To gauge the effect of transport on inner area residents' access to jobs elsewhere in a city, a household survey of 3000 employed adults was carried out in 1978 in a part of the inner area and two outer areas of greater Manchester. Results from the survey show that in the inner area, vehicle ownership was lower; fewer workers held driving licences; a lower proportion of workers used a car for the work journey; journey distances were shorter and journey times longer; access to public transport was generally higher than in outer areas but circumferential routes had infrequent services and buses were often full and bunched during peak hours. Semi- and unskilled workers resident in the inner area had the lowest levels of personal mobility. This group also suffered from low levels of geographical mobility. Typically, they changed jobs more frequently but within a local area. These groups moved home less frequently and their migration distances were shorter. Within this group, those who used a car for the work journey travelled longer distances (5.5 miles) to work than those who travelled by bus (3.7 miles).
Abstract