Promoting Sustainable Active Transport - Elaine Mullan
IPH, Open, Conference, Belfast, Northern, Ireland, Dublin, Titanic, October, 2014, Health Public
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Promoting Sustainable Active Transport - Elaine Mullan
1. Promoting sustainable active
transport
Multi-level interventions
Elaine Mullan, MA, PhD
Co-course leader BA Health Promotion
Department of Health, Sport & Exercise Sciences,
Centre for Health Behaviour Research
Waterford Institute of Technology
3. “Implementation of modal shift to date has
been unsuccessful as trends show an ever-increasing
dependency on car-based
travel” (35% increase predicted: DoTTS Review
of National Land Transport System, Aug. 2014)
Why?
• Lazy people?
• Too dangerous to cycle
• Distance
• Busy lives: no time!
• Driving is the most convenient
V’s
6. Safer roads, safer cars, increased
enforcement, improved driver behaviour
- Road Safety Authority (since 2006)
- Multi-agency involvement
- Road Safety Strategies (since 1998)
- Enforcement
Speed, drink-driving, phone use, etc.
Random breath testing
Penalty points - insurance costs & licence
- Improved road design & quality
- Improved car safety – ABS, airbags etc.
- Media campaigns
- Social norms
- Improved driving test
7. Promoting Active Transport
- Sustainable Transport Division (DoTTaS)
Sustainable Transport
- Smarter Travel Policy (2009-20)
- National Cycling Policy Framework (2009-20)
- Design Manual Urban Rds & Streets (2013-)
- Infrastructural improvements
E.g., HGV restrictions, cycle parking,
Dublin bikes, cycle lanes (!)
- Green Schools Travel Theme
- Bike Week
- Bike to work scheme
- Colouring competitions, posters etc.
8. Promoting Active Transport
• Multi-level interventions
Need all levels at the same time,
(institutional, local, or national)
Each level supports the others
• Not standardised
• Despite limited resources
• Not strategic
Too much carrot & not enough stick!
9. All interventions should be multi-level and involve a
strategic, organised approach to creating conducive
environments, changing social norms and improving
individual knowledge
Policy
Environment
Group/social
Individual
What do we need to do?
Remove barriers to wanted
behaviour
Put up barriers to unwanted
behaviour
Biggest barrier =
10. Policy level
1. Active Travel Division
Active Transport Officers in all LA’s
AT is everyone’s but no one’s responsibility
2. Mandate all schools, colleges & workplaces to
have travel plans with SMART targets
Multi-level intervention tools
Enforcement & penalties
12. Doughiska Road,
Galway
1.4km of shared use
pavement
18 junctions
41 private drives &
12 bus stops
No right of way for
the cyclist
13. 3. Cycle lanes are not a panacea!
Can make things worse!!
Hierarchy of Solutions
1. Traffic speed reduction and enforcement
2. Traffic reduction, particularly HGVs
3. Junction treatment and traffic management
4. Increasing footpath &/or road space for
cyclists & pedestrians
5. Cycle lanes and cycle paths
4. Improve neighbourhood proximity & connectivity
Neighbourhood retro-fitting
NCPF, 2009
Environment level
16. Group / social environment level
5. Change the message!
Driving is now safer but cycling is more
dangerised!
Cycling in casual clothing or without a helmet is viewed
as a highly irresponsible and dangerous pursuit
17. “Her elbows are not covered. Her arms are all...and she’s no
helmet and she’s on the phone. Oh my God, there’s so many
things wrong with this picture!”
“She’s doing it right. She has a
helmet on and she has a high vis
jacket; she has cycling gloves;
she’s not wearing heels, yeah”
“I think you have to look
safe. Bring a helmet and
reflective jacket”
18. Individual level
6. Cycle skills training
“Cycling Skills in Traffic”
Subsidised; all ages; all settings
Off & on-road; national standards
19. In conclusion…
Need interventions that do ALL levels,
simultaneously
Need much more focus on policy & environ-mental
interventions to curb private car use
Less carrot, more stick!
Need less focus on individual factors
Too much focus on ‘fun cycles’ & ‘safety’
Need an Active Transport (only!) agency to
ensure implementation of existing policies
Notes de l'éditeur
Smarter Travel Areas: €21m: Go Dungarvan - €7.2 million; Westport - €5 million; Limerick - €9 million
Smarter Travel jobs initiative = €10m
Smarter Travel Projects = €5m
National cycle Network = €65m (tho not just ‘travel’)
We should be concerned about whether or not we’re getting value for money!
M7 Newland’s Cross Flyover
The convenience of driving is the biggest barrier to active transport.
