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Shared Autonomous Vehicles are expected to significantly change transport and mobility, improving road safety, environmental impact and traffic efficiency. However, the successful implementation of a SAV mobility service strongly depends on public acceptance and adoption, which might be influenced by a number of factors, such as socio-demographic characteristics of potential users, and their expectations and perceptions towards the autonomous system. This study presents the results of a novel experiment carried out in a non-simulated environment, to explore car users’ preferences towards autonomous mobility options. Participants took part in a stated preference task before and after a brief exposure in a Shared Autonomous Vehicle. Interestingly, results show that the experience influenced people’s mode choice preferences, moving from car (the most preferred mode before the experiment) to autonomous taxi and shared autonomous taxi (after the experiment). The study and the results of the structural equation and the choice model also highlighted the importance of comfort in people’s preferences towards shared autonomous options.

The advent of road transport automation is suggested to be one of four key technological transitions that could amount to a major transformation in mobility practices. Specifically, fully Automated...

Powerful claims are being made about revolution in the transport sector, with digital technology seen as underpinning a new ‘ecosystem’ of more efficient, more pleasant, but less environmentally-damaging mobility. The chapter examines how far the claims of a radical shift towards more sustainable mobility are based on evidence, and the contextual conditions that would be necessary for such benefits to be realised. The four key technological shifts identified as part of the transition are interrogated: automation, electrification, digitally-enabled mobility, and collaborative-shared mobility. The benefits of ‘connected autonomous vehicles’ are found to be highly uncertain, in terms of extent and evolution, whereas electrification is confirmed as a necessary but not sufficient condition for more sustainable mobility. Digitally-enabled mobility is technically quite feasible, but continues to face considerable regulatory, institutional and financial barriers. Collective mobility is identified as the development which can potentially have the greatest impact on the sustainability of mobility, but its core claim, that middle-income citizens will choose to share small vehicles to achieve modest cost savings, is least supported by evidence. It is concluded that the traditional concerns of transport planning, such as congestion and inequality of access, will likely be persistent features of the new regime.

The introduction of shared autonomous vehicles into the transport system is suggested to bring significant impacts on traffic conditions, road safety and emissions, as well as overall reshaping travel behaviour. Compared with a private autonomous vehicle, a shared automated vehicle (SAV) is associated with different willingness-to-adopt and willingness-to-pay characteristics. An important aspect of future SAV adoption is the presence of other passengers in the SAV—often people unknown to the cotravellers. This study presents a cross-country exploration of user preferences and WTP calculations regarding mode choice between a private non-autonomous vehicle, and private and shared autonomous vehicles. To explore user preferences, the study launched a survey in seven European countries, including a stated-preference experiment of user choices. To model and quantify the effect of travel mode attributes and socio-demographic characteristics, the study employs a mixed logit model. The model results were the basis for calculating willingness-to-pay values for all countries and travel modes, and provide insight into the significant heterogeneous, gender-wise effect of cotravellers in the choice to use an SAV. The study results highlight the importance of analysis of the effect of SAV attributes and shared-ride conditions on the future acceptance and adoption rates of such services., Sustainability, 13 (9), ISSN:2071-1050

According to psychological theories of environmental affect, the physical environment moderates the walking experience and its psychological wellbeing benefits. The present paper further demonstrates that affective experiences also influence intentions to walk. A study to explore the influence of affective experiences of walking on walking intentions is reported. A sample of adults working or studying in Bristol, UK (n = 384) participated in an experiment involving virtual exposure to one of five environments, with evaluations of their affective experience and of intentions to walk in the setting. A subsample (n = 14) then took part in photo-elicited semi-structured interviews. Multiple regression analyses showed that affective experiences of walking influenced walking intentions. Interview analyses highlighted the role of traffic, city busyness, and poor aesthetics. This is the first empirical study that examines the walking experience and related walking intentions from the pedestrian perspective employing theories of environmental affect. The findings indicate that safety, comfort, and moderate sensory stimulation are crucial elements for the walking experience. Following this, a strategy to promote active mobility in the built environment can be constructed around safety, comfort, and moderate sensory stimulation by targeting the micro elements that prevent them.

