BackgroundSince 2001 Sustrans, in partnership with international travel research institute Socialdata, has been testing an innovative Individualised Marketing technique for increasing walking, cycling and use of public transport in the UK.
Due to a lack of personal experience of, or information on the options available, travelling by foot, bike or public transport can seem less attractive than it actually is. As a result most people make trips by car which could easily be made by other modes.
TravelSmart involves direct contact with households to encourage people to make greater use of alternatives to car travel by offering them personalised travel information, advice and incentives to try new ways of getting around.
Each TravelSmart project includes detailed evaluation using travel surveys before and after the marketing to measure the effects on travel behaviour.
Implementation
Pilot projects in Frome and Gloucester during 2001 - 2002 resulted in a reduction in car use of between 6 and 9%. Following the success of these projects, Sustrans was commissioned by five local authorities to implement TravelSmart in a range of settings, using a range of measurements to evaluate when and where the technique is likely to work best.
In Bristol, a new project targeting 5,000 people in Bishopston will combine with an ongoing TravelSmart project in south Bristol, which is part of an EC-funded VIVALDI initiative, and will include spatial analysis of travel behaviour.
In Gloucester TravelSmart has been applied across the entire 10,000 population of Quedgeley, with additional evaluation provided by bus passenger counts.
A project in Sheffield will compare the effects of TravelSmart on a new housing development and an older neighbourhood, both situated on a tram corridor in the Hillsborough area.
In Cramlington the project will measure the impact of TravelSmart on the use of a town-wide walking and cycling network together with local public transport services.
In Greater Nottingham, two parallel pilot projects will test the impacts of TravelSmart in two contrasting urban areas, Lady Bay and Meadows, both connected to the city centre by a newly upgraded bus corridor. |
Final reports for these projects are due in summer 2004. Sustrans is now working on a range of development activities to ensure TravelSmart achieves its full potential for reducing traffic across the UK.
ConclusionsWithin the target population the use of sustainable transport modes increased between 8% and 20%. In the years 2003-04 seven projects reaching 13 000 household were conducted. Within this group of people a reduction of 9% to 14% could be observed. The best results were achieved in the modal shift from private car use to walking. Many other people also changed their mode of transport and started to use public transport instead of individual motorized vehicles.
More informationSustrans website with more info on TravelSmartAuthorAngela Wescott
Contact Angela Wescott
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