the car in british society launch pj - rac foundation 2 nd 3rd 4th highest 27 public transport is...

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The Car in British Society

Launch


Welcome

David HolmesChairman

Royal Automobile Club Foundation


Key Findings

Elizabeth Gilliard

Peter Jones

Scott Le Vine

Karen Lucas

John Polak


The Report….

� Looks at the role of the car in contemporary British Society

� Provides an update on the 1995 RACF Car Dependence Report (Trends to 1990)

� Was carried out by researchers at Imperial, UCL and Oxford Universities


What we Did….

� Analyse GB National Travel Survey data, from 1989 to 2006: 7 day diaries

� Review literature and attitude surveys� Five focus groups with the public� Interviews with professionals� Workshop with experts


Headline Findings - 1

NOTE: analyses up to 2006/2007 (pre fuel price increases and current recession)

� Car ownership and use now the norm in most British households

� Car is central to most people’s daily travel� Cars are used through a mix of choice and

necessity, but with growing reliance over time� Most people without car access are seriously

disadvantaged� For most individuals, benefits of car ownership/

use far outweigh disbenefits, but growing concerns about environment


Headline Findings - 2

� Since 1990, car ownership and use have grown and extended across the population, to reach poorer people, older people and more women.

� BUT, in recent years, growth in use per person has stabilised – despite increasing car ownership – so each car now used less

� Reasons for halt in growth in car use unclear� Likely future political and economic pressures to

sharply reduce car use from current levels – but this will cause widespread hardship and be strongly resisted, unless carefully planned for


Dominance of the Car

� Over 80% of people live in a household with a car� 70% of adults have a driving licence� Nearly two-thirds of all daily trips are by car� Three-quarters of daily mileage is by car� People in households in bottom income quintile make

45% of daily trips & 65% of mileage by car� 40% of people in non-car owning households make at

least one outing per week by car� But use is moderate: 46% travel less than 5,000 miles/

year by car, only 37% travel more


Importance of Cars to People

‘I’d do everything I could to keep the car. I’d probably get another job. It wouldn’t bother me really, the freedom you get from your car compared to the time you spend working to provide for it just doesn’t compare.’

‘It would mean my children wouldn’t get as many different places as what they do now, they wouldn’t be able to do as many clubs and social things. Shopping would be difficult because I’d have to try and get to work, get out to the shop, get back, pick the children up, pick them up and take them, it would be very difficult time-wise for me.’


Benefits Disbenefits

To users

� Freedom to travel where & when desired

� Cheap travel at point of use� Access to wider range of

goods and services

� Ease of movement (for passengers & goods)

� Sense of power & identity

� Costs of car purchase and maintenance (if on low income)

� Stress of driving� Lack of physical exercise

� Chauffeuring requirements

� Traffic accidents

To society

� Expands labour and customer markets

� Facilitates greater diversity of skills and activities

� Important manufacturing and service sector

� Congested road networks

� Contributions to local air and noise pollution

� Contribution to CO2 emissions

� Car-based developments preclude non-car access

The Car Benefits Score Card


Car Use: Choice or Necessity?

� There is a spectrum of car dependence� Most people recognised that, for some of

their car trips, there were alternatives� But there were many trips where there

was no viable alternative� Where there were alternatives, sometimes

they were inconvenient or expensive


Growing Reliance on Cars

‘I don’t see myself living in a world where I have no car... I think the problem is at the back of my mind I’ve got this psychological barrier that says I cannot abandon ship.’

‘It’s the same as a mobile phone, everyone survived before, never had one before and now can’t live without them.’


Trends Over Time

� For much of study period, continuation of historic pattern of increasing car ownership and use

� Increasing ‘level playing field’, as car use spreads across the population, both socially and geographically


Gender Equality in Car Use


Decreasing Income Inequalities


Car Use/Person is Stabilising


Car Use/Person is Stabilising

Though national car traffic continues to grow, due to increases in population of driving age


Why is Car Use Stabilising?

