[sustran] Response to Littman on more on TDM and marketing

[Eric Bruun]

Who can disagree with the measures Todd advocates below?  But
I think the question to which Whitelegg originally responded
is about more than "advertizing" and "persuasion". It is about
consiousness raising and lifestyle modification. Results do
not happen overnight always, but if more people start to view
their travel habits as a public issue (surely it is more significant
than passive smoke, which has a relentless campaign against it),
then all the other reforms become easier because 1) even that
mere 5% that is immediately persuaded set a good example, and 2)
others that are now more aware will think more about where they
move next time and maybe increase their demands for better 
transportation policies when they vote. 

I suggest we look at the issue of community persuasion through
an example.  People who are vegetarians because of the environmental
damage caused by excessive meat-eating may not appreciate that their 
driving and lifestyle habits are also environmentally damaging,
while those who recognize the adverse effects of driving may
not appreciate the effect of our eating habits.  But through
time, the messages sinks in and we broaden our definitions
of what constitutes a responsible citizen. 

 


On Tue, 29 Sep 1998, Todd Litman wrote:

> 
> Let me add a few thoughts to John Whitelegg's comments, who suggested that
> advertising alone has a limited role in changing travel habits. I tend to
> agree, coming at it from a slightly different perspective. 
> 
> Although the cost of owning an automobile is high, the cost of driving is
> relatively low, since most costs are fixed and drivers receive numberous
> subsidies including free parking and unpriced roads. Even in countries with
> relatively high fuel prices,  consumers simply purchase more fuel efficient
> vehicles, so driving still only costs a few cents per kilometer. And even
> in cities with high parking charges in central areas, drivers are usually
> able to use free parking the majority of the time, or they pay a fixed
> monthly fee for parking, and so percieve parking as a fixed rather than a
> variable costs.
> 
> As a result, once a family purchases a car they usually have every
> incentive to use it as much as possible in order to "get their money's
> worth." In many cases, it costs as much or more to ride a bus as it would
> to purchase the fuel for a particular trip.
> 
> Effective reductions in vehicle use require a number of strategies that
> increase the marginal cost of driving and automobile-dependent lifestyles,
> and reduce the marginal cost of alternatives. Cost doesn't just mean just
> financial expenses. It also refers to time, comfort, convenience and
> prestige. 
> 
> Advertising campaigns can provide useful information about alternatives,
> and perhaps make them somewhat more prestigious, but I don't think they do
> much good alone. Perhaps 5% of trips can be shifted by persuasion. Our
> analysis indicates that one-third to one-half of all automobile trips could
> be eliminated by simply removing a number of current distortions in
> transportation markets that inappropriatly favor automobile travel. 
> 
> I therefore favor implementing a combination of travel demand management
> measures, including:
> 
> *  Converting fixed vehicle costs (insurance and registration fees) to
> variable costs.
> *  Charging drivers directly for parking, roads and pollution.
> *  Providing better travel alternatives (transit, jitneys, car-sharing,
> bicycling, walking & telecommuting).
> *  Providing time and comfort advantages to alternative modes.
> *  Encouraging more efficient land use (location efficient development).
> *  Promotion campaigns to encourage more efficient travel choices.
> 
> 
> If we simply start with the last step, promotion campaigns, when other
> measures are not in place, we setting ourselves up for failure by asking
> people to make changes that are simply not rational or fair. 
> 
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Todd Litman, Director
> Victoria Transport Policy Institute
> "Efficiency - Equity - Clarity"
> 1250 Rudlin Street
> Victoria, BC, V8V 3R7, Canada
> Phone & Fax: 250-360-1560
> E-mail:      litman at islandnet.com
> Website:     www.islandnet.com/~litman
> 
>