Anger about public transport driving rise in car dependency, RAC survey finds
One in three motorists say they are more reliant on their cars than they were 12 months ago
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Anger over public transport services is fuelling a rise in car dependency, according to a new survey.
One in three (33 per cent) motorists say they are more reliant on their cars than they were 12 months ago, compared with just 27 per cent in 2017, an RAC study found.
The motoring firm's annual Report on Motoring shows car dependency had been dropping steadily since 2012 but the latest figures show the UK is more wedded to the car than ever.
The top reasons people gave for using their cars more were having a greater need to transport family members (34 per cent), having a longer commute (32 per cent) and family and friends having moved further away (27 per cent).
One in four (24 per cent) blamed a deterioration in public transport for using their car more often. The complaints by this group focused on reliability (44 per cent), rising fares (39 per cent) and cuts in services (33 per cent).
"At a time when there is so much effort being put into tackling air quality issues and congestion, it is alarming to see that dependency on the car is actually the highest we have ever seen," RAC chief engineer David Bizley said.
Department for Transport figures show the number of local bus passenger journeys in England fell by 70 million (1.5 per cent) year-on-year in 2016/2017.
Rail passenger journeys during 2017/18 decreased by 24,000 (1.4 per cent) compared with the previous 12 months, according to Office of Rail and Road statistics.
Punctuality on the rail network is at a 12-year low and commuters face an increase of up to 3.2% in the cost of season tickets from January.
Six in 10 (59 per cent) of the 1,808 motorists surveyed by the RAC stated they would use their car less if public transport was better, with only 11 per cent disagreeing with this statement.
Mr Bizley said: "Many people don't think public transport offers a viable alternative to the car for their needs, especially those living in more rural areas. We need greater investment in public transport so that where feasible, drivers have an alternative to sitting in traffic and contributing to poor air quality and congestion.
"The key to this must surely be making public transport as attractive as possible by ensuring it is reliable, frequent, comfortable and affordable."
Press Association
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments