Less Car Use – only in Britain you say?

On the Move – Making sense of car and train travel trends in Britain(148 page pdf, Scott Le Vine and Peter Jones, Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation for Motoring Ltd, Dec. 3, 2012)

Also discussed here: Making sense of car & train travel trends in Britain(Royal Automobile Club (RAC) Foundation for Motoring Ltd, Dec. 3, 2012)

And here: Oops! What is happening to the American Dream? Are cars on the way out?(World Streets, Dec. 4, 2012)

And here: Peak car or bleak car? The future is up for grabs(Campaign for Better Transport, Dec. 3, 2012)

And here: Traffic forecasts and pensions(Campaign for Better Transport, Apr. 17, 2012)

Today we review a report assessing the state and causes of car use by car users in Britain, noting that there, as in many other countries, there seems to have been a peak in mileage driven per year. Some of the reasons suggested are the rise in fuel costs as oil becomes more expensive and harder to produce, greater use of trains for commuting (at least in and around London  where this is a viable option)  and less use of company cars again because of higher fuel costs – along with cultural trends such less desire for car ownership by the younger population and a preference for online shopping over driving to the mall. An important exception seems to be older men and women whose car use has increased, signaling a different motivation. These are important conclusions as they suggest ways to accentuate the shift away from polluting vehicles in other countries which have serious roadside pollution and health issues.

To see Key Quotes and Links to key reports about this post, click HERE