The transport policy discourse posits Shared Autonomous Vehicles (SAVs) as a more sustainable solution for the implementation of road automation technology. A successful implementation of SAV services strongly depends on being able to meet user's needs, as well as responding to their expectations. For this reason, the public has a central role in the definition of appropriate and realistic policies for the design, regulation and adoption of new automated mobility services. However, whilst there has been considerable attention to individuals' attitudes towards road transport automation, few have applied participatory or co-design methods to help define new SAV services. Moreover, most of the existing studies have also been hypothetical rather than examining vehicles in real service settings. This paper addresses these imbalances through reporting a two-stage research initiative. Initially a local shared automated vehicle service (LSAVS) concept was examined in a co-design workshop (Stage 1), leading to the development of a conceptual framework for social acceptance. This was then applied (Stage 2) in qualitative empirical research into the experiences of participants who rode in two different live prototype LSAVS. It was found that social considerations such as equity in access to mobility services, social inclusion, environmental protection, and concerns about control over interpersonal interactions emerged as strong acceptance factors within participants' construction of the conceptual services and responses to exposure to actual services. However, broad socio-political aspirations beyond transport policy were also important. It is concluded that achieving high levels of social acceptance where these utopian expectations meet commercial realities and public-sector constraints will be a major policy challenge facing any attempt to introduce an LSAVS with strong sustainable mobility credentials.

Autonomous Vehicles (AV) may become widely diffused as a road transport technology around the world. However, two conditions of successful adoption of AVs are that they must be synchronously shared, to avoid negative transport network and environmental consequences, and that high levels of public acceptance of the technology must exist. The implications of these two conditions are that travellers must accept sharing rides with unfamiliar others in Shared Autonomous Vehicles (SAV). Two factors that have been identified as being positive influencers of acceptance are comfort and trust. The present paper undertakes a novel examination as to how comfort and trust ratings are affected by specific attributes of the ride experience of travelling in a fully-automated real-world, shared vehicle. To this end, 55 participants experienced riding in an SAV shuttle under experimental conditions at a test facility. Each experimental run involved two unrelated participants, accompanied by a safety operative and a researcher, undertaking four trips in the SAV, during which two conditions were presented for each of the independent variables of ‘direction of face’ (forwards/backwards) and ‘maximum vehicle speed’ (8/16 km/h). Order of presentation was varied between pairs of participants. After each run, participants rated the dependent variables ‘trust’ and ‘comfort’ (the latter variable comprised by six comfort factors). Expected and evaluative ratings were also obtained during pre-experimental orientation and debriefing sessions. Statistically significant relationships (p < .001) were found between trust and each of the independent variables, but for neither variable in the case of perceived comfort. A strong correlation was found between comfort and trust, interpreted as indicating trust in the SAV as an important predictor of perceived comfort. The before and after-experiment ratings for both variables showed statistically significant increases, and particularly for daily car drivers.

Urban freight transport is crucial to ensuring the economic vitality of a city. However, significant negative “externalities” arise from freight flows in urban areas. Current solutions to reduce the impact of freight transport in urban areas aim at reducing the number of vehicles (e.g., introducing traffic regulations and restrictions, or providing for transhipment to lower-environmental impact vehicles at an Urban Consolidation Centre), or to reduce the polluting emissions of the delivery fleet (e.g., use of electric vans, electric scooters, cargo-bikes). However, the future might offer very different additional options. Hence, the chapter explores developments in automation (i.e., autonomous surface and aerial delivery vehicles), such as might achieve sustainability benefits through replacing or integrating with current delivery systems, including providing the “last mile,” in urban areas. Specifically, the chapter presents a review of current and future developments in automated urban freight transport systems and the results of a series of stakeholder engagement workshops on future solutions for urban freight. The chapter demonstrates that, despite the potential importance of automation for improving the efficiency and competitiveness of the urban freight sector, research evidence gaps exist related to the identification of competitive advantages for these new technologies, micro and macro-economic benefits, and the costs of those developments. It is also considered that, while there may be potential for automation in the urban delivery sector to enhance welfare, particularly in terms of quality-of-life-factors, significant practical and policy barriers remain.

