Transport
Transportation has become an essential part of modern life. Whether it is the commute to work, to school or a journey to see friends and family, we all travel regularly and demand goods and services that require transportation and the private car continues to be the main way we get around in Hertfordshire. Transport emissions are one of the major sources of air pollution in Hertfordshire despite the promotion of alternative forms of transport being undertaken by the County and District councils.
Indicator TR1 - Volume of motor traffic
Countywide vehicle kilometres
Source: HCC - download and view this data in excel
The volume of traffic is a good indicator of the extent to which people travel and can give us an idea of the level of pollution being generated. In general more traffic leads to higher levels of air pollution and noise and can have an impact on quality of life for residents. In 2004, vehicles on main roads in Hertfordshire travelled 31.1 million kilometres per day, an increase of 0.1% compared to 2003.
Volume of motor traffic (by district)
Source: HCC - download and view this data in excel
Indicator TR2 - Modal split
The modal split indicator shows which type of transport people use. The table shows the modal split taken from a three-year cycle of urban area peak-period counts. Whilst this does not give a complete picture (e.g. rail, off-peak and rural journeys are excluded), it does give an indication of trends.
Modal Split 2000 to 2004
| Mode | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Car | 82.6% | 80.1% | 83.4% | 82.1% | 82.0% |
| Bus | 12.1% | 12.1% | 10.5% | 11.3% | 11.6% |
| Walk | 3.9% | 6.2% | 4.8% | 5.1% | 4.9% |
| Cycle | 0.9% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.8% | 0.7% |
| Motorcycle | 0.6% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% | 0.7% |
The figures for urban areas vary considerably. For example, for 2004, the modal share for the car varies from 70% to 90% across the county, whilst bus use ranges from 4% to 20%.
Indicator TR3 - Mode of travel to school
The mode of travel to school is measured every three years as part of a countywide travel survey. The last time this was carried out was in 2002. These figures are shown in the chart. The two main modes of transport are walking and travelling by car.
Mode of travel to school
Source: HCC - download and view this data in excel
School Travel Plans
Government funding for school travel advisers has strengthened the support available to help Hertfordshire schools develop school travel plans, e.g. through face to face advice for schools, awareness raising and providing greater support to school travel volunteers.
The school travel plan capital grant, also funded by the Government, helps schools which have approved travel plans provide on-site improvements to encourage sustainable travel to school. To date Hertfordshire schools have accessed £1.2 million of government grant funding, often used to install cycle storage although parent waiting shelters and improved access arrangements are also popular. The grants will continue to be available until 2007/8.
Travel plans typically include measures such as walking buses, cycle training, and road safety education. Around 40% of schools in Hertfordshire have travel plans in place, of which 212 (35%) meet current standards and include sound baseline travel information which will be updated regularly with progress to be reviewed annually. Initial monitoring results indicate that over 60% of Hertfordshire schools, with comparable travel mode information, have reported a shift away from the car towards other modes of travel. While the average % change in car use is -3.2%, a number of schools have showed a reduction of more than 10%. In addition:
- University College London's research with Hertfordshire school children that found walking to school provides more moderate activity than 2hrs in physical education lessons.
- Research in Hertfordshire on walking buses found children who had used the walking bus at primary school, were not travelling to secondary school by car.
- There is also anecdotal evidence that parents believe experience gained using walking buses increases pedestrian skills making them more confident about allowing their children to walk independently as they get older.
School travel plans provide acceptable evidence of school based action that supports 'Healthy School' accreditation, engages schools in the development of road safety education programmes and assists the selection of schools that would benefit from support from the Safer Routes to School programme.
Indicator TR4 - Mode of transport and average distance by journey purpose
Mode of transport by journey purpose is measured every three years. The table below shows the mode of transport by journey purpose for 2002 (the last time it was measured). The car is the dominant mode for all three journey purposes, but the other modes of transport vary in importance according to type of journey. For example, train travel accounts for 10% of work journeys, but only 1% for shopping.
% mode of transport and average journey distance in Hertfordshire 2002:
| Mode | Work | Shopping | Leisure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| Bicycle | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bus | 3 | 6 | 10 |
| Train | 4 | 10 | 1 |
| Car Passenger | 14 | 4 | 13 |
| Car Driver | 66 | 68 | 62 |
| Taxi | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Motorbike | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| Mean Average Distance (miles) | 10.6 | 13.1 | 5.8 |
Journeys to Work
The 2001 Census has shown that almost two thirds of people within Hertfordshire aged 16-74 used the car as their main mode for travel to work. Compared with the rest of England, car and rail mode shares are higher in Hertfordshire due to high levels of commuting flows, mainly into London. Both the 2002 County Travel Survey and 2001 Census showed that one fifth of Hertfordshire residents work in London, with nearly two thirds working within the county itself.
Indicator TR5 - Public perception of transport
An annual MORI survey is carried out for Hertfordshire County Council's Environment Department, to find out residents' attitudes towards a broad range of social and environmental issues. Of those residents surveyed (502 residents), 56% thought that congestion is a major issue in the area that they live, and 25% thought that the provision of local bus services was a major issue. The chart below shows how these perceptions have changed over the period 2003 to 2005.
More details on transport statistics can be found in the Traffic and Transport Data Report 2004 which is available for reference in public libraries or on the County Council website at www.hertsdirect.org/ttdr
Local transport issues of concern
Source: HCC - download and view this data in excel