COPS Impact Case StudySupporting the development of local

sustainable transport solutions

John D NelsonProfessor of Transport Studies

Director, Centre for Transport Researchwww.abdn.ac.uk/ctr

Impact Workshop, 19th Jan 2011

• established in 2007

• acts as the focus for transport research at the University of Aberdeen.

• a research centre of the College of Physical Sciences based inGeography and Environment, School of Geosciences

• The Centre’s mission is:– “to develop a leading research centre of international excellence

and reputation in Aberdeen specialising in the sustainability of transport systems with emphasis on environment, society and technology”

Background to Case Study

• Researchers at the Centre for Transport Research (CTR) have been involved in applied research projects to directly inform policy making in the UK and elsewhere in relation to specific types of sustainable transport interventions.

• On-going work commissioned by the UK government departments and transport groups has led to changes in national and local government transport strategy with a direct trace from the research outputs to policy statements and guidance. – Example 1: Research support to the Yellow School Bus Commission– Example 2: Evaluation and roll-out of “smarter choices” interventions

(1) Research support to theYellow School Bus Commission

• The Yellow School Bus Commission (chaired by Rt Hon David Blunkett, MP) has assessed the potential benefits of introducing dedicated home to school transport in the UK based on the American style yellow school bus model.

• Over 12 months from September 2007 the Commission completed an extensive consultation across UK.

• CTR (Prof John Nelson and Dr Steve Wright) provided the Commission with research support including literature review of existing schemes, the design and analysis of survey questionnaires, and an in depth cost-benefit appraisal of a nationwide roll out of YSB services across the UK.

• Final report and recommendations published Sept 2008: http://www.ysbcommission.com/reports/index.html

Contribution to Impact• CTR provided research support to the Yellow School Bus Commission (YSB), set up to examine, review and

quantify the potential benefits of dedicated home to school transport with the overall aim of influencing public policy in this important domain.

• The final report of the Commission was published in September 2008 with a major media event, and has been considered by the Department for Transport, the Department for Children, Schools and Families, as well as the (then) Shadow Transport Team in Westminster.

• CTR were subsequently invited to support the preparation of evidence to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee enquiry in to School Travel (March 2009) and the Scottish Parliament Public Petitions Committee consideration of School Bus Safety (December 2009).

• The research team have responded to invitations to speak at national conferences organised by Policy Review Magazine (Jan 2009) and Landor (Nov 2009).

• Mr Blunkett and Prof Nelson participated in an event to promote the publication of further research relating to Scotland at the Scottish Parliament in March 2010 with subsequent front page coverage in The Scotsman.

• CTR Co-authored Yellow School Bus Commission’s Comments on the previous Government’s response to the YSB Commission’s Report and Recommendations (November 2010).

• Follow-on funding has been obtained from the West Yorkshire PTE (Metro) to develop a tool to enable local authorities to assess whether a policy of introducing YSB services is likely to provide a good return on investment and hence warrants further investigation.

• David Blunkett speaking at the Policy Review School Transport Conference (27th Jan)• Further evidence of the contribution to public debate may be found at:

http://www.ysbcommission.com/media/press.html

Evaluation and roll-out of“smarter choices” interventions

Smarter Choices• Smarter Choices is a collective term for a number

of locally bespoke, mainly voluntary measures which can have a large influence on individual travel choices and quality of life.

• Dr Jillian Anable has played a leading role in the evaluation and roll-out of ‘smarter choice’ interventions in the UK, with knock-on impacts for the design of travel demand interventions globally.

Smarter Choices Phase II • Focussed on three English Sustainable Travel

Demonstration Towns the project assesses the impact of soft measures on traffic levels, carbon emissions and wider benefits (e.g. health)

Smarter Choices Smarter Places• Assessment of where, why and how the Scottish

Government's Smarter Choices Smarter Places initiative is making an impact on travel choices and opportunities.

Addressing the Addressing the ““attitudeattitude--actionaction”” gap remains gap remains the key challenge to stimulate demand for low the key challenge to stimulate demand for low

carbon carscarbon carsIncrease in

environmental knowledge

Increase in environmental

concern

Reduced sense of futility & fatalism

Change to pro-environment behaviour

Increased receptiveness to

change

?

Adapted from Walton 2004

Expand choice

EngageConsumers

Enhance desirability

Increase incentives

Attitude-Action Gap

Transport for Quality of Life

Smart ChoicesProgramme

Workplace travelteam (covering WTPs, car-sharing, telework)

Over-arching travel awareness campaign

(unified branding)

Partnership with operators to market

bus and railPersonalised

travel planning

School travel plans team

Innovative projects –car clubs, home shopping

Contribution to Impact• Dr Jillian Anable was commissioned originally as part of a team in 2002 by the Department of

Transport to conclude on the evidence, a seminal report was published in 2004 which has been cited in hundreds of policy documents, NGO reports, journal articles in UK and abroad.

• A policy guidance document was produced directly from the 2004 report led to the funding of three “sustainable transport” demonstration towns in England and guidance which required local governments to include smarter choice interventions in local travel plans.

• Since 2008, two distinct (and on-going) impacts have emerged. These include– (i) Dr Anable being commissioned (as part of the original team) to undertake a follow-up study to the

2004 report which was published in January 2010 and is having an important role in securing the mainstreaming of this policy approach; and

– (ii) CTR (Anable, Nelson and Ludbrook) being commissioned by the Scottish Government to evaluate their £15m funding of seven ‘smarter choices’ demonstration towns (Smarter Choices, Smarter Places (SCSP)).

• In addition, Dr Anable has spoken at a Parliamentary reception and a meeting requested by Lord Adonis, then Secretary of State for Transport, to provide an overview of the evidence for specific types of intervention. She has responded to many seminar and conference invitations around the UK and Europe.

• Further evidence of the contribution to public debate may be found at:– http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/smarterchoices/– http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Transport/sustainable-transport/Baseline

Contact details

Professor John NelsonCentre for Transport ResearchUniversity of Aberdeen

– Tel: +44 1224 272354– j.d.nelson@abdn.ac.uk