Wales
Smarter Choices: Changing the Way We Travel
‘Smart’
transport measures such as workplace travel plans and personalised travel
plans have great potential to reduce car use. This study evaluated the
contribution that smart measures could make under different policy scenarios.
It found that intensive implementation of smart measures could cut peak-time
urban traffic by up to a fifth, with lower but still significant cuts
in non-urban areas. The research played an influential role in the review
of the Government’s 10 year transport plan, and has encouraged local
authorities to develop their ‘smart choice’ work.
This major research was commissioned by the Department
for Transport from Transport for Quality
of Life, University College London, Eco-Logica and Robert Gordon University.
Download the report, "Smarter Choices: Changing the Way We Travel" from the Department for Transport website here.
Download the "Smarter Choices Case Studies",
which include detailed evidence on why different types
of ‘smart’ intervention have been successful here.
Download our summary report, "Making Smarter Choices Work", which explains how local authorities can develop large-scale Smart Choice Programmes here.
Smarter Choices and Carbon Emissions
This
scoping study evaluated the contribution that smart measures could make
to reducing carbon dioxide emissions, and
the policy package necessary to make the most of these measures. It found
that smart measures offer a highly cost-effective way of reducing carbon
emissions, compared to other methods. The findings contributed to the
Government’s UK Climate Change Programme.
The study was by the Smarter Choices team (Transport
for Quality of Life, University College London,
Eco-Logica and Robert Gordon University) for the Department for Transport.
‘Smarter Choices and Carbon Emissions’ will be published later this year.
Making School Travel Plans Work
Most
schools that become involved in school travel planning are successful
in cutting car use. Reductions of around 20% are quite common, and some
schools achieve more than this.
This research project involved 30 in-depth case studies of successful school travel plans, and evaluated what factors were most important in determining their success.
'Making School Travel Plans Work’ was commissioned by the Department for Transport and project-managed by Carey Newson on behalf of Transport 2000 Trust. The project team involved University College London, Adrian Davis Associates, Sustrans, Cleary Hughes Associates and Transport for Quality of Life.
‘Making School Travel Plans Work’ will be published later this year.
Tools for Travel Planning in Urban Areas: a Guide for Local Authorities
This
overview of travel planning measures describes the individual tools used
in travel planning, how they can be put together in a package, and how
much change a local authority can achieve at site level and across an
entire town.
The project was carried out for London Borough of Southwark
and University
of Westminster, as part of the European OPTIMUM2 programme.
Download a copy of Tools for Travel Planning in Urban Areas here. (pdf 300kb).
Less Traffic where People Live: How Local Transport Schemes can Help Cut Traffic
This
report deals with local transport schemes, such as bus improvements, travel
plans and better cycling facilities. It looks at whether they could help
cut traffic, and how much. Until recently, it was accepted wisdom that
the impact of these measures on car travel was at best marginal, and that
once any benefit was eroded through induced traffic the net effect on
traffic volumes and congestion was negligible. ‘Less Traffic where
People Live’ challenged the accepted wisdom, suggesting local transport
schemes could potentially cut traffic by as much as a third in urban areas.
Its findings prompted the Department for Transport
to commission the Smarter Choices research.
This study was funded by a Built Environment Fellowship from the Royal
Commission for the Exhibition of 1851.
Download a copy of Less Traffic where People Live here.
(pdf 900kb).
Rural Transport Futures: Transport Solutions for a Thriving Countryside
Other
European countries have much better rural transport than Britain. This
project examined three rural case study areas in the Netherlands, Germany
and Denmark, and identified best practice in relation to demand-responsive
transport, public transport integration, sustainable tourism, mobility
management and cycling.
The project was funded by Transport 2000 Trust, the Countryside Agency and Citizens’ Advice. The project team was Transport for Quality of Life, Jonathon Bray, John Whitelegg and Paul Salveson.
Download a summary of Rural Transport Futures here.
(pdf 300kb).
Buy a print copy of the full Rural Transport Futures report (72pp) at
£15.00 from Transport 2000 Trust.
http://www.transport2000.org.uk
Beyond Transport Infrastructure: Lessons for the Future from Recent Road Projects
This
report examined the effects of road schemes on traffic growth, landscape
and development pressure. It looked at the appraisal process before a
road is built
and the evaluation process afterwards. There are three detailed case studies:
the Newbury Bypass, M65 Blackburn Southern Bypass and Polegate Bypass.
The study showed traffic growth far in excess of official predictions
and unsustainable car-based development.
It highlighted the failure of the appraisal process to capture these important
real-life consequences
of road-building.
The work was commissioned by the Countryside Agency and CPRE and the project team was Transport and Environment consultancy, Transport for Quality of Life, and John Elliott Consultancy.
Download a copy of ‘Beyond Transport Infrastructure’ from the CPRE website here.
Sustainable Transport for Wales
This
document examined what the Welsh Assembly Government could do to create
a truly sustainable and fair transport system for Wales. It laid out policies
to give companies and the public options to go about their business with
less dependence on cars and lorries. Its financial analysis showed that
76% of present transport spending in Wales goes on roads, an emphasis
inconsistent with the Welsh Assembly’s commitment to sustainability.
The report was commissioned by Sustrans Cymru to coincide with the publication of the Welsh Assembly Government’s draft Wales Transport Strategy.
Download a copy of ‘Sustainable Transport for
Wales’ in Welsh or English from the Sustrans website here.