Terrorism is alive and well. Just last Friday, a terrorist attack took place in Stockholm leaving four people dead. It wasn’t bombs or guns that killed those four people, it was the latest method terrorists are using as weaponry, vehicles. Aftonbladet editorialist, Eva Franchell, says that vehicles “have turned into deadly weapons”, and should be banished from cities to stop attacks like the one in Stockholm from happening in future.
Franchell says the way to stop terrorism doesn’t come in the form of immigration or extremist ideology, it’s cars, which she calls “effective murder machines.”
“Cars must simply be removed from city centers and places where people gather, if people are to be protected in future,” she says. Vehicles are “easy to steal, and so nothing has been able to stop their advance. It just isn’t reasonable that a big truck can be driven right into one of Stockholm’s busiest streets on a Friday afternoon right before Easter.”
Franchell says the city center must be a “safe environment” for visitors to enjoy. She described it as “remarkable” that it is possible to drive around the Swedish capital’s medieval old town, which is a popular destination for tourists. Franchell has a vision of a car-free Stockholm, which she says can stop most problems with regards to mobility and public transport can be solved, and deliveries to shops and restaurants could take place at times when people aren’t out on the streets.
“Vehicles have been allowed to dominate our cities for decades and it’s the people who need space. It’s vital now that cars be regulated,” Franchell concludes.
In March, Sweden’s environment minister supported Franchell’s vision saying driving is a gender equality issue as well as a matter of shrinking the nation’s carbon emissions.
[revad2]
