National Travel Survey 2023 – AA Comments
Commenting on the National Travel Survey 2023* released today,
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for The AA, said; “Today's
National Travel Survey, released by the Department for Transport,
shows that greater use of road transport and particularly cars
signals a return to near-normality after the disruption of covid
and the lockdowns.
“More significantly, increases in trip rates amongst private
transport modes (such as car drivers, car passengers and
motorcycles), and public transport modes (apart from buses in
London which have remained similar to the previous year) in 2023,
while trip rates for active transport modes such as walking and
cycling have remained similar in 2023 compared to 2022, underline
the importance of the car for personal mobility.”
One paragraph in the survey's main findings says it all:
“In 2023, average trips increased for both car drivers and
passengers to 363 trips per person and 185 trips per person
respectively, however, these remained below pre-pandemic levels.
Car driver was the most frequent mode to begin a trip, with 39%
of trips. Females made more car trips than males, however, males
made longer car journeys than females. Outside London, residents
in England relied on cars for commuting, with 70% of commuting
trips made by car by residents from urban areas outside London,
and this increased to 81% by residents in rural areas (excluding
London).”
Cousens adds; “The car is not a luxury but the means for the
majority of people to go about their daily lives. This they
manage despite pump prices at levels way above anything they
experienced before the pandemic.
“And that is why an increase to fuel duty in October will not be
just ‘painful' but debilitating for workers and families on lower
incomes.”
ends
NOTES TO EDITORS
* NTS 2023: Introduction and
main findings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “It's abundantly clear
that the private car remains the mode of choice for journeys over
a mile in length, despite the fact that the proportion of
households with access to a car has remained broadly flat for the
last 50 years. And while the average distance travelled by bus
has crept up slightly this year, it's still the case that these
figures are down hugely compared to the start of the century –
reinforcing the fact that many local bus services, where they
still exist, simply aren't working for people.
“The findings give the new government some food for thought as it
tries to balance the needs of all road users, whether they are
bus riders, cyclists, pedestrians or drivers. In the case of the
latter, it's clear many people feel they have no viable
alternatives to the car for the trips they need to make.”
