Social sciences are one of the sources which guide efforts to influence mobility. However, the insights gained so far in travel behaviour appears to be rather difficult to access for policymakers who are in the middle of the daily practice. Knowledge seems fragmented, is spread across a multitude of reports and has been transferred insufficiently into recommendations and guidelines easy to handle in daily practice. The typical knowledge which has been penetrated to policy circles is usually in form of common sense knowledge: global notions which are felt to be universally known, but not well differentiated and sometimes superseded. Currently, an increased interest in the way those insights may result into knowledge manageable in practice can be observed. The task to decide to particular measures aimed to influence travel behaviour is served by theoretically based but manageable knowledge. One of the challenges to social research is to systematically apply and develop existing theories on behaviour. Converting results spread across a high number of studies into middle range theories will be facilitated then. This, in turn will allow for an explanatory approach of travel behaviour in general and aspects like mode choice and driving behaviour in particular. A next step is to translate those theories of the middle range to policy practice of all day and to alert policymakers to it. (A)
Abstract