Cities looking to embark on more sustainable development pathways may need to evaluate the controversial but usually impactful measure of road pricing as a means of reducing their reliance on conventionally fuelled automobiles. Understanding the mechanisms determining the public acceptability of road pricing could be critical for its implementation. Studying the attitudes of older people is of particular significance because of their increasing demographic and political importance and vulnerability to transport-related social exclusion. Prior research identified that older people's social norms and pro-social values affect their attitudes to road pricing. The present paper extends this understanding based on the results of three focus groups conducted in Bristol, UK. According to these, there are three distinctive expressions of pro-sociality: pro-environmental values and generativity, which are mainly drivers of support for road pricing, and pro-equity values, which are mainly drivers of opposition. Social norms have two particular expressions: subjective norms (i.e. norms reflecting participants' immediate social environment) and norms about others and society in general. Furthermore, a theory-driven thematic analysis indicates that trust on the integrity of the concept and older age as a life stage associated with ageing, retirement, lower income, mobility barriers and deteriorating health are important in how attitudes reflecting and affecting public acceptability to road pricing form. Finally, the paper highlights the need for packaging road pricing with measures promoting its pro-social potential and the importance of peer-to-peer communication and accepting citizens as “social influencers”, tailored consultation, pro-social branding, pre-implementation trials, clear administrative roles, transparency, and “political patience”.

The Venturer project is trialling an autonomous vehicle (AV) in the context of use on urban roads. This paper summarises a literature review undertaken to assist in developing a research agenda for the trialling. The first contribution of the paper is a framework of four use scenarios for AVs as follows: (1) fully segregated AV network, (2) motorway or expressway network, (3) typical urban network, (4) shared space. The paper then focuses on a review of the social interactions in the street environment and discusses issues concerning human behaviour in relation to autonomy. The second contribution of the paper is a set of research questions for AV trialling in relation to other road users, including, pedestrians and cyclists, which have emerged from the literature review.

Shared-use paths are those used by pedestrians and cyclists, either designed for them to mix freely within the space (unsegregated) or with the space allocated to each group by surface markings and signage (segregated). Mobility policy in a number of states is promoting greater use of shared-use paths, but there is only limited knowledge about the user experience, which can be expected to influence patronage. The paper examines experiences of user behaviour and user segregation, drawing on quantitative and qualitative research with pedestrians and cyclists on a heavily used, width-constrained path in Bristol, UK. It has been observed that pedestrians have a modest preference for segregation, while cyclists prefer non-segregation. Both groups exhibited varied, sometimes conflicting perceptions about how users should interact. It is concluded that it will not always be possible to optimise infrastructure design for all users and therefore recommended that the wider context of policy objectives and alternative routes for different user types be considered during design decisions. Whichever approach is taken to segregation, user communities will generally benefit from clear codes of conduct to promote a shared user culture. In the case of unsegregated paths, the separation of flows based on direction, rather than mode, of travel is recommended.

Mobility affords a range of benefits, but there are environmental, social and economic problems associated with current transport systems. Innovations to address these issues include novel technologies (e.g., electric and autonomous vehicles; EVs, AVs), and new business models and social practices (e.g., shared mobility). Yet, far more attention by policy-makers and researchers has been paid to the technical aspects of a low-carbon mobility transition than to social or psychological aspects, or the role of the user. In this paper, we integrate insights from the multi-level perspective on transitions and socio-psychological literature and draw on transport expert interview (N = 11) data, to examine (a) what influences current attitudes and behaviours in respect of EVs and AVs, and shared mobility, and (b) how this may change in the years to come. We argue that technological change may be most compatible with the transport regime (dominated by personal car-based mobility) but potentially affords a narrower range of sustainability benefits, while mobility substitution (e.g., reducing the need to travel through tele-working or -shopping) may be most challenging for both policy-makers and publics, while potentially addressing a wider range of sustainability problems associated with the transport regime. Shared mobility options sit somewhere in between and challenge certain aspects of the regime (e.g., status associated with car ownership) while offering certain environmental, social and economic benefits. For all three areas of innovation, policy interventions need to address the needs, preferences, experiences and identities of users if they are to be effective and sustainable.

© 2016 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. This paper explores the ways in which people use their travel-time on local buses, and explains how this knowledge can assist with efforts in many ‘auto-centric’ societies to make bus travel more attractive and encourage a shift away from excessive private car use. Framing the discussion around the concept of an ‘ideal bus journey’, this paper examines whether travel-time activities on-board the bus give subjective value to the journey experience. Particular attention is given to emergent mobile Information and Communications Technologies, which are rapidly reconfiguring the ways in which we can inhabit and use mobile spaces such as the bus. This paper reports a novel mixed-methodology, creating a synthesised analysis of online discussions, focus groups, and a large-scale questionnaire survey of 840 bus users in Bristol, UK. The findings demonstrate that the bus is a very active space, with high levels of travel-time activity. The most popular activities on the bus are those related to relaxation and personal benefit, such as reading, listening to music, and browsing the internet. It is the passengers themselves that are largely in control of their in-vehicle experience, being able to craft a range of different positive journey experiences through travel-time activity. However, negative experiences are very common, and there is a need to challenge unfavourable public perception and media representations of bus travel to create a more positive cultural construction of the bus which would allow for the concept of an ‘ideal journey’ to be more easily realised. Passengers are the main creators of their travel-time experience, however there is much that can be done by bus operators to facilitate different types of activity and encourage a desirable public space. The overarching message is that there is a distinct opportunity to unlock travel-time activity as a ‘Unique Selling Point’ of the bus. Creating a perception of the bus journey as a desirable piece of time will allow local bus services to compete with the car on their own terms, and assist with international efforts to encourage people out of their cars and onto public transport for some trips.

