Car drivers in London support reducing their car use, as long as it’s done fairly - new study finds

Frequent car drivers in London are open to reducing their car use in the capital when the conversation is based around fairness, a new study from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has found,  this World Car Free Day (22 September).

The new paper, published in Transport Policy, shows that when drivers are included in the debate about car use, and when the link between an individual’s own car use and how much congestion it causes is made clear, they are supportive of reductions in car use for different groups of drivers.

The drivers in the study ranked disabled people and carers as the top priority groups who should be able to maintain their current levels of car use, while proposing that drivers who are wealthier and living close to public transport should reduce their car use the most to help the capital address its chronic congestion and climate issues.

For the study, the researchers carried out a representative survey for London, ran a simulation citizens’ jury with nine participants and undertook a pilot behavioural experiment alongside in-depth interviews with 19 London car drivers.

After deliberations, the participants from the jury, pilot experiments and interviews proposed that it would be fair for different groups of drivers to reduce their car use by varying amounts, based on their needs and circumstances.

Any measure that has been put forward to reduce car use in cities in the last few years such as the introduction of low traffic neighbourhoods (LTNs) and ultra-low emission zones (ULEZ) has been met with opposition. Large cohorts of people have complained that these measures are unfair, invoking high levels of anger and reducing the legitimacy and deliverability of these policies.

The researchers found that there are three elements key to enabling constructive discussion about car-use reduction in London amongst drivers. These include (1) the use of deliberative formats (e.g. citizens’ juries or assemblies) (2) putting fairness considerations at the heart of the discussions (3) showing drivers the link between their individual driving choices and how much this contributes to congestion and limits the road space available to be share around.

The researchers hope that a fairness-based approach can help policymakers make policies for reducing congestion that better-include car drivers and reduce the polarisation seen in recent culture war debates on LTNs and ULEZ.

Commenting on the findings, lead author of the paper Dr Philipp Rode the Executive Director of LSE Cities said: “What surprised the research team was to detect such a clear opportunity of new forms of public deliberation, factual information, and discussions about fairness — all of which can help build broader support for progressive urban transport policies.”