Promoting new public transport systems

Abstract

Concerns about the impact of the car on the environment, on quality of life and on congestion levels have led to increased recognition among transport engineers that alternatives to the car must be promoted. This means that public transport has to form a core part of any sustainable transport system. One form of public transport that is seen as an alternative to the car in towns and cities is light rail. However, there are problems involved with promoting these systems and in anticipating their impacts on travel behaviour. In the past, forecasts of the patronage figures on these systems have been much higher than the actual patronage figures achieved. Transport experts must find a way to make these systems more successful by discovering what the public want from the systems. This paper describes a series of interviews carried out with potential users of Croydon Tramlink. It outlines their attitudes and the concerns they held about using Tramlink. In particular, the surveys examine the impact that publicity from the relevant authorities had on people's modal choices. The paper shows that people were very unimpressed by the publicity and in some cases it had a negative impact on their decisions. The conclusions of the paper have some interesting implications for transport policy and public transport promotion. Suggestions are made on how the lessons learned about people's decision-making processes regarding new light-rail systems could be used to more effectively promote future systems.