We don’t know for sure:

� Greater overseas travel?� Car ownership spreading to less mobile

population groups?� Completion of land use adjustments to motorway

building programme?

� Increase in congestion (door-to-door speeds are falling)?

� Policies to encourage modal switch are working?


Facing the Future

� Likely to be growing pressure over time to reduce current levels of car use:� CO2 targets: 80% reduction by 2050� Resumption of high fuel prices after recession

� Study shows that people have already shown some flexibility, but will be resistant to major reductions in their car use

� Need to better understand adjustment processes and options……..


The Adjustment Process


‘The Car in British Society’

Professor Stephen Glaister CBEDirector

Royal Automobile Club Foundation


The RAC Foundation – What we do

A self-funded Charitable Trust

Explore economic, mobility, safety & environmental issues

& campaign for a fair deal for responsible road users.

Independent, authoritative research & informed debate.


This report is a statement of …

Facts about how ordinary people chose to own and use cars

Reported opinions expressed by

groups of private individuals

transport planning professionals

It is not views about what is “good” or “bad”

Nor policy prescriptions


The RAC Foundation’s views

on some of the implications for policy…


The car has become commonplace

� 80% households have a car� Two-thirds of all trips are made by car

The car is becoming available to rich and poor alike

Lowest 2 nd 3rd 4th Highest


Public transport is used by higher income households

0

20

40

60

80

100

120

140

160

141 160 233 261 303 362 479 584 683 990

We e kly house hold gross income (£)

Wee

kly

exp

end

itu

re

(£)

Operation of pes onal trans port P urchas e of Vehicles Bus and Coach

Rail and Tube Combined Fares


People value cars very highly

Average household spend on cars is similar to housing and food

And this is why …

“Cars provide flexibility, convenience and freedom, and are associated with status and self esteem”

“Our focus groups have indicated that car owners value highly the freedom and independence having a car offers them, as well as the wider access to goods and services it can provide.” (Lucas and Jones, 2009)

Are people’s real needs given appropriate weight in policy, compared to public transport?


Policy Challenges

� Traffic Congestion � Climate Change� Energy security� Public Health� Air Quality and Noise� Social Exclusion and fairness � Well-being


MOBILITY can be protected!

Many problems can be addressed

without damaging fundamental benefits from cars

Smaller, lighter, more efficient petrol & diesel vehicles

Eco-driving: correct tyre pressures, gentle acceleration

Courteous and compliant driving

Hybrids

All-electric (& Hydrogen?) vehicles - but only when the electricity source is “clean”


Demand management

Smarter Choices – soft travel demand management

Fuel duty, VED, vehicle scrappage and other fiscal policies

Will the Budget recognise the impacts on private car users?

Road pricing – together with recycling of some of the revenues reform of motoring taxesimprovement in public transport where appropriatemore road capacity where economically justified


Clear and consistent policies give people time to adjust and can greatly reduce the inconvenience of the adjustment

Dealing with climate changeand managing demand does not remove the responsibility to provide adequate road capacity in the future.

High speed railways are unlikely to be an adequate response


Balance: benefits to users vs cost to others

Good policy must recognise the disadvantages of cars and their use …

… and seek an acceptable balance

The report shows that transport planners now recognise this

“find the appropriate place for the car”

Not simply

“cars are bad and public transport is good”


Policy towards the car

If car use must be curtailed in certain areasas part of a balanced policy response…

… then the loss of welfare to “responsible road users” must be properly accounted for and minimised

What are these losses and to whom?More research to be done.


Conclusions

� Britain is a car reliant nation� Car use is engrained in our everyday lives� Congestion and climate change are important policy

challenges� Much can be done whilst protecting the benefits of

mobility� Action to reduce car use has important consequences

� If mobility has to be curtailed, the detriment to quality of life must be properly assessed and minimised


Forthcoming RAC Foundation publications

Regulation of transport safety

Rates of return to transport investment

Governance and administration of roads

Quality of service to the travelling public

Gaps in road safety research

the car in british society launch pj - rac foundation 2 nd 3rd 4th highest 27 public transport is...

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