The aspiration to reduce travel is one embraced by both transport and planning professions in the goal towards sustainability, and possible travel reduction stragegies encompass a range of policy measures including constraining car use, promoting alternative modes, land use planning and technological substitution. This paper reports on the findings of the DANTE study whose output is a Good Practice Guide demonstrating ways in which travel reduction can best be achieved. The paper firstly summarises the impacts of travel reduction measures, drawing from case studies in seven European countries, and noting where these have been more or less successful in changing travel behaviour. This analysis points to the complexities of policy-behaviour interactions and the ability to achieve travel reduction by particular measures. Also reviewed are the positive barriers to implementation, such as institutional or cultural constraints, and how these might be overcome.
Abstract