Only where going by foot, bike or public transport is faster, more reliable, cheaper and practical, is AT more common
Important: promoting modal shift cannot be just about promoting AT; it has to be about making private car travel less convenient.
Lets look to the success of the Road Safety Campaigns and strategies to see what we can learn
The number of deaths on the State’s roads in 2012 was the lowest since records began in 1959, 54 years ago
2007-13 = 44% reduction in fatalities
Far less cars around in 1970’s
Road traffic deaths and injuries by year: www.garda.ie/Controller.aspx?Page=10717&Lang=1
Road safety interventions are multi-level, that targeted individuals, social norms and the environment simultaneously; guided by a strategy and key agency
Policy = Steered by a single-focus agency, multi-agency involvement (e.g., gardai, NRA); well funded.
Standardised enforcement & penalties at a national level (the same in all counties) – also ‘L’ licencing
Environment level = roads & signs; car design, e.g., air bags & child seats. Standardised across the country.
Group/social environ level = group support not so relevant for driving; social norms change
Individual level = improved knowledge & attitudes
Key = all levels happened simultaneously and nationally, in a standardised way – the same from Donegal to Wexford
Individual & group level interventions would be ineffective on their own and have only short-term impacts, though they are the easier and cheaper options.
If only policy & environment, there would be less pubic understanding and acceptance.
Let’s look at what we’ve been doing to promote AT.
Looks like we’ve done quite a lot, but none of it happens simultaneously, nationally or in any standardised way
Policy: Sustainable transport = busses, trains, car pooling, park & ride, as well as walking, cycling,
Small agency with a BIG remit; must co-ordinate larger, far better funded agencies (e.g., NRA & LA’s).
No policy/agency dedicated to AT part of sustainable travel.
No National or local AT Officers.
Environment level = mostly in the larger cities & in urban areas
V little in suburbs and almost nothing in rural areas.
Not standardised across the country, despite the manual for streets
Most cycle lanes are at best useless and at worst dangerous!
Group/social level = mostly schools; some work places are signed up to Smarter Travel Workplaces
Travel theme = 5th. Takes about 2 yrs for each.
Bike week = mainly about promoting the enjoyment of cycling, for leisure + transport (=fun cycles & goodie bags)
Individual = adult employees only. No requirement to actually use the bike for AT & no data collected on bike purchases & usage.
Need to intervene at all levels at the same time: each level supports the other
Not standardised re quality or scope: why keep reinventing the wheel (use knowledge from other countries)
Not strategic: small pockets of activity at a local level but no strategic approach
Plastic bag tax, smoking ban etc.: All of these things happened b/c it became the law not to do it or to pay for it (which cut use)
Asking people nicely not to do/use doesn’t work!!
Need a plastic bag tax / smoking ban equivalent to curb car use!
All interventions = institutional (e.g., school), neighbourhood, town, city, county, or national
All intervention should use all levels
Biggest barrier = the convenience of the car
Only where going by foot, bike or public transport is faster, more reliable, cheaper and practical, is AT more common
I’ve chose 1 or 2 things at each level that I feel are essential
1. Active Travel Division of Sustainable Transport Division
Sustainable Transport Unit has a v broad remit.
properly resourced and funded = AT officers in all LA’s
Remit over stake-holders, e.g., LA’s, NRA, Education
2. Active travel plans – tool kit (have the knowledge from Green Schools & other countries)
3. Stop installing on-road cycle lanes & stop measuring success in promoting CFT by Km of cycle lane installed
3. Need to implement Hierarchy of Solutions (NCPF, 2009) TO CURB CAR USE!
Need traffic restrictions: speed, volume, access, parking
4. It’s about more than just roads: retrofit neighbourhoods to improve proximity & connectivity between people and the places they want to go – esp teenagers (independent transport).
Link enough housing estates together and you then have a Safe Route to School or the local shops, that avoids the main roads.
Need to implement the ‘Hierarchy’ here
Child who lives at ‘3’ can’t independently go and visit friend in housing est. across the rd.
Reduce traffic speeds & ban HGV’s on 1 and 2. Breakdown the fence at 3, and at all other, similar cul-de-sacs, widen footpaths & put in cycle lanes on 1 and 2
Need to get rid of junctions like this that actively discourage walking
5. Stop putting onus on vulnerable road users to prevent accidents!
In communications, advertisements, media releases and educational literature
Mullan, E & Groot, M. (2014). An exploration into adolescent girl’s attitudes to cycling for transport. Unpublished undergraduate dissertation. Waterford Institute of Technology.
6. Not just for children
Off-road element is essential
We presume people choose, consciously & deliberately, not to do walk/cycle for transport
- May be an unconscious, passive reaction to an unsupportive environment
….so make the environment more supportive & curb car use!