Reducing the impact of the car remains of continuing importance on the political and social agenda of most countries. One of the most interesting approaches to generating this change has been that which is based on individuals initiating change rather than the more traditional approach of intervention. An example of this individual approach is travel blending which is now being practised in both Australia and the UK. This paper presents a comparison of the results in Adelaide, Australia and Nottingham, UK with particular reference to the context in which the scheme operated. There were three contextual differences of particular interest. First, the Australian results reflect an approach to the general community while the UK example gives an indication of the 'value-added' when travel blending is used as an enhancement to a commuter plan. The second contextual difference is the existing environmental conditions - low levels in Adelaide compared with medium levels in Nottingham. Finally the way in which respondents saw travel blending as fitting into their value systems is reported - change is greatest when it supports people's current values systems (i.e. spending more time with family, increasing time for leisure, or saving money) and it is much more likely that positive environmental goals will also be achieved.
Samenvatting