REDUCING THE NEED TO TRAVEL

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REDUCING THE NEED TO TRAVEL
Mobile Network Seminar 16th May 2003

• David Banister
• The Bartlett School of Planning
• University College London

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The New Realism
Stage 1 - Consensus that projected traffic growth
is not sustainable Stage 2 - Proposed road
schemes will not solve the problem Stage 3 -
Limitations on the use of the car and
substantially raising the costs of travel Stage 4
- Awareness of the environmental and social costs
of unlimited mobility Stage 5 - Reduce the need
to travel - the only means to improve the
environment and congestion
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The Universal Problem
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Economic Solutions

• Internalising the social costs of transport
  through the pricing mechanism
• Fuel duty increases - but this will not stabilise
  CO2 emissions until 2010 abandoned in 1999
• Transport in EU15 has increased its carbon
  emissions by 160 m tonnes from 1990 - 2000
• A real doubling of petrol prices will reduce
  growth in traffic (1992-2006) from 65 to 30 -
  only a tripling of petrol prices will maintain
  traffic at current levels.

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Technological Solutions

• Technology has always solved the problems in the
  past and will solve them now
• Catalytic converters
• Cash for clunkers
• Electric, hybrid and hydrogen vehicles
• Regional clean air incentives market (RECLAIM)
• Alternative fuels

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Electric vehicles in Lillehammer
Mercedes New Electric Car (NECAR3)
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Free electric recharging in Copenhagen and Free
unrestricted parking for electric vehicles in
London
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Land Use and Planning Solutions

• Reduce journey lengths higher use of public
  transport and green modes of transport
• Encourage trip chaining location of services
  and facilities in close proximity
• Promoting high quality locations, including
  public transport interchanges where people want
  to spend time at with facilities transport
  development areas of

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Land Use and Planning Solutions

• Sustainable transport policy - Sustainable
  development
• 1. Development Principles
• 2. Social Audit
• 3. Quality Neighbourhoods

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Development Principles
Concentration and Diversity of Activities
Vitality
Less need to travel
Environmental security
Less reliance on the car
More use of green modes and public transport
More attractive and better quality town centres
Economic, Social and Environmental Benefits

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Development Principles

• 1. Density of Development
• As density increases
• Average trip length reduces
• Use of the car reduces
• Distance travelled reduces
• But causality has not been proved

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2. Size of Settlement

• The larger the settlement
• Shorter the trips
• Greater proportion of trips by public transport
• Use of car and total distance travelled decreases
• Thresholds need to maintain balance between
  people, jobs and a full range of facilities

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3. Availability of Employment

• Increases in consumption of travel by car
  commuting in UK is 60 from 1981-1991
• Need to put workplaces nearer to where people
  live, but the nature of work is changing
• Also locate workplaces in larger and public
  transport accessible locations

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Social Audit

• 1. Social Costs of Closure
• Savings to provider and additional costs to
  user
• 2. Social Costs of New Development
• Benefits to local economy and users of the new
  facility, extra travel (if any)
• 3. Development Levy
• On locations inaccessible by public transport

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Quality Neighbourhoods

• Locations where people, public transport and
  local facilities take precedence over the car
• Efficient interfaces between transport modes
• Non polluting local transport
• Provision of local based facilities
• Monitoring and control technologies to maintain
  high environmental quality

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Clear Zones and limited access areas -
Interchange point at boundary

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Streets for People
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Car Free Development Gruenenstrasse in Bremen
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Transport Development Areas

• At public transport accessible locations
• Encouragement of multi modal trips
• Office location and retail centres at TDAs
• Affordable housing units and car free developments

5. The new interchange points where people want
to meet and spend time and money
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• Conclusions
• Importance of land use and transport planning
• It provides the means to tackle the causes of
  unsustainable transport.
• By reducing the need to travel, it also meets
  social concerns about the equity of access to
  transport.
• It contributes to a more efficient transport
  system through reductions in resource
  consumption and greater use of public transport
  and green modes of transport.
• It improves the quality of life in cities
  through the creation of high quality
  neighbourhoods, a clean environment and enhanced
  accessibility.