London, Manchester and Liverpool are the least car dependent cities in England, while Peterborough is the worst, according to a new report.

The 2014 Car Dependency Scorecard, produced by Campaign for Better Transport, looks at how 29 towns and cities compare in areas including public transport provision, cycling and walking facilities and planning policies that support sustainable transport.

 

To reduce car dependency, Campaign for Better Transports recommends:

 

New developments should be located in and around existing centres and public transport hubs. They should also be designed to make walking and cycling safer, faster and more convenient than driving and built with lower levels of parking provision.

 

Policies should enable public transport to compete with the car: Invest in new train stations and line; expands the use of smartcards valid on multiple type of transport and give buses and trams priority over cars.

 

Cities should invest in cycling provision and improved integration between different modes of transport so people can get to their destination without using a car.

 

Reduce the demand for driving through cities by introducing measures like London’s congestion zone; bus lanes and priority schemes should be uses and invest in small-scale infrastructure improvements such as real-time public transport information.

 

The report highlights that something has to change if more people are to walk, cycle or use public transport instead of their car: People use cars because “they feel they have no choice, and those without cars get isolated and excluded.”

 

Peterborough, Colchester and new town Milton Keynes came in at 29^th, 28^th and 27^th respectively, with poor public transport networks and a set up better suited to cars cited as reasons why.

 

Milton Keynes has a low density due to its spread out structure meaning people have longer to travel on a network better suited to cars. The report states that public transport provision needs to be improved and sustainable transport uses encouraged. Additionally, the report emphasises that future garden cities need to be careful they are not car reliant.

 

Peterborough scored poorly across the board: Although many people already cycle, public transport is rarely used with people relying on their cars. People in Colchester are unlikely to be able to get to primary school, work or the town centre by walking or public transport.

 

In contrast, the least car dependent city, London, has a devolved transport system and well-developed public transport infrastructure delivered in a densely populated area making it easier to travel without a car. However, the report says that bus fares have doubled in the last six years and are likely to continue to rise, with the network as a whole overburdened.

 

Both Manchester and Liverpool have developed 90 per cent of new building on brownfield sites, encouraging ‘city centre intensification’ to achieve urban densities to support efficient public transport.

 

Ultimately, the report argues that car dependence can be best tackled if transport powers are devolved to cities themselves.

 

Stephen Joseph, chief executive at Campaign for Better Transport, said: “To be good places to live and work, towns and cities need good transport. The most successful places in our research give people a choice in how you get around. They have good quality public transport, plan new development thoughtfully and make it easy and safe for people to cycle and walk.

 

"There is a lot that government can do to make our cities less car dependent. What emerges strongly from the research is that local control often goes hand in hand with smarter policies and better targeted investments. More devolution to English cities could mean more integrated and greener transport networks that make our towns and cities better places."

 

http://www.bettertransport.org.uk/sites/default/files/pdfs/Car_Dep_Scorecard_2014_LOW_RES.pdf

Public transport is to unreliable in the city centre you have taxi drivers stopping wherever they want causing knock on effects for traffic for miles around and the police don't even enforce traffic law ( for example the black hack's dropping off and loading on zig zags and at pedestrian crossings) . Liverpool will always be car dependant as when it comes down to it the council and police don't even try and make changes. We suggested a clear zone down a street that you could just about fit two busses down traveling in opposite directions. It got denied. We applied for more railings to stop pedestrians just wandering out into traffic. It got denied. the council said it looks unsightly. So right there you can see what your up against. The only way you can make a city non dependant on cars and personal transport is to sort out the *little* problems that niggle at the transport links.

It would be good to see how Kingston Upon Hull, City of Culture 2017 would fair.

I live in Wales,

I live in a small town.

Having no car isnt really practical for me.

yeap. Scottish Borders. miles from the nearest bus route. and hour from the train or airport

Lol. One bus route 25min walk to the nearest stop, that bus doesn't go near a supermarket.

 

90min to get to work on the bus vs 35min in the car. Can't drop the wee man at the childminder get the bus and make it work on time.

 

Nearest large supermarket 18miles.

 

Train station 22 miles.

 

Yup car dependent.

I live in Sheffield. They spent years putting trams in. Countless hours and trade lost. But now it's fantastic.

10mins walk to access a greatvsystem.

Bit it's still car centric.

£4 for a day tram ticket.

Central parking from £2.50

Most streets around park and ride open and free, p&r isn't free to park so 90% empty daily and local streets are IMHO dangerously parked/congested. Imagine a very steep hill, wide road, opposite a tram stop... By 7am it's down to single lane for hundred plus yards. Stupid!

45 mins from my doorstep medowhell, 20 in the car. Instill go on the tram this time of year though.

Cars and city's will take decades to undo what is done.

It's also 3.6miles to my office, so some days i just walk, more recently. Takes longer but less lurgy.

Edited 16 December, 201411 yr by test1

I live in Lincolnshire.

We have a School bus twice a day,but that's only mon to fri.

We occasionally use the main line rail service from Newark ,but that's 40 miles away ...

...and we use the car to get to the Station.(You've got me there.)

