Newcastle University

Project

Newcastle University Estates – Focus groups on travel behaviour

Staff: Mr Gareth Evans, Dr Amy Guo and Mr Simon Edwards (TORG), with Mrs. Lynne Edis (NU Estates)
Sponsors: Newcastle University Internal Contract

Mr Gareth Evans, Dr Amy Guo and Mr Simon Edwards (TORG), with Mrs. Lynne Edis (NU Estates)
2010, £1719

In conjunction with Newcastle University Estates, the Transport Operations Research Group will be running a series of Focus Groups on Travel Behaviour. Through the University Travel Plans (http://www.ncl.ac.uk/estates/services/travel/TravelPlan.htm), Estates have managed to reduce car use for travelling to/from the University by 7.2% (2008 versus 2006 figures) to 34%, exceeding the original 2011 target (36%) for reducing car use. A revised target for 2011 has been set at 29% and Estates are working hard to convert more employees to more sustainable modes of transport, helping move towards a further reduction in the University’s Carbon Footprint

There is some concern that the observed reduction in car drivers will level out unless the University can gain a greater understanding about why current car drivers continue to drive to work. Therefore, the key questions to be addressed in through the Focus Groups are concerned with understanding exactly why dedicated car users continue to use their cars? It is acknowledged that there will always be a small percentage of ‘hardcore’ car users who will refuse, or are perhaps unable, to swap modes; however, there are also those car users who could be tempted to make the switch to Public Transport with some assistance.

To help the drive towards greater modal shift, it is essential to understand the underlying issues preventing these car users from switching to, or at least occasionally using, Public Transport. National travel campaigns indicate that converting only 1-in-25 car journeys to PT will remove 1 billion car journeys from the nation’s roads, reducing CO2 emissions by 2 million tonnes (http://www.greener-journeys.com/).

The Focus Groups will investigate the issues and opinions from three types of user:

• Dedicated car users
• Dedicated Public Transport users
• Those who use a mixture of modes (e.g. car users, who occasionally use the bus)

The main issues/questions to be addressed will be as follows:

• Why do car users continue to use their cars for commuting?
• What are the perceived barriers to Public Transport use which prevent car users from making the switch?
• What are the specific issues which need to be overcome?
• Would car sharing be a viable option for more people, if they were aware of the possibilities?
• Why do Public Transport users actually use Public Transport? (E.g. Do they have no other option, is it a conscious decision or something they enjoy?)
• What changes would Public Transport users like to see to improve their journeys?
• What actions do Public Transport users believe will have the greatest impact in attracting non-users out of their cars?

The output of these Focus Groups will be used in conjunction with the results from the latest round of University-wide Travel to Work Surveys. All information will be used to help understand what future actions are needed to continue the shift towards sustainable travel options.

Focus Group Report