This report provides the results of a survey carried out by the Automobile Association (AA) of its employees' travel to work patterns and the problems they encountered. The study examines ways of reducing car use for journeys to and from work, as well as changes in working practices to reduce the amount of commuting at peak times. A detailed questionnaire was sent to 6700 staff all over Great Britain; a 38% response rate was achieved. The results indicated that: a) over 50% of AA's employees sampled travelled to work by car every day of the week. Many used these cars during or immediately after the working day either for business use or for social or domestic purpose; b) over 50% stated congestion as a problem, although about 33% had no problems; c) the majority of car drivers thought that public transport was considerable more costly than travel by car, as well as being longer and less convenient; d) over 20% gave a lift to another person, at least once a week; e) there was only a limited support for a formal car sharing scheme; f) suggestions that might change working patterns were supported by nearly all employees. Brief details about the AA Carshare scheme are also provided.
Abstract