Public Attitudes to Transport in England

Summary findings

• Transport continues to dominate both the national and local agenda. Three in ten people spontaneously cite transport as a main problem facing Britain today, while over four in ten see it as the most important local issue with congestion cited as the main problem
• The public is prepared to accept radical action to have a better transport system. Over half support CfIT's proposal of charging for driving on congested roads at peak times if the revenue generated is returned to transport users through cheaper petrol, lower road tax or public transport improvements (between 54% and 58% support), with only a quarter in opposition
• At 1635 to enter their local city/town centre, two-thirds of drivers would change at least some journeys by car, with a quarter stating that they would change all journeys by car, 20% would change most of them and 21% would change some of them
• Satisfaction with local public transport has improved over the past year. Satisfaction with bus services amongst users has increased from 56% in 2001 to 64% now, while the improvement for rail users is even more marked with 58% of users satisfied with local rail services now compared with 46% last year
• The public has grown much more pessimistic about transport over the past year, with our transport system now widely expected to get worse over the next 10 years, especially congestion
• Moreover, 43% think that Government has given less priority to transport over the past year than in previous years
• The public's outlook is more negative than positive on a wide range of transport issues over the next ten years. The balance of opinion expects improvements only for the integration of different modes and the safety of rail passengers, and expectation for these issues is markedly less optimistic than in 2001
• For the third year running, expectation is overwhelmingly pessimistic for future road conditions. Almost eight in ten expect congestion in towns and on major roads and motorways to get worse and the cost of using a car to rise (c. 77-78% each); and over six in ten believe vehicle pollution affecting people's health or global warming to deteriorate (62% and 67% respectively)
• In 2001 the public had high expectation for public transport. However, there are now concerns about higher public transport fares and future overcrowding, particularly for trains and the Underground
• Improved bus services can persuade people out of their cars. Six in ten of the general public support the policy of having more bus lanes in town centres which give bus users quicker journeys times, but leave less space for cars (57%). In fact, cutting bus journey time by at least a quarter would encourage around a quarter of motorists out of their cars
• Even more favoured than dedicated bus lanes are park and ride schemes -- supported by 82% -- which allow drivers to leave their car on the outskirts of a town or city and let the bus take them the remainder of the way
• There is evidence that a significant number of people would use their car less if the following schemes are introduced: charging for workplace parking, increasing town centre car parking costs by 1635, halving the number of car parking spaces, and providing dedicated school buses for school children
• However, significantly fewer people now say they would travel by car less if local bus services were better (47% in 2001 to 34% today). Greater bus (and train) usage requires improvement in punctuality, frequency and reliability and fares do not exceed the comparative marginal motoring costs
• The public's view on road building has notably shifted over the past two years with 45% now wanting the Government to build more motorways (40% in 2001 and 34% in 2000). There is also a slight increase in support for building more bypasses rising from 64% in 2000 to 67% now
• Overall, the majority support policies that seek to enhance and augment road and parking conditions. By far the most popular policy is for better road maintenance -- 93% support this, the same proportion as two years ago
• In 2001, there was considerable willingness to pay for an improved transport system. Although there continues to be support for congestion charging if the charges are channelled back into public transport, this year there has been a marked shift in the proportion of people who are prepared to pay higher taxes for better public transport -- from 42% in 2001 to 30% today. In fact, even fewer are prepared to pay higher taxes in order to have improved roads (26%)

• Topline results pdf -- 99K

Technical details

Results are based on 1,725 interviews with the general public in England, conducted face-to-face in home between 27 February and April 7 2002