Voluntary Household Travel Behaviour Change – Theory and Practice
Abstract
Since the late 1990s, there have been examples of travel behaviour change programs using what are termed ‘voluntary behaviour change methods’ – primarily in Europe and Australia.
At the same time, in the attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in water, energy and waste, there has been a considerable amount of research and experience in household voluntary behaviour change methods in these non-transport areas.
This paper describes an approach where the sociological principles of behaviour change in all areas is combined to develop a new approach to travel behaviour change offering people multiple tools, based on their key values. This differs from past approaches that have usually focussed first on the policy-makers’ key goals – to reduce emissions or congestion.
The paper begins by focusing on the key ways in which behaviour change can be effected. To do this, we need to understand people’s motivations for change. There are at least three reasons for this:
- To motivate people, we need understand that different people have different motivations. It is important to understand the range of values and interests people hold rather than making our own personal assumptions.
- To target behaviour change that people will actually do, we need to understand them since neither congestion nor emissions are reduced until measures are actually adopted.
- To develop behaviour changes that will appeal to people, we need to understand them. Not all behaviour changes appeal to people. Further, unless people adopt those changes, the new concepts or tools will neither reduce emissions nor achieve any other aims.
This discussion leads to the importance of understanding how behavioural change can actually be brought about. It goes on to discuss the supportive approaches that are very important in bringing about and sustaining behavioural change. These include using a household based approach, giving a quick range of results, and ensuring robust reinforcement and diffusion mechanisms.
The paper then examines the change tools that can be offered – based on experience in other fields, as well as in the transport literature.
Finally, based on a recent program in Melbourne, Australia, the paper gives an example of how an approach that describes benefits in terms of the values of the participant (whether it be to save time, money, the environment or to gain independence or fitness) is likely to give more sustainable change than alternative approaches that rely primarily on information.
Author
Liz Ampt