Prospects in Britain in the light of the Bus Services Act 2017

The aim of this paper is not to document a specific research project, but to provide an international audience with an overview of the Bus Services Act 2017 in Britain in the light of the extensive experience of deregulation and privatisation within the British bus and coach industry since the early 1980s. It provides a range of powers, mostly permissive rather than mandatory. The general emphasis of the Act displays marked shift from the previous focus on competition as a major policy aim, to one in which partnerships between operators and local transport authorities are encouraged. Procedures for franchising are simplified, in contrast to those under the 2000 and 2008 Acts, which did not result in any franchising scheme outside London being introduced. The changes relate to a number of themes examined in previous Thredbo conferences, including aspects of competition law, service tendering, data disclosure and network planning. This paper begins by examining the historical background to the Act, then discusses its main provisions. Data requirements for research to monitor the possible effects of its implementation are outlined. It is concluded that the Act has the potential to encourage greater bus use, but the extent of this is highly uncertain. All views expressed are those of the author personally, and do not represent those of the British government or any other organisation

The attitudes and behaviour of adolescent road users : an application of the theory of planned behaviour

The Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) was used as a framework to study the attitudes of adolescent road users towards four target behaviours: (1) cycle helmet use, (2) using nearby crossings, (3) crossing from between parked cars, and (4) challenging traffic. Four questionnaires, one for each of the behaviours, were designed based on pilot work. Each questionnaire contained items to measure the TPB variables, self-reported behaviour, and general exposure and demographic characteristics (e.g. age and gender). A total of 2,457 children aged 11-16 completed the questionnaires; 564 respondents completed the 'cycle helmet use' questionnaire; 657 respondents completed the 'using nearby crossings' questionnaire; 619 respondents completed the 'crossing from between parked cars' questionnaire; and 617 completed the 'challenging traffic' questionnaire. Multivariate analyses were conducted for each of the behaviours to explore how adolescents' attitudes, subjective norms, perceived control, behavioural intentions and self-reported behaviour differed as a function of demographic variables. Correlation and multiple regression analyses were then conducted to test the relationships in the TPB and to identify beliefs underpinning adolescents' attitudes that could be targeted in road safety interventions. This report describes all aspects of the study and discusses the theoretical and practical implications

Lighting for cycling in the UK : a review

While UK governments have recently sought to increase cycling activity, it remains a minority interest. One reason for this is the perceived danger of cycling on roads filled with traffic. There is statistical evidence to support this perception; for equal exposure, cyclists are more likely to be seriously injured than either drivers or pedestrians. Lighting has a role to play in reducing the hazards of cycling by enhancing the visibility and conspicuity of cyclists. Unfortunately, it is not at all clear that the current lighting regulations and recommendations for cycling and cyclists are the best that can be achieved or are even adequate for these purposes. A number of actions are suggested that should enable lighting’s contribution to the safety of cyclists to be realized

Adolescent road user behaviour : a survey of 11-16 year olds

This study was carried out to investigate the safety related behaviour of road users aged 11-16. A self-completion questionnaire was designed to measure the frequency with which children from the target population carry out 43 different road using behaviours and a number of other variables including children's beliefs about the safety of their own road using behaviour. Two thousand four hundred and thirty three children from eleven secondary schools within England completed the questionnaire in lesson time at school. Factor analysis showed that scores on the 43 behaviour items were best represented by a three-factor solution. The three factors were named unsafe road crossing behaviour, dangerous playing in the road, and planned protective behaviour. Analysis of variance and stepwise multiple regression analyses showed that demographic variables and exposure variables had statistically significant effects on how often these behaviours were carried out. More interesting was the finding that respondents had realistic perceptions of their own behaviour as road users. The more respondents believed their road using behaviour to be unsafe and irresponsible, the more often they reported carrying out road using behaviour that was undesirable from a road safety point of view. These results and their implications for road safety interventions and further research are discussed

London 2012: changing delivery patterns in response to the impact of the Games on traffic flows

The paper addresses road freight transport operations during the London Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. It presents work carried out prior to the Games to understand pre-Games patterns of freight deliveries in London (for both light and heavy goods vehicles) and the results of modelling work carried out to assess the likely impacts of the Games road restrictions on freight operations. The modelling results indicated that increases in total hours travelled carrying out collection and delivery work would range from 1.4% to 11.4% in the six sectors considered. The results suggested increases in hours travelled in excess of 3.5% in four of the six sectors modelled. The possible actions that could be taken by organizations to reduce these negative impacts were also modelled and the results indicated that such actions would help to mitigate the impact of the road restrictions imposed on operators during the Games. The actual impacts of the 2012 Games on transport both in general terms and specifically in terms of freight transport are also discussed, together with the success of the actions taken by Transport for London (TfL) to help the road freight industry. The potential freight transport legacy of the London 2012 Games in terms of achieving more sustainable urban freight transport is considered and the steps being taken by TfL to help ensure that such a legacy can be realized are discussed. Such steps include policy-makers continuing to collaborate closely with the freight industry through the ‘London Freight Forum’, and TfL's efforts to encourage and support companies revising their delivery and collection times to the off-peak; improving freight planning in the design and management of TfL-funded road schemes; electronic provision of traffic information by TfL to the freight industry, and the further development of freight journey planning tools