The psychological wellbeing potential of walking in urban environments has received limited attention from scholars, despite the important public health implications of identifying characteristics of urban settings that support wellbeing and encourage behaviour change. The study is the first to explore psychological wellbeing experiences of urban walking framed by theories of restorative environments and therapeutic landscape. Self-reported psychological wellbeing experiences of walking in urban settings were investigated with an innovative application of the photo-elicited interview. Fourteen adults took individual walks in Bristol city centre and photographed their journey; photographs were then discussed during the interview. Participants reported specific engagements with place related to personal connections, the identity of place, and sense of community that resulted in psychological wellbeing benefits. The findings also support the notion that non-natural elements can promote positive affective and cognitive appraisals. Building on the finding that also urban walking can support psychological wellbeing, the findings encourage future research into the health potential of different characteristics of built environments.

Background ACE (Active, Connected, Engaged) is a theory-informed, pragmatic intervention using peer volunteering support to promote active ageing in socially disengaged, inactive older adults. This study aimed to establish ACE’s feasibility and acceptability. Methods Fifty-four older adults were recruited as either peer volunteers (activators; n = 15) or participants (ACEs; n = 39). Participants were randomized to one-to-one support from an activator (ACEs-Intervention [ACEs-I]) or a waiting-list control group (ACEs-Control [ACEs-C]). Activators supported ACEs-I to get out more and engage with local activities. Objectively measured physical activity (PA), lower limb function, and number of out of house activities were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. A mixed-methods process evaluation assessed changes in confidence to get out and about, social support, autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Results Eighty-two percent of ACEs (mean age = 73.7 years [SD 7.3]) and all activators completed assessments at both baseline and post-intervention (6 months). ACEs-I reported more out of house activities (M [SD] = 6.34 [4.15]). ACEs-I increased physical function post-intervention (M [SD] = 9.8 [2.3]). ACEs-I reported improved well-being and vitality and increased confidence to get out and about, confidence in the face of specific barriers, knowledge of local initiatives, and perceived social support post-intervention. Activators, although sufficiently active at baseline, increased their PA further. ACE was well-accepted and easy to deliver. Conclusions ACE is an acceptable and feasible intervention for helping socially disengaged older people to get out and about more, improve their confidence, and engage more with their community.

As European Green Capital 2015 and one of the Rockefeller 100 Resilient Cities, Bristol can legitimately claim to be on the “frontline” of urban sustainability, continually challenging itself to transform into a place where citizens and organisations work together to create wellbeing. Yet the development pathway to achieving this transformation, remains characterised by continuing inequalities in social inclusion, health outcomes and access to transport, despite aspirational goals envisioned by the city’s leaders. The Urban ID (Integrated Diagnostic) project aims to address this, with the intention that the approach will be replicable in different contexts to assist in developing policy strategies at all levels. The project partnership of local authorities, partnerships, businesses, citizens, and universities is creating a “diagnostic approach” to identify and address the challenges and barriers faced in achieving a strategic sustainability vision. The diagnostic approach is being developed through participatory research using systems, co-creation and learning approaches between a diverse range of stakeholders, in combination with the examination of relevant information including city data, expert opinion, and policy documents. A common shortcoming of projects addressing sustainability in a holistic way is that individual issues are investigated without consideration of the interdependencies between them and with a ‘business-as-usual’ mindset. To address these shortcomings, Urban ID focusses on several local case studies as well as a city-wide sustainability community case study. These are examined through the ‘lenses’ of mobility and accessibility, carbon neutrality, health and happiness, and equality and inclusion. As a result, all issues in a case study area are examined, to better understand the links between them. This paper provides an overview of the Urban ID concept and development of the diagnostic approach, and reports the initial findings and outcomes from a first-round of engagement activities in the Bristol Green Capital Partnership (BGCP) sustainability community case study, co-produced with BGCP CIC

Connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) represent an exciting opportunity for wider access to mobility; especially for individuals unable to drive manual vehicles. Interaction with CAVs will be through human-machine interfaces (HMIs) providing journey-related and other information with some interactivity. These should be designed with potential users as part of a co-design process to maximize acceptance, engagement, and trust. This paper presents an emerging framework to inform the design of in-vehicle CAV HMIs with a focus on older adults (70-years+). These could be amongst early adopters of CAVs and tend to have the highest level of cognitive, sensory, and physical impairments. Whilst there are numerous principles on HMI design for older adults there are fewer on HMIs for AVs, and a need for research on CAV HMI design principles for older adults. Our emerging framework is novel and important for designers of CAV HMIs for older adults and other potential users.

Relatively little is known about human behavior and performance when retaking control of highly autonomous vehicles (AVs) at different speeds and under varied driving conditions. Past research has tended to focus on long periods of high-speed extra-urban autonomous driving before participants switch to manual mode. The current study investigated time to ‘takeover’ (reengage with vehicle controls) and ‘handover’ (regain baseline level of driving) when switching frequently between automated and manual modes within extra-urban and slower urban settings. Thirty-one drivers completed scenarios at different speeds (20–30-mph/urban; 40–50-mph/extra urban). Dependent measures included speed and lateral lane position. Takeover time was consistent in 30–50-mph conditions (~2-seconds) but significantly slower at 20-mph. Some other measures took 15–20-seconds to match baseline in 20–30-mph conditions and participants tended to drive slower than recommended speed limits after takeover. Baseline performance was not achieved at 50-mph. Implications for handover system design and AV insurance frameworks are discussed.

Integrating car parking facilities with public transport in Park and Ride (P&R) facilities has the potential to shorten car trips, contributing to more sustainable mobility. There is an on-going debate about the actual effects of P&R on the transport system at the subregional level. A key issue in these systemic effects, is the relative attractiveness of city centre car parks (CCCP), P&R and public transport. The paper presents the findings of a comparative empirical case-study based on a field survey of CCCP and P&R users conducted in the city of Bath, UK. Spatial and statistical analyses are applied. Radial distance to parking, availability of P&R sites in the direction of travel, gender, age, income and party-size are found to be important factors in a binary logistic regression model, explaining the revealed-preference of parking type. Stated analysis of foregone parking alternatives suggests more use of public transport and walking/cycling would likely occur without first-best parking alternatives. The policy implications and possible planning alternatives to P&R at the urban fringes for achieving greater sustainability goals are also discussed.

Urban freight consolidation centres (UFCCs) can provide a significant contribution to reducing the negative impacts of freight transport to city centres whilst at the same time providing a more seamless, higher-value logistics experience for their users. The paper draws on the experiences of the Bristol-Bath freight consolidation centre (BBFCC), established in 2002 to serve Bristol city centre and uniquely extended in 2011 to cover Bath, each served by electric lorries; it appraises the benefits of shared ‘final mile’ freight services, presenting a model for the evaluation of the reduction in traffic and polluting emissions based on Bristol, with a view to optimising future UFCC design. Data about the number of deliveries made by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) of different types to the BBFCC and the number of deliveries made from the BBFCC to the two shopping centres covering a period of 17 months are analysed. The correlation between the type and number of HGVs delivering to the BBFCC and the number of deliveries made to the retailers by the BBFCC is explicated by means of a multiple linear regression model. Its development is based on analysing parameters as R Square value (total and adjusted), F-statistics and p-values for each coefficient. An estimation of the number of HGVs re-routing to the BBFCC and the pollutant emissions avoided in the urban centre is appraised. The pollutant emissions reduction is based on factors drawn from the UK National Atmospheric Emissions Inventory. Results suggest that the proposed approach may yield HGV movements avoided in Bristol city centre of 75.5% on average. Also, by considering the whole study period, reductions amount calculated is equivalent to 28,677 Kg of CO2, 122.29 Kg of NOx, 2.31 Kg of PM10, 20.32 Kg of CO and 9,854 Kg of fuel. Nevertheless, emissions reductions are significant, but currently limited by small scale, due to the low number of participants. Emissions reductions in the host cities are identified as a result of sharing delivery vehicles for the final leg. The regression model showed high correlation coefficient values (over 85%) for deliveries to the Bristol city centre thanks to the BBFCC. The linear regression models developed provide a useful tool for local authorities and logistics/transport planners in optimising the planning of UFCCs to reduce freight traffic, associated emissions and to improve logistics and transport performance.

