This report presents the latest in a series of household surveys designed to provide a databank of personal travel information for Great Britain. To summarize, the main points include: (1) On average, Great Britain residents travelled 7,000 miles in 2002. This was an increase of 8 per cent since 1991/1993, reflecting a 13 per cent increase in the average length of trip from 6.1 miles to 6.9 miles. (2) The average number of trips made in 2002 was 1,000 per person per year, 5 per cent less than in 1991/1993. (3) The total number of hours the average person travels in a year rose 5 per cent above the level which had prevailed for the last decade, reflecting an increase in the average time per trip for most modes and an increase in car driver trips. (4) 28 per cent of households in Great Britain did not have access to a car in 2002, compared with 32 per cent in 1991/1993. Only 20 per cent of people lived in households without a car as households without cars tend to be smaller than average. (5) The proportion of women holding full car driving licences has increased from 53 to 61 per cent since 1991/1993, while the proportion of men holding licences has remained at 81 per cent. Licence holding among all those aged 60-69 rose from 57 to 70 per cent over this period. (6) Car travel accounted for four fifths of the total distance travelled. Overall, the distance travelled by car increased by 10 per cent over the last 10 years. (7) The number of walking trips fell by over 20 per cent in the last 10 years. (8) The number of commuting trips per person per year fell by 8 per cent in the last 10 years, but the average trip length rose by 17 per cent. (9) Since 1991/1993, the proportion of primary-aged children walking to school has declined from 60 to 51 per cent, with an increase from 29 to 41 per cent in the numbers being driven to school. For secondary school pupils there was a similar shift from walking to car use. The Governments 10 year plan targets the following: (1) To triple the number of cycling stages by 2010 compared with the 2000 base of 18 stages per person per year. The estimate for 2002 was 17 stages per person per year. However, figures for single years need to be treated with caution because the sample sizes are small. (2) To achieve a one-third increase (from 35 per cent to 47 per cent) in the proportion of households in rural areas within about 10 minutes walk of an hourly or better bus service by 2010. The level for 2002 was 48 per cent. (3) The 10 Year Plan targets for bus and rail use are monitored using returns from operators as the National Travel Survey (NTS) does not measure all trips, for example the NTS excludes tourists and some students. (Author/publisher)
Samenvatting