Introduction and Years Covered

This is the seventeenth volume/1998 edition of statistics on transport in Scotland, covering (in most cases) years up to 1997, or up to financial year 1996/97. However, in some cases, the latest figures available at the time of going to press were for 1996, or for financial year 1995-96.

The previous volume, number 16, was published in 1997, and covered statistics up to 1996 or 1995, or the relevant financial years, depending upon the availability of data at the time of the tables were prepared. It follows that, in a few cases, the production of this volume has involved updating the figures by two years. Therefore, a few "single year" tables appear separately for 1996 and for 1997 (or for the relevant financial years) in order to bring the statistics up to date while ensuring that figures for each year are available from this or previous editions.

Where tables cover a run of years, the aim is that they will provide figures for 11 years (eg for each year from 1987 to 1997, inclusive) to enable the reader to see how the latest year's figure compares with that of 10 years' earlier.

The Structure of the Publication

First comes a Summary, containing information about all modes of transport, which provides a compact view of the trends over the past 10 years. The table is repeated in an index form (1987=100) to provide a direct comparison of the trends for the different modes of transport.

There follow 12 chapters, each on a specific topic, and each of which starts with the following sections:-

1. Introduction;

2. Main Points;

3. Notes and Definitions;

4. Sources; and

5. Further Information.

The "Main Points" should summarise the key statistics and bring out the more interesting and significant points. Readers are recommended to look at the "Notes and Definitions", when using the main statistical tables, as these provide insight and qualifications on the statistics. The "Sources" sections provide information about the sources of the statistics, and the "Further Information" sections indicate where further information about the statistics can be found.

Main Changes in this Edition

The text at the start of each chapter has been split into five sections (as described in the previous paragraph). In some of the chapters, these sections provide considerably more information than was available in previous editions.

Most of the tables are in the same format as the previous editions. Regrettably, it has not been possible to update some of the tables in this volume. In some cases, this has resulted in a `single year' table from the previous edition being repeated to provide what is still the latest available information of that kind. It is intended to see whether other information might be available for the next edition.

A new Chapter 12, titled "Personal and Cross-Modal Travel", has been added. This gives some statistics on (eg) the distance travelled and the numbers of journeys made, by main mode of travel and purpose of journey, and also provides some statistics on travel to school, the usage of bicycles, and walking.

A "Historical Series" section, consisting of two tables showing longer-term trends in passenger and freight transportation, has also been included in this edition.

Several new tables have been added in some of the other chapters. A full list of all the new tables in this edition appears on an earlier page.