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Social Focus on Urban Rural Scotland 2003

chapter six: Transport

The Scottish Executive's Transport Delivery Report, Scotland's Transport: Delivering Improvements, sets out the Scottish Executive's transport vision for Scotland.

The Scottish Executive's objectives include tackling urban and inter-urban congestion, delivering greater public transport integration and accessibility, and delivering vital missing links in the transport network. They also include improving rural transport networks and, in particular, maintaining lifeline air and sea links, vital to the economic and social wellbeing of island areas. Furthermore, transport safety is paramount.

By 2005-06, the Scottish Executive spending on transport will exceed 1 billion each year.

This chapter provides information, primarily from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS), on people's use and perceptions of transport in urban, rural and remote areas. Results presented include the use of motor vehicles and expenditure on fuel, what and why people use particular modes of transport to travel to their place of work and education, access to public transport, and road accident deaths.

The results in this chapter show differences between the level of use of cars in urban and rural areas - and these differences are largest between large urban areas and rural areas. People in rural areas have a greater reliance on cars and are more likely to hold a full driving licence, to have access to a car, to drive every day, and also are more likely to drive to work.

While people living in large urban areas have access to more frequent public transport services. Furthermore, compared to rural areas a higher proportion of people in urban areas who usually travel to work by car could use public transport. The main reasons these people - who usually travel to work by car - give for not using public transport are that it is perceived as being inconvenient and take too long.

Possession of full drivers licence

Results from the Scottish Household Survey show that almost two thirds of all people aged 17 and over in Scotland hold a full driving licence. There are significant variations between urban and rural areas, with people living in rural areas more likely to hold a full drivers licence. Over 75 per cent of people in rural areas have a full driving licence compared to 57 per cent of people in large urban areas. (Table 6.1).

In Scotland, some 70 per cent of people with full driving licences actually drive every day. The percentage varies from 66 per cent of drivers in large urban areas to 75 per cent in accessible rural areas.

Access to cars

As well as people in rural areas being more likely than those in urban areas to hold a driving licence, households in rural areas are more likely to have access to cars. Some 80 per cent of households in rural areas have access to at least one car; this compares to some 54 per cent in large urban areas.

Household expenditure on fuel for motor vehicles in the previous month

The SHS also asks about how much money is spent on fuel for each vehicle the household has access to for private use. The results for 2001 show that the amount spent on fuel differed between urban, remote and rural areas - with households in urban areas spending less on fuel. Some 16 per cent of households in remote rural areas spent 150 or more on fuel in the previous month in comparison to 8 per cent of households with large urban areas.

It should be noted that people often responded with estimated and rounded values, and that results do not include those households that had not spent money on fuel or those who refused to answer the question. That said, the overall figures are comparable with other estimates on expenditure on motor fuel.

Adults travelling to work

With some 2.3 million people working in Scotland, journeys to and from work account for about a quarter of all journeys made by adults. Across all areas, driving a car or van is the most common method for travelling to work. Over 65 per cent of people living in rural areas travel to work by car. This compares to some 50 per cent of people in large urban areas.

It is interesting to note, over 25 per cent of people living in remote small towns walk to work. This compares to less than 15 per cent in all other types of area.

Compared to the other area types, travelling to work by bus is more common in large urban areas with almost 20 per cent of people using this method.

Source: Scottish Household Survey
Note: Based on adults aged 16 and over selected at random from the household. People who work at home, and those who work from home, are excluded from the calculation of the percentages

Distance between home and work

The SHS asks people about where they work, and in particular, the postcode of their place of work. From this information, 'as the crow flies' distances between home and work (and home and school in the case of school- children and students) are calculated. There are instances when these 'as the crow flies' distances underestimate the distance actually travelled (for example, someone commuting between Kirkcaldy and Edinburgh). It should also be noted that where incomplete post-code information is collected, the partial information collected is used to estimate the distance commuted (for example, between EH1 and G1). It should also be noted that people, who work at home, those who work from home, and those who do not have a normal place of work, are excluded from the calculation of the distances.

The results show that within Scotland, some 50 per cent of people work within 5 km of where they live, and some 70 per cent work within 10 km of where they live. There are significant differences between geographic areas, with almost 60 per cent of people living within remote small towns travelling less than 2 km to work. It is also worth highlighting that the results show that people living within accessible small towns and accessible rural areas tend to commute longer distances.

Source: Scottish Household Survey

Time taken to get work

Most people in Scotland (92 per cent) are able to get to work within one hour, and over 50 per cent within 20 minutes. The results also show that compared to other areas, people living in remote small towns spend significantly less time travelling to work. Some 70 per cent of people in remote small towns are able to get from home to work within 20 minutes. This compares to some 45 per cent of people in large urban areas who are able to get to work within 20 minutes.

The results on time taken to get to work exclude those who work at home, but will include some people who work from home, or who do not have a normal place of work, and gave details of a journey to or from work.

Source: Scottish Household Survey Travel Diary, 2000 and 2001

Commuters who do not use public transport

The survey also looks at whether or not those people who travel to work or place of study by car or van as drivers or passengers could instead use public transport. Results show that less than half of these adults (47 per cent) could use public transport to travel to work or place of study. There are differences between urban and rural areas. Within 'urban' areas some 55 per cent of adults could use public transport. Whereas, in 'rural' areas about a quarter of adults (26 per cent) could use public transport to travel to work.

For those people who said they could use public transport to travel to work or place of study, the most common reasons why they do not use public transport are the inconvenience (over 50 per cent), that it takes too long (some 35 per cent), and 'use my own car' (some 35 per cent). These are the most common reasons in both urban and rural areas.

For those people who said they could not use public transport to travel to work or place of study, the most common reasons vary depending on the type of area. In rural areas the most common reason was a lack of service followed by no direct route. Whereas in urban areas the most common reasons were inconvenience and no direct route.

Source: Scottish Household Survey
Note: Based on people aged 16 and over selected at random from the household

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