A community approach to road safety education using practical training methods : the Drumchapel project

Research shows that practical training methods, in which children receive guided experience of solving traffic problems in realistic traffic situations, are amongst the most effective in improving children's pedestrian competence. However, practical training is both time consuming and labour intensive, making it difficult to capitalise on the strengths of the method. The report describes a solution to this problem by adopting a community participation approach in which local volunteers carried out all roadside training, working in co-operation with schools and project staff. The project took place in an area of Glasgow known for its exceptionally high child pedestrian accident rate

The accident risk of motorcyclists

This report contains the findings of a study to explore and quantify the interacting influences which determine motorcyclist accident liabilities. It was conducted on behalf of Road Safety Division, Department for Transport. The study first reviewed existing data sources to investigate the trends in motorcycling accidents over the last decade or so. The main part of the study was to carry out a survey of nearly 30,000 current motorcyclists in order to explore the relationship between accident risk and variables such as annual mileage, age, experience, journey type, training, personal characteristics of the riders, and the self-reported behaviours and attitudes of the riders. The numbers of accidents reported by riders within the past 12-months of riding were modelled using generalised linear techniques to take into account factors such as mileage, age, experience, bike size and the conditions prevailing when they rode. Models of rider behaviour were developed using other statistical modelling techniques. These models investigated how attitudes/motivations/perceptions and rider style influence rider behaviour, and how rider behaviour influences the likelihood of accident involvement. The influence of age, sex and experience on attitudes and behaviours, and as direct or indirect influences on accidents were also investigated. Accident risk was also directly influenced by the number of miles ridden in the past 12-months. The report makes a number of recommendations for improving the safety of motorcycle riders

Child development and the aims of road safety education

Pedestrian accidents are one of the most prominent causes of premature injury, handicap and death in the modern world. In children, the problem is so severe that pedestrian accidents are widely regarded as the most serious of all health risks facing children in developed countries. Not surprisingly, educational measures have long been advocated as a means of teaching children how to cope with traffic and substantial resources have been devoted to their development and provision. Unfortunately, there seems to be a widespread view at the present time that education has not achieved as much as had been hoped and that there may even be quite strict limits to what can be achieved through education. This would, of course, shift the emphasis away from education altogether towards engineering or urban planning measures aimed at creating an intrinsically safer environment in which the need for education might be reduced or even eliminated. However, whilst engineering measures undoubtedly have a major role to play in the effort to reduce accidents, this outlook is both overly optimistic about the benefits of engineering and overly pessimistic about the limitations of education. At the same time, a fresh analysis is clearly required both of the aims and methods of contemporary road safety education. The present report is designed to provide such an analysis and to establish a framework within which further debate and research can take place

Older people’s travel and mobility needs: a reflection of a hierarchical model 10 years on

In 2010 we published a model of older people’s travel and mobility needs in the Quality of Ageing and Older Adults journal (Musselwhite and Haddad, 2010). The model comprises three levels, practical (the need to get from A to B as quickly, cheaply and efficiently as possible), psychosocial (the need for independence, control and status) and aesthetic needs (the need for travel for its own sake), all which need to be fulfilled to achieve wellbeing and quality of life. Since then, the model has been translated into different languages and been cited 119 times across different formats.Design/methodology/approach: Using 10 years of analysing feedback that includes articles that cited the model, discussions with academics, policymakers and practitioners as well as from older people themselves, this paper reflects on the original model.Findings: Five key themes are generated from the re-examination: (1) the validity of the model; (2) the utility and usefulness of needs in understanding travel behaviour and turning them into policy or practice; (3) application of the model to different contexts; (4) understanding the relationship between travel needs and health and wellbeing; and (5) fitting the model to future changes in transport and social policy.Research limitations/implications:Practical implications:Originality/value: This reflection on this well cited and well used model allows a re-adjustment of the model, updating it to be used in conjunction with policy and practice, especially highlighting the need to further distinguish mobility for aesthetic needs

Journey to work:exploring difficulties, solutions and the impact of aging

A study was conducted in the UK, as part of the New Dynamics of Ageing Working Late project, of the journey to work among 1215 older workers (age groups 45-49, 50-55, 56-60 and 60 + ). The aim was to identify problems or concerns that they might have with their commute, strategies that have been adopted to address them, and the role that employers can play to assist them. Follow-up interviews with 36 employees identified many strategies for assisting with the problems of journeys to work, ranging from car share and using public transport to flexible working and working some days from home. Further interviews with a sample of 12 mainly larger companies showed that employers feel a responsibility for their workers’ commute, with some offering schemes to assist them, such as adjusting work shift timings to facilitate easier parking. The research suggests that the journey to work presents difficulties for a significant minority of those aged over 45, including issues with cost, stress, health, fatigue and journey time. It may be possible to reduce the impact of these difficulties on employee decisions to change jobs or retire by assisting them to adopt mitigating strategies. It does not appear that the likelihood of experiencing a problem with the journey to work increases as the employee approaches retirement; therefore, any mitigating strategy is likely to help employees of all ages. These strategies have been disseminated to a wider audience through an online resource at www.workinglate.org