Commuters want cars despite delays

13 April 2012

The hope of getting people out of their cars and on to public transport was quashed today by a report from the RAC.

Half of British commuters, its study claimed, would still use their cars even if the journey took twice as long.

Despite already having the longest travelling times to work in Europe, growing congestion and slower traffic speeds, the figures released today show we are still addicted to our cars.

Perhaps because most cars now boast air-conditioning and sophisticated sound systems, we find it bearable to just sit in traffic.

RAC Foundation executive director Edmund King said: "Our research shows we are a nation of car commuters. We have the longest commutes in Europe and even if our commuting time doubled, most of us would just shrug and leave more time for the journey.

"Drivers would rather sit in their cars twice as long than change jobs, move house or change their work base.

"However, many commuters would revolt over the prospect of having to pay workplace parking levies."

The average length of commute for the country is 45 minutes a day - modest by London standards but almost twice as long as the Italians. Despite worsening road conditions - and perhaps because of rising house prices - we are travelling further to work.

The RAC has found the average distance travelled by commuters has risen 17 per cent to 8.5 miles in just 10 years.

It also showed that 72 per cent of commuters outside London used cars to get to work, with buses the preferred mode of travel for two-thirds of those using public transport.

Of all car trips, 22 per cent were made for commuting, while only five per cent of commuting was by national rail. But commuting accounted for 46 per cent of all rail journeys, with more than half of rail commuting journeys being made in London and the South- East.

The RAC found the main reason for using the car to go to work was that it was quicker than other options.

They discovered that more than a fifth of all car journeys are made for the purpose of commuting.

The survey also found:

Almost 50 per cent of rail travel is by those in the top 20 per cent of household incomes.
Only three per cent of people overall cycle to work, but 28 per cent do in Cambridge, while 10 per cent walk to work nationwide, but in Norwich 24 per cent do so.
Twenty per cent of people said their reason for not living closer to work was that they liked the area in which they were living. Other reasons included good housing and good schools, while 16 per cent said they had always lived in that area.
Seven per cent of people said they liked to keep home and work separate, while some said they did not regard commuting time as entirely lost time as it helped them either prepare for the day or to unwind at its end.
If car commuting time doubled, 46 per cent of people would leave more time and 23 per cent would use other routes - just seven per cent said they would use public transport.
Fifty-five per cent said they used the car to go to work as it was quicker than other options, while 36 per cent said they needed to use the car at work.
If a £5 workplace charging scheme was introduced, 53 per cent would park on the road and only two per cent would pay it.

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