Factsheets - No.11: Public Attitudes to Transport Survey 2002

Key Facts

• Three in ten members of the general public in England spontaneously identify a transport-related issue as a main problem facing Britain today (31%)
• Transport takes on even greater importance as a main problem facing Britain today for those living in rural areas and in London (40% and 39% respectively)
• 43% think the Government has given less priority to transport over the past year

Buses

• Satisfaction with bus services amongst users increased from 56% in 2001 to 64% today
• 6 in 10 (57%) support having more bus lanes in town centres that give bus users quicker journey times, even though they leave less space for cars
• Cutting bus times by a quarter would encourage about a quarter of motorists out of their cars
• 82% are in support of park and ride schemes with more than 40% believing it will have most impact on improving the transport system
• Over 7 in 10 (78%) want increased frequency of bus service as well as increased peak / night buses (73%)
• 32% believe more dedicated school bus services will make parents consider using their car less for taking children to school

Railways

• Satisfaction with local rail services amongst users increased from 46% in 2001 to 58% today
• 72% want to see stronger public control of the railways
• Of all public transport modes, long distance trains achieve lowest satisfaction rating among users (41% satisfied, 24% dissatisfied)
• 55% of people would travel by car less if punctuality / reliability of trains are improved
• Almost half (46%) believe that trains will become even more overcrowded in the future
• Slightly more people expect the safety of rail passengers to improve (26%) than deteriorate (21%)

Roads

• Half the public are dissatisfied with conditions of roads & pavements
• 45% want the Government to build more motorways (40% in 2001 and 34% in 2000)
• 67% support building more bypasses (64% in 2000)
• 70% support introducing priority lanes on motorways and trunk roads for HGVs
• Road safety is expected to deteriorate over the next 10 years (44%)
• 7 in 10 (69%) support traffic calming measures in residential areas

Congestion and Road Charging

• Congestion is the highest single transport priority mentioned by 47% in their top three
• Congestion has overtaken motoring costs as the most important issue to address
• 8 in 10 expect congestion in towns and on major roads to get worse
• Over half support CfIT's proposal of charging for driving on congested roads at peak times if the revenue generated is returned to transport users through cheaper petrol, lower road tax or public transport improvements
• Two thirds of drivers said that if a £5 charge was made to enter their local city/town centre they would change at least some journeys by car, with a quarter stating they would change all journeys by car

Travel Costs

• 46% believe motoring costs have gone up more compared to public transport, even though in real terms over the last 10 years, while the cost of petrol and fuel have gone up by more than public transport fares, the overall cost of motoring has gone up less than the cost of travelling by public transport
• 60% are under the impression that British drivers pay higher taxes on owning their cars, as well as higher running costs than Italian and French drivers
• CfIT research shows that motoring tax regimes (both for running and owning a car) in France, Italy and the UK are broadly similar
• Only 16% believe public transport costs have gone up more than motoring costs (not only fuel, but also purchasing, road tax, insurance and maintenance)
• 6 in 10 people anticipate bus and train fares to become more expensive in the next 10 years
• Almost a quarter (23%) would consider using public transport more if fares cost no more than travelling by car
• 89% support free off peak local travel for pensioners and disabled people
• Over half (53%) are unwilling to pay higher taxes for improvements to the transport system, while 30% are willing to do so (compared with 39% willing to pay in 2001 and 42% in 1999)

Return to: The CfIT report 2002: public attitudes to transport in England (MORI)