Behavioural change measures (‘Smarter Choices’) - Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain - page 262

Box 16.3 Policy initiatives important in fulfilling the potential of Smarter Choices
• A clear national strategy in favour of traffic reduction, with recognition that smarter
choice measures could make a valuable and concrete contribution to this
• The availability of new revenue funding streams for local authorities [Note smarter
choice measures depend on revenue expenditure, including a high staffing
component, whereas Local Transport Plans and their attendant funding increases
have been focused on infrastructure (capital) spending
• Speciic national policies to support particular initiatives, including
• more tax breaks for workplace travel plans
• a statutory requirement for schools to have travel plans [introduced in 2006 -
see next section]
• stronger planning guidance requiring implementation of smarter choices in
parallel with new development
• greater regulation of public transport and fewer restrictions on cooperation
between operators
• Greater implementation of local policies, including
• reallocation of road capacity, parking restraint, congestion charging and
workplace parking levies to encourage workplace travel plans
• trafic calming, 20mph limits, safe crossings and parking restrictions outside
schools to complement school travel planning
• fast-tracking trafic orders for dedicated car club spaces and new national
parking arrangements for car sharers
• speciic parking rights and investment in local drop-off facilities to encourage
home shopping and less polluting logistics systems
Source Cairns et al. 2004
Evidence of the cost of the measures investigated varied widely both within and
between categories, from 0.1 pence to 10 pence per vehicle kilometre removed
with most cases being towards the lower end of this range. This suggested that their
benefit:cost ratio could be of the order of 10:1 (and higher still in congested urban
conditions). As a form of policy instrument therefore 'soft measures' appeared to
offer very good value for money. However realising this potential is dependent on
the policy context in which they are set and, for the present, a 'chicken and egg'
situation prevails. The key policy initiatives identified as important to achieving the
full potential of smarter choices are listed in Box 16.3.
16.5 Travel plans
In this and the following section we look at aspects of the Smarter Choices repertoire
where public intervention is or potentially might be significant. We look first at the
various forms of travel plan which here are grouped into three main types:
• workplace travel plans
• school travel plans
• residential travel plans.