I want a vehicle with a steering wheel and a comfortable seat!

Bicycles and mopeds may have a lot going for them, yet a lot of people still want the comfort of traveling in an enclosed space with heating, a radio, an upholstered seat, and lockable doors. Electric microcars are gaining popularity in Asia and Europe, with some nascent manufacturing popping up in the United States. They are not designed for freeway speeds, but rather are intended for local travel at up to 25 to 30 miles per hour. These vehicles are a half or third the size of a standard automobile and much less expensive. And being much lighter weight, they impose less wear and tear on street pavement, thus saving cities street maintenance costs. Because they are narrower than cars and pickup trucks, microcars leave more room on streets for bicycle riders, and their excellent visibility makes them much safer to pedestrians.

Will microcars eventually start showing up on the streets of El Cerrito? McKinsey & Company, the global management consultancy firm, predicts that they will be a $100 billion dollar industry by 2030. Being small, they raise the same question as mopeds — how do you park them? A standard car parking space is overkill. Two microcars can fit in the space allotted to one conventional car. Since they travel at slower speeds than conventional cars, cities along San Pablo Avenue will need to implement traffic calming measures to slow overall vehicle speeds if drivers of microcars are to feel welcome and safe.

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