Exploring the implications of car-dependency – The TPS in conversation with Arthur Kay

What does car‑dependency truly mean for our societies?

This event delves into the societal, environmental and economic impacts of our long‑standing reliance on private cars. Drawing on the research and arguments presented in Roadkill, the author will examine how the idea of the car as a symbol of freedom masks deeper structural challenges, including inequality, reduced urban prosperity, and infrastructure systems that constrain rather than enable choice.

Join us for an evening with Arthur Kay, co‑author of Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship with Cars. The author will explore how car‑centric planning has shaped our cities, our health, our freedoms, and our economic systems, followed by a panel discussion on the implications for transport planning.

Arthur Kay is an advisor to organisations making cities better places to live. This includes serving as a Board Member for Transport for London (TfL), the Royal Academy of Engineering, FastForward 2030, and the Museum of the Home. He is a Professor of Practice at UCLInstitute for Global Prosperity. And author of Roadkill: Unveiling the True Cost of Our Toxic Relationship with Cars (Wiley, 2025), a ‘Financial Times Best Books of the Year’, with Professor Dame Henrietta Moore. Arthur founded, built and exited several start-ups: the clean technology company, Bio-bean (acquired 2023); the development, and technology company, Skyroom (acquired 2024); and the £100m Key Worker Homes Fund. Arthur’s work making cities better places to live has been recognised by The Guardian as ‘Sustainable Business Leader of the Year’, MIT Technology Review as a ‘35-under-35’, and the United Nations as a ‘Sustainable Development Goals Pioneer’.

18:00 - 18:30: Presentation by Arthur Kay, co-author of the book "Roadkill. Unveiling the true cost of our toxic relationship with cars"

18:45 - 19:15: Panel discussion and Q&A from the public

19:30 - 20:00: Networking