Commission on Travel Demand Evening Discussion

The third evidence session of the Commission on Travel Demand will be followed by presentations by two experts in urban transport who have been looking at the evolution of travel trends in Northern European Cities.

Growing the city inwards – Anne Bastian, KTH Stockholm

This talk describes the travel behaviour trends in Stockholm over 30 years, their causes and policy challenges. We discuss how this compares to other parts of Sweden, to Copenhagen and to London. Stockholm is among the fastest growing cities in Europe. Its population, economic and leisure activities grow faster in the urban core than in the suburbs. This agglomeration trend is driven by Stockholm’s knowledge economy and by the land-use policy of the city of Stockholm. Consequently, travel patterns, traffic and population composition diverge between city, suburban and rural areas of Stockholm County. The work is part of a collaboration with Dr Maria Börjesson.

Urban Transport Policy Evolution: where have we come from, where are we going? – Professor Peter Jones O.B.E., University College London

Many Western European cities have followed a similar policy development path since the 1950s, which can be crudely characterised as a three-stage process: from catering for car growth (Stage 1), to switching to prioritising more space efficient and sustainable modes (Stage 2), with a recent emphasis on place-making and liveability and active car restraint (Stage 3). But, with growing population pressures and rapid advances in digital and material technologies, there are questions about what a ‘Stage 4’ might look like – will digital advances reduce further the need to travel, or will autonomous vehicles lead to a resurgence in car travel and a return to Stage 1 priorities? – and what role might public authorities play in influencing this?

The presentation will explore these issues drawing on findings from the on-going EU Horizon 2020 CREATE project, which includes the five capital cities of Berlin, Copenhagen, London, Paris and Vienna.

Speaker Biographies

Anne Bastian

Anne Bastian is a PhD student at the Stockholm Centre for Transport Studies. Her research aims to understand and explain changes in car use, in Western national and urban European contexts. From 2004 to 2012 Anne worked in the consumer goods industry, developing sales and substitution models for new product launches.

Professor Peter Jones

Peter is Professor Transport and Sustainable Development at UCL and of Director of the Centre for Transport Studies.  He is a member of the Independent Transport Commission, the DfT’s Science Advisory Council and co-chair of its Joint Analysis Development Group. He is Scientific Co-ordinator for the EU funded ‘CREATE’ project on trends in urban mobility, and is a member of the London Roads and Streets Commission. He was recently awarded an OBE for services to national transport policy.

He has a wide range of transport research and teaching interests, covering both analytical methods and policy. These include transport policy, traveller attitudes and behaviour, travel trends and the determinants of travel demand, traffic restraint studies, accessibility studies, policy option generation, major transport economic and social impact studies, public engagement, development of new survey and appraisal methods, and advances in urban street planning and design.

Booking

All welcome. This is a free event but please confirm a place here: Eventbrite

Further information on the Commission on Travel Demand

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