9 September 2009

JAMS BETTER THAN CONGESTION CHARGES SAYS SURVEY

The Government’s drive to shift Britain to a green transport future is failing to persuade people to leave their cars at home, according to a new survey published today (9th September 2009) by CSS and conducted by Ipsos MORI.

While 45 per cent of people regard traffic jams in their own areas as having got worse in the last five years, it seems that they would rather put up with it than see congestion charging introduced in Britain’s towns and cities. Back in 2003, 72 per cent regarded local congestion as a problem. Six years later, the figure has reduced to 57 per cent. Over the same period, support for congestion charging outside London has fallen from 37 per cent to 27 per cent.

“It represents a huge challenge for government at all levels and for politicians,” says Mike Jackson, Chair of the CSS Finance Committee, which represents local authority directors responsible for environmental issues such as transport. “Public opinion seems to be hardening against a flagship policy.”

The issue is highlighted in the Ipsos MORI report for CSS – Survey of public attitudes towards transport 2009 – which includes analysis of changing trends over the past ten years.

The study shows that, while the proportion of people reporting using buses and trains in the last month has dropped six and eight percentage points since the CSS/MORI survey in 2003, car usage has fallen by just four points. But, while Britons are still very much wedded to their cars, there are also some glimmers of hope with users of public transport particularly positive about improvement.

The survey found that:

• 85 per cent of British adults have used a car in the last month (89 per cent in 2003).
• 44 per cent (2003 50 per cent) have travelled by bus and 27 per cent (2003 35 per cent) by train in the last month.
• Just over a third of bus users (34 per cent) now say local bus services are better than they were five years ago.
• 23 per cent of regular train users say that local railway services have improved in the last five years compared with just seven per cent in 2001.
• 19 per cent of Britons believe that facilities for pedestrians and cyclists have improved, but cyclists are more complimentary, with 30 per cent saying things are better.

Mike Jackson said: “It will surprise few of us that the car remains, by a distance, the most popular mode of transport. The sheer convenience of stepping from home direct into your own cocoon, and selecting your preferred speed (usually), temperature and entertainment, is a strong plus.

“While it is certainly encouraging that public transport is becoming more attractive as an alternative, there are also clear signals that people will only switch to buses or rail if the cost is reduced. Making it better and yet not prohibitively expensive is a major challenge.”

The survey also found that around a third of the general public feel that road and pavement maintenance has declined in their local area. Car drivers (44 per cent), cyclists (48 per cent) and motorcycle users (65 per cent) are significantly more dissatisfied with local road maintenance than adults as a whole and those using public modes of transport.

People living in the South East of England are among those particularly concerned about the maintenance of local roads and pavements. Over half (53 per cent) say it has worsened over the past five years.

Ends

Daybreak Communications 0845 644 3845

Barrie Hedges 07899 923756; barrie.hedges@daybreakcomm.co.uk

Michael Pullan 07789 886094; michael.pullan@daybreakcomm.co.uk

Notes to editors

• CSS represents local authority chief officers who manage some of the most pressing issues facing the UK today. Membership is drawn from all four corners of the United Kingdom with members responsible for three-quarters of the road network, two thirds of the land area and just under half the population of England and Wales. Operating at the strategic tier of local government, they are closely involved in crucial transport, waste management, environment, planning, energy and economic development issues.

• The Ipsos MORI report for CSS Survey of public attitudes towards transport, 2009 (including a full breakdown of survey results) is available from www.cssnet.org.uk

• The survey involved ten questions being placed on Ipsos MORI’s Omnibus and a nationally representative quota sample of 1,945 adults aged 16+ was interviewed throughout Great Britain. Interviews were carried out face-to-face in respondents’ homes between 10-16 July 2009 using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). Data have been weighted to reflect the known national population profile.