BACKGROUND: Evidence for the health benefits of a physically active lifestyle among older adults is strong, yet only a small proportion of older people meet physical activity recommendations. A synthesis of evidence identified "best bet" approaches, and this study sought guidance from end-user representatives and stakeholders to refine one of these, a peer-volunteering active aging intervention. METHODS: Focus groups with 28 older adults and four professional volunteer managers were conducted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 9 older volunteers. Framework analysis was used to gauge participants' views on the ACE intervention. RESULTS: Motives for engaging in community groups and activities were almost entirely social. Barriers to participation were lack of someone to attend with, lack of confidence, fear of exclusion or "cliquiness" in established groups, bad weather, transport issues, inaccessibility of activities, ambivalence, and older adults being "set in their ways". Motives for volunteering included "something to do," avoiding loneliness, the need to feel needed, enjoyment, and altruism. Challenges included negative events between volunteer and recipient of volunteering support, childcare commitments, and high volunteering workload. CONCLUSION: Peer-volunteering approaches have great potential for promotion of active aging. The systematic multistakeholder approach adopted in this study led to important refinements of the original ACE intervention. The findings provide guidance for active aging community initiatives highlighting the importance of effective recruitment strategies and of tackling major barriers including lack of motivation, confidence, and readiness to change; transport issues; security concerns and cost; activity availability; and lack of social support.© The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The Gerontological Society of America. Language: en

Carfree residential areas have been developed in a number of cities in Europe, with clear social and environmental benefits, but the concept has not been widely adopted in the UK. This paper aims to assess the potential consumer demand for housing in carfree developments in the UK and the circumstances under which it might be feasible. Two surveys of possible target groups were conducted: an online national survey aimed at members of environmental and cycling groups and a postal survey in Camden, London, followed by qualitative telephone interviews with a subset from both surveys. The findings revealed that potential demand for carfree housing is concentrated among ‘carfree choosers’ – people who currently live without cars by choice. These are mainly found in the inner areas of larger cities, where the greatest potential for carfree development exists. A substantial minority of carfree choosers would like to move to less urban locations; in these circumstances proximity to good rail services is a key requirement.

Carsharing organizations (carshares) provide collectively available vehicles that can be booked for exclusive use on a pay-as-you-go basis. Previous research has shown that two groups join carshares: (a) accessors, who do not have a car when they join the carshare and therefore gain access to one, and (b) shedders, who give up a car when they join the carshare. The paper examines the circumstances and motivations that cause accessors and shedders to join a carshare, the changes in their travel behavior in the short and longer run, and how the travel behavior might have changed if the carshare had not been joined. These objectives were achieved through in-depth interviews with 16 members of a carshare in Bath, United Kingdom. The interviewed members were selected to achieve a mix of accessors, shedders, recent members, and longstanding members. It was found that carshare attracted people who were already contemplating giving up their cars or who had been triggered by life events to consider giving up their cars. Joining a car-share prevented the acquisition of cars for some members, but some subsequently took opportunities to acquire a car as their circumstances changed. Once shedders became members, they adapted to managing without a personal car, used a variety of transport modes, planned their activity–travel schedules in advance, and took into account the costs and convenience of different options. The increasing popularity of new mobility options, such as carsharing, also has implications for the methods used to analyze and model travel behavior. The option of joining a carshare and using carshare vehicles should be included in transport models for areas in which carshares operate.

Community activity is identified as a key contributor to quality of life for many older people, and mobility is central to its facilitation. Following the premise that community activity enables the accumulation of social capital within a community, a link is proposed between ‘mobility capital’ and the sustainability of that community. As older people comprise a growing share of rural populations, they are of increasing importance to both kinds of capital within those communities. However, their mobility is problematic, due to limitations in physical capacities and access to transport. This paper also contends that rural mobility issues are compounded by an increasing focus, in policy and practice, on the car as a mobility solution. To explore this hypothesis, the engagement with community activity of a sample of rural elders living in Southwest England and Wales is examined, drawing on a survey and semi-structured interviews. Key findings were that car availability was important in seniors achieving ‘connectedness’, although by no means a panacea, and that most journeys for community activity were shorter than 1.5 km. Given the importance of activities to wellbeing it is therefore concluded that more emphasis should be placed in rural transport policy on facilitating short-range travel for social purposes, including walking, cycling and the use of mobility scooters.

