Attitudes towards the car in the U.K.: Some implications for policies on congestion and the environment

Traffic levels in the U.K. are forecast to increase by up to 142% over the next two decades, leading to increased problems of congestion and environmental deterioration. We appear to be reaching a near consensus that the way to deal with these problems is with limited road building accompanied by some form of transport demand restraint measures. The success of such measures depends on the level of dependence of the public on their cars, their attitudes to congestion and the environment and their outlook on the concept and the practicality of the measures. This paper addresses these issues using the results of a questionnaire survey of 2428 households in the U.K. It concludes that although most people recognise the problems caused by traffic, they are unwilling to do much about it voluntarily. Demand restraint measures that hit people's purses directly appeared likely to meet with most success, but because of the level of attachment of many people to their cars, if real demand restraint is required, direct controls may be necessary.