This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Transport statistics published
10/02/2004
Differences in transport across Scotland are shown in an
Executive statistical bulletin,
Transport across Scotland in 2001 and 2002: some Scottish
Household Survey results for parts of Scotland, which
is published today.
The findings relate to 2001 and 2002 together because
the SHS was designed to provide local authority figures
only for two-year periods. The statistics for types of
area use the SHS urban/rural classification.
Availability of motor vehicles, cars and bicycles
• 65 per cent of households had one or more motor
vehicles available for private use. This percentage was
highest in rural areas (82 per cent) and lowest in large
urban areas (56 per cent).
• About 20 per cent had two or more cars, rising to
around 34 per cent in "accessible" rural areas.
Aberdeenshire, East Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire
had the highest percentages (all around 35 per cent);
Glasgow the lowest (8 per cent).
• The percentage without a car was highest in Glasgow
(57 per cent), and lowest in Aberdeenshire, East
Dunbartonshire and East Renfrewshire (all 17-20 per cent).
• 6 per cent had a company vehicle available for
private use, rising to 10-12 per cent in Aberdeenshire,
East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Perth & Kinross
and Stirling.
• About a third of households had bicycles that
adults could use: the range was from 20 per cent for
Glasgow to 54 per cent in the Highlands.
Public transport
• Public transport was described as "very convenient"
by 54 per cent of adults in large urban areas, but by only
13 per cent in "remote" rural areas: there, 31 per cent
said that it was "very inconvenient", and a further 15 per
cent felt that it was "fairly inconvenient".
• The "very convenient" percentage was highest for
Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Renfrewshire and West
Dunbartonshire (all 55-58 per cent); and the "very
inconvenient" percentage was highest for Orkney (33 per
cent) and Aberdeenshire, the Highlands and Shetland (all
18-23 per cent).
• About 4 per cent of householders said that they had
no bus service or were at least 14 minutes walk away from
the nearest bus stop (or place where one could get on a
bus). This was so for about 26 per cent of householders in
"remote" rural areas, and around 15 per cent in
"accessible" rural areas. Orkney (33 per cent) and
Aberdeenshire and Shetland (both 17-19 per cent) had the
highest percentages.
• 23 per cent of householders did not know the
frequency of their nearest bus service. This figure ranged
from 9 per cent in Edinburgh to 35 per cent in Dumfries
& Galloway.
• Overall, 7 per cent of adults felt, or would feel,
"not safe at all" from crime when travelling by bus in the
evening. Glasgow, Inverclyde, South Lanarkshire, and West
Dunbartonshire had the highest percentages (all 12-13 per
cent); it was only 1 per cent in "remote" rural areas.
Travel to work
• For Scotland as a whole, over two-thirds of
commuters travelled to work by car or van: 57 per cent as
the driver and 11 per cent as a passenger. The percentage
who drove was highest for those living in "accessible"
rural areas (73 per cent) and "remote" rural areas (67 per
cent), and lowest for large urban areas and "remote" small
towns (both 50-51 per cent).
• The percentage using a car or van was highest for
those living in East Renfrewshire (82 per cent) and
Clackmannanshire, East Ayrshire, Stirling and West Lothian
(all 78-79 per cent); and lowest for residents of Edinburgh
and Glasgow (both 50-52 per cent).
• Overall, 48 per cent of car/van commuters said that
they could use public transport. This percentage was
highest in large urban areas (60 per cent) and for
Aberdeen, East Renfrewshire, Edinburgh and Renfrewshire
(all 64-67 per cent). 82 per cent of car/van commuters in
"remote" rural areas said that they could not use public
transport.
• Overall, 13 per cent of commuters walked to work,
rising to 30 per cent for those living in "remote" small
towns. Argyll & Bute and Scottish Borders had the
highest percentages (25-26 per cent).
• The bus was the usual means of travel to work for
12 per cent of commuters, rising to 20 per cent for
residents of large urban areas. It was highest for
Edinburgh and Glasgow (both 25-26 per cent).
Travel to school
• 54 per cent of pupils walked to school: about
three-fifths of those in towns and cities, and around 30
per cent of those in rural areas.
• Overall, 23 per cent went by bus: 13-19 per cent of
pupils in towns and cities, and 45-49 per cent in rural
areas.
• 20 per cent of pupils travelled by car or van, with
the figure for each type of area being between 13 per cent
and 21 per cent.
Driving
• Nearly two-thirds of people aged 17+ had a full
driving licence. The percentage was lowest in large urban
areas (58 per cent) and highest in rural areas (77-78 per
cent), and ranged from 46 per cent in Glasgow and 54 per
cent in both Inverclyde and West Dunbartonshire to 80 per
cent in Aberdeenshire and 76 per cent in East
Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Scottish Borders and
Shetland.
• Across Scotland, 46 per cent of people aged 17+ drove
every day: 58 per cent of those in "accessible" rural
areas, and 55 per cent of those in "remote" rural areas,
compared with only 38 per cent of those in large urban
areas. The figure ranged from 28 per cent in Glasgow and
37 per cent in Edinburgh to 56-60 per cent in
Aberdeenshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire and
Shetland.
Walking
• 55 per cent of adults said that they had made a
trip of more than a quarter of a mile by foot to go
somewhere in the previous seven days, but only 39-40 per
cent of those in rural areas had done so. This figure was
highest in Edinburgh (69 per cent) and Aberdeen, Falkirk
and Glasgow (all 61-63 per cent) and lowest in Eilean Siar
(22 per cent) and Aberdeenshire, East Renfrewshire and
Orkney (all 40-41 per cent).
• 52-55 per cent of adults in rural areas said that
they had walked for pleasure or to keep fit in the seven
days before the interview, compared with the overall figure
of 42 per cent. The figures ranged from 30-32 per cent in
North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire to 59 per cent in Argyll
& Bute and Scottish Borders.
Transport across Scotland in 2001 and 2002: some
Scottish Household Survey results for parts of Scotland
costs £2, and may be purchased from the Stationery
Bookshop, 71 Lothian Road, Edinburgh EH3 9AZ.
The SHS involves interviews with about 15,500 households
across Scotland each year. While the aim is to obtain a
representative cross section, like any such survey the
results may vary from year to year depending upon the
composition of the sample. Because of the sample size, it
is not possible to provide figures for each local authority
area for each year - so the figures for Council areas are
produced using the samples for two-year periods.
In the SHS urban / rural classification, a "small town"
has a population between 3,000 and 9,999; and a "large
urban area" has a population of 125,000 or more. An area
is described as "accessible" if it is within 30 minutes
drive of a settlement with a population of 10,000 or more
(otherwise it is described as "remote").
National Statistics are produced to high professional
standards set out in the National Statistics Code of
Practice and Release Practice Protocol. These statistics
undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure that
they meet customer needs. They are produced free from any
political interference.