Since 2008 most older people in England have benefited from unlimited area-wide free travel by bus after the morning peak period. The official policy rhetoric supporting implementation of the measure drew significantly on the need to reduce social exclusion amongst older people. However, despite a substantial increase in the number of concessionary journeys in England and the associated cost liabilities for local authorities and possibly also operators, there is currently only limited understanding of the wide ranging effects on bus use of providing a free pass, and in particular to whom benefits from the policy accrue. In part, this circumstance results from a methodological focus by evaluation studies hitherto that has emphasised aggregate-level data, often at the expense of the very rich contextual information about how the individual benefits from using a pass. This article presents insights into the perceptions, motivations and decisions relating to use of free bus passes, highlighting the existence of both tangible and intangible benefits which arise. It offers a fresh insight into previously undefined uses and benefits derived from possessing and using a concessionary bus pass. This article concludes by noting possible policy implications of the research in the context of the UK's ageing population and for other international contexts where the transport intervention of free bus travel is being considered. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC.

Currently only 2% of British rail passengers choose to cycle to the station, in contrast to 40% in the Netherlands, but the combination of cycling with rail use presents a potentially attractive alternative to car use with carbon reduction and health-promotion benefits. The present study examined the motivations and behaviours of people who integrate bicycle and rail use, focusing particularly on the provision of station cycle parking as a facilitator. A novel methodology was applied to two intercity stations in Bristol (southwest England) to examine movements within an extensive cycle parking area. Bike–rail integration emerges as a complex set of practices, influenced by a range of factors including, but not limited to, the availability of station cycle parking. It is concluded that bike–rail integration can make a contribution to reducing both carbon emissions and car dependence, but a lack of integration within the rail industry and other agencies is limiting the delivery of policies to enhance the opportunities.

In this paper the necessity for effective joint working arrangements between Environmental Health Officers and Transport Planners is demonstrated as a fundamental prerequisite for successful management of traffic-related air quality in English local government areas. Current approach to joint working and collaboration between the officers was examined based on the evidence from a three-year study which involved questionnaire surveys and case study interviews. The findings show that despite good administrative devolution and policy integration, the chance of improving specific local air quality situations through the Local Transport Planning process is dependent on other overriding factors which influence the capabilities of the authorities to integrate policies across departments and tiers of governments. Implicit in these findings is the need for a shared paradigm of continuous engagement by all the policy actors and stakeholders if proper integration and the possibility of tangible results in future pol...

RÉSUMÉSur le front politique et des lignes de conduite, l’intérêt a augmenté pour rendre les communautés plus « amies des ainés », cette tendance est restée constante depuis que l’Organisation mondiale de la Santé a lancé son projet « Réseau mondial des Villes-amies des aînés. » Nous conceptualisons les communautés amies des aînés en nous appuyons sur le cadre de l’OMS et l’application d’un point de vue écologique. Ainsi nous visons à rendre explicite les principales hypothèses sur l’interaction entre la personne et l’environnement afin de faire progresser la recherche ou de décisions politiques dans ce domaine. Les prémisses écologiques (par exemple, il doit y avoir une adéquation entre la personne âgée et les conditions environnementales) suggèrent la nécessité d’une approche de recherche holistique et interdisciplinaire. Une telle approche est requise car les domaines amis des aînés (l’environnement physique, le logement, l’environnement social, les possibilités de participation, le soutien communautaire formel et informel et les services de santé, de transport, de communication et de l’information) ne peuvent pas être traitées independamment des facteurs personnels, tels que l’âge, le sexe, le revenu et l’état fonctionnel, ainsi que des autres niveaux d’influence, y compris l’environnement politique.

Intensifying cities, increasing their population density, reduces overall car use with benefits to the global environment, but also increases concentrations of traffic, worsening local conditions, unless it is accompanied by constraints on car ownership and use in the intensified areas.

The second round of the Local Transport Plan (LTP2) process in England presents unique challenges and opportunities for integrating Local Air Quality Management (LAQM) within current transport planning policy. Using content analysis of LTP2 documents from nine English authorities, and results from a questionnaire survey of local government officers undertaken in late 2007, this paper charts the changes in the integration of air quality management within the transport planning process since 1997. While substantial improvements in policy integration were observed within the selected case studies, the paper demonstrates that such improvements are often constrained by institutional complexities that create implementation gaps between national objectives and local decision-making outcomes.

