garage or driveway into an extension or new bedroom but how easy would it be to convert multi-storey car parks or large car parks attached to out of town shopping centres into something that offers tangible rental value for the landlord?
This may all feel a bit extreme but it is worth remembering the current government has committed to the UK having net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Such ambitions will surely require radical and thorough change.
Fragments of microplastics from tyres, road surfaces and brakes will also flow into rivers, and ultimately into the sea, government advisers say. Ministers say they want to pass standards to improve tyres and brakes. But critics say they need to go further by developing policies to lure people out of private cars.
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