28 August 2024
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.”
“The car is not a luxury but the means for the majority of people to go about their daily lives.”
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.”
* NTS 2023: Introduction and main findings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)