[sustran] Reducing car use for short trips

[Roger Mackett]

POTENTIAL FOR MODE TRANSFER OF SHORT TRIPS

Recently we at the Centre for Transport Studies at University College
London completed a project with this title for the UK Department of the
Environment, Transport and the Regions. The reports on the project can be
obtained from: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/transport-studies/shtrp.htm.

The objective of the project was to contribute to UK Government policy to
encourage walking, cycling and the use of the bus instead of the car for
short trips (less than 5 miles or 8 kilometres). 

The approach adopted in this research was to identify a number of short
trips by car and then discuss with those making them, the alternatives
which they might adopt. A two-stage survey procedure was adopted. The first
stage involved collecting information on all trips made over a two-day
period in five areas of the country (London, Leeds, Ipswich, Hereford and
Dorset). The second stage involved detailed discussions about alternatives
for the short car trips made during the two days by some of those who made
short car trips. The surveys were carried out by Steer Davies Gleave in the
second half of 1998. 

The 377 in-depth interviews about short trips by car have been analysed to
establish why the car was used, what alternatives were perceived and what
would induce a change to the alternatives. Alternatives to the car were
identified for nearly 80% of short car trips, with business and work trips
the least likely to transfer, and taking children to school the most
likely. Of all the short trips by car, it seems that about 31% could
transfer to walk, 31% could go by bus and 7% could be cycled. The single
policy intervention that the respondents said would do most to attract them
out of their cars would be to improve bus services which could attract up
to 21% of car drivers, particularly increasing route coverage and
frequency. There is little in the nature of specific policy intervention
that could encourage more walking or cycling, so it would require personal
initiative. Hence there is a need to make car
drivers more aware of the benefits of walking and cycling. 

The main findings of this work are available in two main reports: one
reviewing existing data and the literature in this field, and the other
describing the results of the surveys. They can be obtained via the UCL
website at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/transport-studies/shtrp.htm. The executive
summaries of these two reports can be obtained separately from this
website, since the reports are rather long. (The executive summaries are
included in the full reports). A brief factsheet containing the main
findings from the surveys has been produced. A paper presented at the
European Transport Conference (ETC) held in Cambridge in September 2000 can
also be accessed. The files are all portable document (pdf) files that can
be read using Adobe Acrobat software. 

Comments on the work and suggestions for further dissemination are welcome.

Roger Mackett


______________________________________________________________________

Professor Roger Mackett
Centre for Transport Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
Great Britain

Tel: (+44) 020 7679 1554 (Please note new number)
Fax: (+44) 020 7679 1567 (Please note new number)
e-mail: rlm at transport.ucl.ac.uk



______________________________________________________________________

Professor Roger Mackett
Centre for Transport Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
Great Britain

Tel: (+44) 020 7679 1554 (Please note new number)
Fax: (+44) 020 7679 1567 (Please note new number)
e-mail: rlm at transport.ucl.ac.uk



______________________________________________________________________

Professor Roger Mackett
Centre for Transport Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
Great Britain

Tel: (+44) 020 7679 1554 (Please note new number)
Fax: (+44) 020 7679 1567 (Please note new number)
e-mail: rlm at transport.ucl.ac.uk



______________________________________________________________________

Professor Roger Mackett
Centre for Transport Studies
University College London
Gower Street
London
WC1E 6BT
Great Britain

Tel: (+44) 020 7679 1554 (Please note new number)
Fax: (+44) 020 7679 1567 (Please note new number)
e-mail: rlm at transport.ucl.ac.uk