Travel study reveals changing behaviour among young and old www.bbc.com
A major new study into how people travel around England shows a big difference between the generations.
Young people increasingly are ditching the car, whilst older people, especially women, drive more than ever.
The Independent Transport Commission (ITC) also found that people are making fewer trips than they did twenty years ago, but those trips are longer.
Men under 35 are the most likely to shun the car, whilst women over 60 are driving more than ever.
One of the authors, Dr Matthew Niblett, director of the ITC, says: "This report uncovers seismic shifts in patterns of individual travel behaviour."
Here is what they found and this is all per person per year.
Overall: The number of trips English residents are making per person has fallen by 15% between 1995 and 2014. However, the average trip distance (all modes) has increased by 10% and the average trip time by almost 15%.
Rich vs Poor: The gap between rich and poor car driver miles is still large but has been narrowing. For the richest income quintile, car driver miles have fallen by 10% between 1996 and 2014 (to about 4500 per year); however, for the poorest quintile, miles driven have risen by almost 20% (to about 1200 per year).
Young vs Old: Young men (under 35) car driver miles have almost halved between 1996 and 2014 (to about 3700 per year), while for women over-60, car driver miles have more than doubled over the same period (to about 1800 per year).
London: In London the fall in car distance travelled per person has been dramatic, falling by almost a third in outer London, and by more than half for inner London.
Rail: The one thing people are doing a lot more is catching the train, despite the fact that even allowing for inflation, fares have gone up by 25% since 1995. Average rail mileage per person has continued to rise sharply. This is due to a greater percentage of the population travelling by rail, rather than existing travellers making more or longer journeys.
Dr Niblett said: "We are seeing that the historic correlations between incomes, costs and travel are weakening. An inter-generational divide in travel behaviour is growing.
"For young adults, cars are increasingly viewed as utilitarian appliances, rather than aspirational goods. And there are also growing differences in travel patterns between rural and urban areas."
Published Date:2016-12-08