[sustran] Re: TDM in Perth, WA - 14% car-driver trip reductio n

[Perkins, Alan (TSA)]

Dear Sustran Colleagues and Kisan,

The South Perth project is the most extensive of a number of Travel
Behaviour Change projects that are being tested in Australia at present.
Two techniques have been applied so far, but others are likely to be
developed, given the enthusiasm for these approaches amongst the sustainable
transport community here.

The Perth TravelSmart project has been applied to a local government area of
35,000 people.  The reported reductions in car use are for the whole of the
government area (from which around 40% of households participated).  One
commentator has noted that if the reduction in car travel/energy/emissions
proves over time to be half as good as the 14% achieved in South Perth, it
will be an excellent outcome when compared with other travel demand
management measures so far developed.

The technique, called Individual Marketing (IndiMark(tm)), involves phone
contact with all households in the area, identifying the proportion of
respondents who would be interested in making some changes in travel
behaviour, and supplying them with information - eg. public transport
timetables, maps of cycling routes, information on local facilities.  For a
proportion of respondents there are follow-ups with household visits.  In
South Perth modest improvements were made to public transport infrastructure
(eg. new bus stops including timetables, some additional evening services),
but mostly there was reliance on people changing their behaviour.  The
contention of IndiMark is that minor changes in people's behaviour (eg. each
family member replaces half a dozen car trips a month with
walking/cycling/public transport trips) achieve significant cumulative
reductions in total car travel.

Another technique that has been applied in suburbs in Adelaide and Brisbane
is called Travel Blending (Travel Blending®).  It is based on the hypothesis
that if people have an understanding of the aim of reducing the adverse
impact of private motor vehicle use in relation to their own lives, they
will be in a position to make the changes that best suit their own
circumstances.

The method of Travel Blending® involves participants completing seven day
travel diaries to gain an understanding of their personal and household
travel patterns.  The diaries are analysed and the participants are provided
with suggestions on how they individually and as a household might reduce
their motor vehicle travel and increase the overall efficiency of their
travel.  These suggestions are supported by customized information (bus
timetables, maps, cycle hire, guides to local services etc.) which will
assist participants in implementing the suggestions.  Participants are
encouraged to complete a second seven day travel diary approximately a month
after starting to make the changes so that changes can be measured and
further feedback can be provided.

The Travel Blending® and IndiMark(tm) approaches have the following features
in common:
·	They seek to fill the gap between raising people's awareness of the
need to change and people actually changing their travel 	behaviour.
·	They involve a degree of dialogue and information exchange with
individuals and households.
·	They are based on the concept that small changes in individual and
household behaviour can produce a significant aggregate 	reduction in
the adverse consequences of motor travel.

Of particular interest to Sustraners may be the reported results of an
application of Travel Blending in Santiago (was anyone on the SUSTRAN
network involved in this?).  A 17% reduction in car driver trips (as a
proportion of participating and non-participating households combined) was
achieved, with a 23% reduction in car driver kilometres and a 17% reduction
in time spent travelling (info. provided by the proponents of Travel
Blending, Steer Davies Gleave).

More information can be obtained on-line about TravelSmart in Perth from a
recent article in the current edition of World Transport Policy and Practice
Vol 7 No 4, http://www.ecoplan.org/wtpp/    There is due to be a further
article describing both IndiMark and Travel Blending in the next edition.

The conclusions that I draw from these travel behaviour change initiatives
are that people are prepared to make modest changes to travel behaviour away
from car reliance (a) as their awareness of the adverse impacts of excessive
car use rises, and (b) where they can see personal benefits such as having
more time available, saving money on petrol, improving personal health and
fitness.

However, if these projects become widespread, they need to be supported by
government policies - improved public transport services, local area traffic
restraint etc. - rather than having governments adopting travel behaviour
change programs as a cheap way of reducing congestion or meeting greenhouse
abatement targets, without the associated shift in emphasis from
car-orientated polcies to car restraint policies.

Regards,


Alan Perkins

Dr Alan Perkins
Adviser, Sustainable Transport and Planning
Transport Policy Group
Transport SA
PO Box 1
Walkerville
South Australia
5081
ph 61 (8) 8343 2436
fax 61 (8) 8343 2939
alan.perkins at transport.sa.gov.au


-----Original Message-----
From: kisan mehta [mailto:kisansbc at vsnl.com]
Sent: Tuesday, 19 February 2002 11:55 AM
To: sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org; howes at emirates.net.ae
Subject: [sustran] Re: TDM in Perth, WA - 14% car-driver trip reduction


Dear SustranColleagues, Alan and Jacqui,

Weare interested in getting full info.  We are now up
against Mumbai Urban Transport Project that the World
Bank wants to support for promoting motorisation and increasing
pollution.Thanks in advance.  Best wishes.

Kisan Mehta and Priya Salvi
----- Original Message -----
From: Alan P Howes <howes at emirates.net.ae>
To: <sustran-discuss at jca.apc.org>; <transit-prof at yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Monday, February 18, 2002 7:49 PM
Subject: [sustran] TDM in Perth, WA - 14% car-driver trip reduction


The latest issue (to reach me) of the UK transport magazine LTT has an item
on the above - also quotes 17% increase in
PT trips, 61% cycling, 35% walking.

Anyone interested in seeing it? I could scan it.

I was particularly thinking of Todd Litman - not sure which
list he's on.
--
Alan & Jacqui Howes, Dubai, UAE (Otherwise Perthshire, Scotland)
alaninthegulf at yahoo.co.uk (Alan)        cybermog57 at yahoo.co.uk (Jacqui)
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/alanhowes/  [Needs Updating!]