My original question was “How do we disincentivize the purchase of pickup trucks/SUVs” but then I thought it would be better to approach the larger problem of car dependency and car ownership. One option is, of course, to create public transit infrastructure and improve it where it already exist. This, however, doesn’t change the fact that some will still choose to drive. What would be the best ways to discourage people from owning personal cars?
To be easier on your torment the poor-o-metre, one possibility could be to charge a yearly fee for a safety inspection on a personal car, with the fee being scaled by its weight. This way, cars would be safer generally, and people driving a Smart Fortwo would only be out the time it took to get the inspection.
These sorts of inspections are already in place in several countries like the United Kingdom, Japan, and Germany. Some countries also require higher annual registration costs for heavier vehicles, with other places adding inflated street side parking fees. Think of this as sort of an amalgamation of all these things.
The higher the delta between fees for driving a compact car and a large pick up truck is, the more reason people might see in not choosing the F-150. I’m not saying everyone should be cruising around in a Chang Li, but even downsizing the truck lovers to a Chevrolet S-10 would be great. Though of course, the manufacturers would have to make smaller trucks again, which means less profit, and la de da you know how the shareholders feel about that.
Side note, I see people in the summer driving their Jeeps with the doors off. Not my cup of tea but damn if it doesn’t look cool as hell.
I learned a wild thing about trucks, because I despise pickups (other options do what they do, but better in every metric). Apparently trucks are huge so they can be in a different classification of vehicle and avoid certain fees and taxes, and those same fees and taxes make smaller foreign trucks not profitable to sell in the States (the point of the fees and taxes… lobbyists, ffs).
I am a big fan of making huge vehicles more annoying to own, and small, clean vehicles much easier and cheaper to own and operate, with exceptions like minivans for families with 3+ kids. I am so very in support of getting the single-passenger giant SUVs and non-work trucks off the road, even if it means giving up my Jeep.
There are good ideas out there that get us moving in a better direction and I think those are worth pushing.