I live in Catterick. We have a Coop just at the top of our avenue and a Chinese, so no food other than the chippie. The nearest shop is the Lidl that is half a mile down a main road or Tesco that's 2 miles away. The nearest primary school is a dump and the nearest decant one is almost 2 miles away, so is the nearest secondary. And buses don't have routs going round farms at half 3 in the morning so you need a car for work.

Lose the car and rely more on public transport in mid-west Wales? Hahahahahaha that's a good one. Public transport here is slowly getting reduced to virtually nothing. My Mrs has done the occasional bus trip into Aberystwyth, nightmare. The stop is over the road from our house, convenient, the bus runs about 4 times a day, inconvenient. One of the slots is on the school bus, and the return from Aber is hit and miss. There's talk of them reopening the rail line South West, which could mean not having to travel to Shrewsbury to get to Cardiff, when that happens I'll eat my pants, maybe my son will benefit in his lifetime. I feel bad for the elderly in the area, really not easy for them, fair play though it doesn't stop them trying and we help out where we can when the weather turns. Takes half an hour into Aber by car, 15 mins into Lampeter (not much there, great cafe though). Bus, when you're lucky enough to get it is best part of an hour. With having 2 kids, I'd say we're car dependent, hardly surprising though its very rural, would be nice to have options though.

I live in Wales so a car is a necessity

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I could walk to work in twenty five minuites but I drive cos I'm a lazy T wat   :yes:

I think it depends how you define Manchester. If you sat on the car park that is the M60 for over an hour and a half to do 30 miles every day you wouldn't be saying it had a low car dependency. Lies, damn lies and statistics or whatever the actual quote is.

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I live in Sheffield. They spent years putting trams in. Countless hours and trade lost. But now it's fantastic.

10mins walk to access a greatvsystem.

Bit it's still car centric.

£4 for a day tram ticket.

Central parking from £2.50

Most streets around park and ride open and free, p&r isn't free to park so 90% empty daily and local streets are IMHO dangerously parked/congested. Imagine a very steep hill, wide road, opposite a tram stop... By 7am it's down to single lane for hundred plus yards. Stupid!

45 mins from my doorstep medowhell, 20 in the car. Instill go on the tram this time of year though.

Cars and city's will take decades to undo what is done.

It's also 3.6miles to my office, so some days i just walk, more recently. Takes longer but less lurgy.

Sheffield has always had great public transport. When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s you could buy a day ticket for the bendy buses and travel anywhere in Sheffield for about 10p

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I live in Wales so a car is a necessity

Sent from my Galaxy S5

 

 * Edit * I live in Wales and we don't have cars

I live in Sheffield. They spent years putting trams in. Countless hours and trade lost. But now it's fantastic.

10mins walk to access a greatvsystem.

Bit it's still car centric.

£4 for a day tram ticket.

Central parking from £2.50

Most streets around park and ride open and free, p&r isn't free to park so 90% empty daily and local streets are IMHO dangerously parked/congested. Imagine a very steep hill, wide road, opposite a tram stop... By 7am it's down to single lane for hundred plus yards. Stupid!

45 mins from my doorstep medowhell, 20 in the car. Instill go on the tram this time of year though.

Cars and city's will take decades to undo what is done.

It's also 3.6miles to my office, so some days i just walk, more recently. Takes longer but less lurgy.

Is that why the roads in sheffield are so terrible? To try to away you towards the tram?

SWMBO goes to uni there. The roads are the worst for miles and miles around tbf

Sheffield has always had great public transport. When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s you could buy a day ticket for the bendy buses and travel anywhere in Sheffield for about 10p

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bloody communists

I think it depends how you define Manchester. If you sat on the car park that is the M60 for over an hour and a half to do 30 miles every day you wouldn't be saying it had a low car dependency. Lies, damn lies and statistics or whatever the actual quote is.

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Get out of bed earlier.

bloody communists

LOL

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Whilst I could easily get around Exmouth and in to Exeter on pubilc transport (pretty decent buses and train) I simply need a car to get around anywhere efficiently, especially when I head out to Dartmoor to visit my Dad,

 

Plus, I say, I don't wish to breathe the same air as the common folk, what what!

I live in a City (Bristol) although nearly 3 miles from the centre and I would say it's easential I have a car.

The publis transport is expensive and rarely on time. When I have reluctantly used it I gave the guy a fiver for. £3.50 fare and I got a god dahm change ticket that he refused to exchange later even though I watched other people get on a pay with change.

With customer service and experiences like this, I will continue to use my car until they make it cheaper to use it than use my car.

On the other hand, I don't work in the City and there is no direct public transport links to where I work in Avonmouth. I would say at least an hour and 20/30 via a couple of busses through Rush hour vs 20 minutes direct in my motor.

The trains prices are just a joke wherever you are and need to go......

There's a bus goes past the end of our road.

Shame the end of the road is about 3 miles away.

Edited 17 December, 201411 yr by StevesTruck

I live in a more car dependant area than Peterborough but then again I'm not surprised cumbria had been missed of the list. I don't think the government knows we exist.

I live in a more car dependant area than Peterborough but then again I'm not surprised cumbria had been missed of the list. I don't think the government knows we exist.

It's amazing you can think that given the sort of government money that is spent on the likes of the defence and nuclear industries in the region. Nevermind the land owning and agriculture subsidies I imagine the large owners benefit from.