Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
they receive. These factors cast a very different light on the 'rational/comprehensive'
assumptions which underpin Transport Direct and similar facilities whose development
has tended to be dominated by issues of data supply. The future of Transport Direct
also has to be placed in the context of the much-expanded information environment
in which it now operates, including real-time 'sat-nav' systems geared solely to the
requirements of motorists.
Personalised travel plans (PTPs)
Utilising the above sources, targeted information about non-car options can be
generated to meet the needs of people travelling to or from the sites where travel
plans are in operation. A more sophisticated concept is of 'personalised travel plans',
otherwise known as 'individualised travel marketing' (ITM) pioneered in Germany
and Australia (Brog 2003).
This technique seeks to establish a dialogue with each person, sometimes on the
basis of an initial travel diary, to determine whether
a
the respondent would be interested in exploring alternative travel behaviour and,
if so,
b
what the options would be for them (given their particular activity needs) and
their implications in terms of travel time, cost, health, emissions etc.
The dialogue is undertaken on the basis of partnership - a 'homoeopathic'
approach - focusing on motivation and empowerment. Respondents are invited to
consider transport-related issues which may be of concern to them, not merely those
of public interest. Consistent with this approach, if a particular respondent expresses
no interest in participating then they are not involved further. Amongst the remainder
a process of segmentation is adopted with different groups receiving different types
of information, travel incentives and further forms of contact according to their
circumstances. A major benefit claimed for this approach is that, because it is entirely
defined by individuals' own needs and inclinations, an overwhelmingly positive
reaction is obtained.
In the UK in 2002 the DfT awarded grants of up to £50,000 to 14 local authorities
in England to run pilot PTP projects in a variety of settings. Subsequent evaluation of
these pilots reported that those targeted at residential populations were consistently
the most effective in reducing car kilometres and increasing the use of sustainable
modes. The cost per car km saved in these pilots varied between 3p and 18p, or
between 2p and 10p if monitoring and evaluation costs were excluded (Operational
Research Unit 2005).
'Sustainable Towns'
Following the 'Smarter Choices' research reported earlier, the DfT held a competition
for towns to become showcases for the development of soft measures (Sustainable
Travel Demonstration Towns). The three winners, Darlington, Peterborough and
Worcester, were jointly allocated a total of £10m for five years beginning 2004. The
aim was to establish whether the results identified in the various case studies and
pilot exercises conducted previously could be replicated on a larger scale in single
towns, and indeed whether additional synergy might be created. The results of an EU
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