A just mobility transition? Intersectional responses to car-use reduction measures

Car-use reduction measures, which either restrict car use or encourage sustainable mobility alternatives, are increasingly promoted to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve urban air quality. Yet individual reactions to these interventions often reveal tensions between environmental goals, mobility needs, and perceptions of fairness. Through an intersectional and qualitative lens, this article explores how residents of five European cities in Italy, Norway, Portugal, Romania, and Sweden respond to a range of policies designed to curb car use. Drawing on 54 in-depth interviews with participants from socio-economically disadvantaged neighbourhoods, the study applies an expanded version of Hirschman’s Exit, Voice, and Loyalty framework, incorporating the category of Neglect, to capture active protest, silent disengagement, and supportive behaviours. Findings reveal that reactions to these policies are not solely determined by ideology or single socio-demographic traits, but emerge from the interplay of policy design, lived mobility needs, and the intensity of overlapping vulnerabilities such as caregiving responsibilities, disability, economic stress, and social exclusion. Notably, structural disadvantage can suppress both support and protest, resulting in passive disengagement. By introducing “neglect” as a form of civic reaction and adopting an intersectional approach, the study contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of public policy acceptability and outlines key considerations for achieving a socially just mobility transition.