Less Traffic Where People Live: How local transport schemes can help cut traffic Built Environment Lynn Sloman Fellowship Less Traffic where People Live: How local transport schemes can help cut traffic Acknowledgements This research was generously supported by a Built Environment Fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851. Further information about the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 is available at http://www.royalcommission1851.org.uk Valuable research facilities were provided through a Visiting Fellowship at University of Westminster Transport Studies Group (http://www.wmin.ac.uk/transport/). Much advice and information was contributed by Transport 2000 Trust: http://www.transport2000.org.uk. With special thanks for intellectual and moral support to Alan Baxter, Sally Cairns, Stephen Coley, Peter Jones, Stephen Joseph, Colin Murray, Carey Newson, Malcolm Shirley, Ian Taylor, Sophie Tyler and Sarah Wixey. © Lynn Sloman, Transport for Quality of Life April 2003 Further copies of this report are available as a PDF file from: Transport for Quality of Life, 13 Maengwyn Street, Machynlleth SY20 8EB
[email protected] ort for Quality of Life Transport for Quality of Life 3 Foreword Bumper-to-bumper traffic is one of the biggest problems we face in towns and cities. Opinion polls show that people are more and more concerned about the noise, pollution, danger and congestion caused by growing car use. Policy-makers say they aim to reduce congestion, but without trying to cut traffic. But it is simply not credible that congestion will fall, and continue to fall, while traffic volumes go up. Road widening and bigger junctions may ease traffic jams in the very short term, but in the long term they will contribute to yet more car-dependent lifestyles, more traffic and more congestion.