This report examines: (1) how British motorists travel to mainland Europe; (2) differences in Europeans' driving habits, travel, and transport infrastructure; and (3) the different concerns that European motorists have. Every year, over 14% of British motorists take their cars to Europe; most of these trips are taken during summer holidays, and over 25% of them pass through the Channel Tunnel. The report gives examples of how travel patterns differ across Europe; some of the key factors affecting these patterns are: how far people live from work, population density, and degree of urbanisation. There has generally been a move of population from inner city areas to suburbs. Car ownership per unit population has been rising in every part of Europe, and is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Transport by road dominates travel throughout Europe. National motoring stereotypes seem to be supported by the statistics and by what people say about themselves. Motorists tend to buy cars made in their own country. Some of the negative effects of the car, such as accident rate, vary between countries. Noise, vibration, and air pollution vary considerably, as to approaches to treat them. Motorists in six European countries were asked to rank their concerns from a list of ten issues known to worry UK motorists; differences between countries and between individuals were found.
Samenvatting