This publication provides an introduction to the major trends in domestic transport and travel in Great Britain over the past 25 years. Road traffic in Great Britain has grown by 87% since 1980, although it has grown less since 1990 than in the 1980s. Nearly a third of households now have access to two or more cars. Although the average number of trips people make has declined over the last ten years, the distance travelled and the time spent travelling has increased. The number of bus journeys has declined from the mid 1980s to the mid 1990s but has shown some increase in the last 7 years, mainly because of increased bus use in London and the introduction of free concessionary travel for elderly / disabled passengers. Rail travel has increased by over 60% since 1980. In 2006, adults in households with two or more cars travelled over three times further on average than those households without a car. The weight of goods lifted in Great Britain has increased by 34% since 1980 with most of that increase occurring during the 1980s. This increase was largely due to increases in the amount of goods lifted by road. The tonne kilometres moved has increased by 46% since 1980. UK residents made 69 million overseas visits in 2007 compared with 18 million in 1980, while the number of visits to the UK by overseas residents increased from 12 million in 1980 to 33 million in 2007. The growth in air travel accounts for the majority of the increases in visits to and from the UK. The passenger fatality rate for cars, the mode of transport most commonly used, has more than halved since 1980. Walking and cycling for travel purposes have both declined significantly over the past decade. Carbon dioxide emissions from domestic transport sources have increased by 54% since 1980. Despite an improvement in vehicle fuel efficiency, the fuel consumed by transport has increased due to growth in road traffic together with a substantial increase in international aviation. The full text of this publication may be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/pdf/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/trends/… (Author/publisher)
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