Monday, August 3 2009
The people of Greater Glasgow appear to be flexible in their view of how to get about their city. They are as happy to get on a bus, train or walk as they are to use their car, as long it makes sense for them to do so in terms of convenience, time, and cost savings.
However, in many circumstances the car still remains the most convenient mode for those who have the choice.
Transport planner JMP Consultants found in a study of attitudes and cultural norms that the majority of respondents did not identify strongly with a particular mode of travel. Their motivations in choosing transport modes included health benefits, time savings, cost savings, sociability, image of the bus and safety and risk.
These findings provide important pointers for the commissioning body, the Glasgow Centre for Population Health, for the successful promotion of more healthy, sustainable and active travel in and around Glasgow.
Two innovative data collection techniques were used by JMP in the qualitative research. Two minute ‘vox pop’ video interviews were edited into a film to show planners, policy makers and the general Glasgow public what the views were of participants travelling in and around the city. There were also shared focus group sessions, with participant groups travelling by different modes brought together to learn from each other’s experiences of various travel modes in Greater Glasgow.
This methodology was designed using expertise from the Centre for Transport and Psychology, a joint venture between JMP and three universities.
Recommendations were made regarding policy and infrastructure improvement such as improved provision of information on bus travel and cycling, training in the use of alternative modes and provision of improved cycling facilities and their promotion. Further recommendations include examining bus priority and service scheduling, improving customer services, particularly on buses, crime prevention and promoting car clubs.
The study showed that on the whole walking was regarded positively, with strong health benefits and some cost and time advantages, as was cycling, although cycling was also perceived as very dangerous.
For those who do own a car, travel from the city centre was frequently undertaken on public transport to avoid parking costs and difficulties, and also due to high levels of traffic. For other study locations car owners were likely to drive, unless they had time and wanted to travel for free (those qualifying for free bus travel) or were motivated by health or cost concerns to walk or cycle.