The Scottish Government

Title

Proportion of adults usually travelling to work by car

National Indicator/Target

Increase the proportion of journeys to work made by public or active transport

Brief Description

The indicator records the mode of transport by which adults say they usually travel to work. The target is a proxy for 'journeys to work that are not car dependent'. Reducing the need to travel by car is one aspect of developing sustainable places, whilst reduced car travel contributes to making places sustainable.

The indicator captures the combination of access and choice. Dependency per se is not recorded in this indicator.

Strategic Objective(s) to Which Indicator Relates

This indicator informs progress in relation to the Greener Strategic Objective.

The development of sustainable places with improved access and facilities for sustainable modes of transport will allow more journeys to be made by public transport, cycling or walking.

Increasing the proportion of journeys made to work by public or active transport may also make a contribution to a reduction in emissions, both global and local, from transport.

This indicator, at a broader level, also contributes to Safer and Stronger (through more sustainable communities), Healthier (through increased active travel and improved air quality) and Wealthier and Fairer (through reduced congestion and improved journey times).

More Detailed Definitions

Definitions of Keywords

The indicator covers employed adults (people aged 16 and over, whose current situation was described as "self-employed", "employed full-time" or "employed part-time") for whom a usual means of travel to work was recorded. The figures do not include people who work at or from home.

" Car" includes "van"; the figures cover both drivers and passengers.

The usual main method of travel to work is recorded if the method varies, or the journey involves more than one method.

Evidence Source

Scottish Household Survey. Percentage calculated from survey responses.

All else being equal, the smaller the percentage who travel to work by car, the lower the volumes of traffic and emissions, and the more attractive our public transport offer is.

It is a proxy for (the converse of) 'journeys to work that are not car dependent'. While the SHS has some information about the latter, the results may not be particularly reliable, given the subjective nature of people's answers to a question like "could you use public transport to travel to your place of work?". Similarly, "dependency" is broader than the availability of alternatives.

Baseline and Past Trends

Baseline = 2006

Baseline value = 67.1%

Chart: Percentage of employed adults who travel to work by car or van

Source: Scottish Government - Scottish Household Survey

Methodology

Each year's figure is based on a sample of around 6,000 adults who travel to work. The "95% confidence limits" are believed to be about +/- 1.4 percentage-points.

Data Ownership and Quality Assurance

National Statistics

Publication of Data

Scottish Transport Statistics ( e.g. Table 12.24 of the "2006" edition gave figures for the years up to 2005). The printed version is scheduled to appear each December, and can be found via:

www.scotland.gov.uk/transtat/sts

An updated version of the table, with a further year's figures, usually becomes available via that address each summer ( e.g. figures for 2006 appeared in August 2007).