Dimensions beyond nationalism must be considered in determining responsibility for rising climate change emissions. This article seeks to exemplify this process of operationalizing sustainable mobility by considering the attributes of aging and rurality. The sustainable mobility opportunities of older citizens living in rural areas of the UK are considered. Findings indicate that these older citizens are a highly diverse group. Man of them are not only effectively included in society, but play a significant role as consumers with high-carbon lifestyles. In order to achieve more sustainable mobility, the access needs of social groups need to be better understood and addressed, including the wide range of groups to which older citizens belong.

The recent growth in European use of mobile air-conditioning (MAC) in transport is examined with reference to the experience of the longer-established trend in the buildings sector and to experience in the US. Air-conditioning is identified as significantly undermining improvements in energy efficiency, whilst the penetration of MAC is observed as having been particularly rapid and deep compared with static air-conditioning (SAC). A conceptual framework for the adoption of MAC is then proposed, which draws on sociological and psychological concepts as well as technical considerations in characterizing the processes influencing the adoption and use of MAC. The availability of empirical evidence to validate this model is then considered, with the finding that significant gaps in knowledge exist about why MAC is adopted, who benefits from its adoption, how the systems are used in practice, and the extent of satisfaction of travellers with the comfort of the environments of ‘mobile buildings’. Although social...

The emergence of poor air quality as a major urban transport problem is considered through the case of Oxford (UK). The relevance of the Oxford policy approach for air quality management is appraised. The level of oxides of nitrogen emitted from large diesel-powered vehicles, most notably buses, emerges as a particular public health problem; the Achilles’ heel of a successful record in promoting public transport use and traffic restraint. It is concluded that similar problems may affect bus-centred transport strategies in other urban areas, and that a change of bus technology is the necessary mitigation measure. The findings confirm the importance of ensuring that sustainable transport strategies are fully holistic and integrated in their policy goals and outcomes.

In 1972, a revolution in local transport policy in Oxford resulted in the dominant doctrine of the previous 30 years—providing for car use—being replaced by an alternative policy ‘frame’ focussed around the promotion of bus use. Although subsequently challenged in the 1970s and 1980s, the pro-bus policy community remained sufficiently strong to implement a further level of bus-oriented policy in the 1990s. Bus use in Oxford has returned to levels not observed since the 1960s, against a trend of decline nationally. The present paper examines how the policy problems came to be framed around the bus and how the frame evolved to accommodate changes in the funding and regulation of public transport. The extent to which the Oxford experience informs future policy-making towards demand management in urban areas is considered and the explanatory value of the concept of framing is revisited.

Debates about whether traffic regulations that limit car use will enhance or hinder a particular urban economy are complex and often emotive. The present article considers evidence from the implementation of a radical traffic restraint and pedestrianisation scheme in Oxford in 1999. The most important achievement was a 17% reduction in car trips to the centre, which did not affect overall visitor numbers. The local economy did though experience a period of difficult trading around the time of implementation.

Park and ride (P&R) schemes are often promoted as an efficient means of extending the effective catchment of public transport networks into car-dependent areas with low population densities, such as rural districts. However, using P&R typically requires the traveller to have access to a car. As car ownership is often used as an indicator of social inclusion, providing P&R for motorists is not an obvious means of reducing exclusion from travel opportunities. Nonetheless, the present article argues that policies to promote interchange from cars to bus or rail can act as a force for either greater or less social exclusion, depending on who can access the services and what the alternative options would be in the absence of P&R being provided. The conditions under which inclusion is most likely to be promoted are reviewed. Key findings are that P&R facilities should not be developed at the expense of investment in conventional public transport and that the services should not be exclusively aimed at motorists. A particular situation in which motorists on relatively low incomes might benefit from P&R provision is where they would otherwise face high access charges to urban areas, in the form of road tolls or parking fees.

The number of short-range bus park and ride (P&R) schemes in the UK grew considerably during the 1990s and further increase is expected in the current decade. Over the same period, concerns about both the local and strategic environmental consequences also grew. The present paper argues that many of the outstanding concerns regarding P&R schemes reflect the fact that their effects are wider in both time and space than the scope of existing statutory planning assessments. Hence, the case for a more strategic approach to assessment is put. The application of such an approach is illustrated using two hypothetical variants of car–bus interchange. It is concluded that Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) would be more able to evaluate the wider environmental, social and economic sustainability of P&R proposals. In consequence, objections to P&R schemes would be more fairly assessed. Possible practical implications are identified: alternatives to P&R may be preferred more often by local authorities but, where P&R continues to be promoted, the interchanges are likely to be provided closer to users' origins, in order to maximise car traffic interception.