ArticlePDF Available

Insights on Disruptions as Opportunities for Transport Policy Change

Authors:
G. Marsden at University of Leeds
G. Marsden
Iain Docherty at University of Stirling
Iain Docherty
Download full-text PDFDownload full-text PDF
Read full-text
Download citation

Abstract and Figures

Policy change is characterised as being slow and incremental over long time periods. In discussing a radical shift to a low carbon economy, many researchers identify a need for a more significant and rapid change to transport policy and travel patterns. However, it is not clear what is meant by rapid policy change and what conditions might be needed to support its delivery. Our contention in this paper is that notions of habit and stability dominate thinking about transport trends and the policy responses to them. We limit variability in our data collection and seek to design policies and transport systems that broadly support the continuation of existing practices. This framing of the policy context limits the scale of change deemed plausible and the scope of activities and actions that could be used to effect it. This paper identifies evidence from two sources to support the contention that more radical policy change is possible. First, there is a substantial and on-going churn in household travel behaviour which, harnessed properly over the medium term, could provide the raw material for steering behaviour change. Secondly, there is a growing evidence base analysing significant events at local, regional and national level which highlight how travellers can adapt to major change to network conditions, service availability and social norms. Taken together, we contend that the population is far more adaptable to major change than the policy process currently assumes. Disruptions and the responses to them provide a window on the range of adaptations that are possible (and, given that we can actually observe people carrying them out, could be more widely acceptable) given the current configuration of the transport system. In other words, if we conceptualise the system as one in which disruptions are commonplace, then different policy choices become tractable. Policy change itself can also be seen as a positive disruption, which could open up a raft of new opportunities to align policy implementation with the capacity for change. However, when set against the current framing of stability and habit, disruption can also be a major political embarrassment. We conclude that rather than being inherently problematic, disruption are in fact an opportunity through which to construct a different approach to transport policy that might enable rather than frustrate significant, low carbon change. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.
Figures - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported
Content may be subject to copyright.
54b78f800cf2e68eb28025
95.pdf
Content uploaded by Iain Docherty
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Iain Docherty on Jan 15, 2015
Content may be subject to copyright.
Insights on Disruptions as Opportunities for Transport Policy Chan
ge.pdf
Available via license: CC BY 3.0
Content may be subject to copyright.
A preview of the PDF is not available
... Rather than viewing disruptions solely as negative events, policymakers can embrace them as catalysts for change, strategically managing them to promote sustainable travel alternatives. While previous research (e.g., Dawson & Marsden, 2019;Hawley et al., 2020Hawley et al., , 2020Kent et al., 2017;Marsden, 2024;Marsden et al., 2014Marsden et al., , 2020Marsden & Docherty, 2013;Schwanen et al., 2012) has highlighted the potential benefits of adopting a lens of disruption in transport policy, however, the extent to which this approach is considered to be useful in practice is not widely known. The present research thus considers the extent to which the different dimensions of transport disruptions and their opportunities for behaviour change are featured in UK transport policy and practice, alongside the contributing factors to their (lack of) inclusion. ...
... Aside from large-scale disruptive events, newer streams of research have begun to shed light on the ways in which transport disruptions of different scales, including those in the built environment, can act as levers for change (Ferreira et al., 2014;Marsden et al., 2020;Marsden & Docherty, 2013;Parkes et al., 2016;Shires et al., 2016). Indeed, many changes to the transport environment, from structural and transport network disruptions (e.g., road closures) to disruptive travel management policies (e.g., roadspace reallocation) involve altering the choice contexts of behaviour and thus destabilising pre-existing habits or expectations associated with these contexts, offering opportunities for policymakers to deliver more effective behaviour change approaches. ...
... For example, measures including information provision (e.g., benefits of active travelling, local public transport routes), financial incentives (free travel passes), and training (e.g., cycle skills training) could be tailored to residents of areas experiencing road changes which (temporarily) limit the capacity to drive. Conceptualising transport environment disruptions which remove capacity for car use as 'moments of change' thus presents policymakers with opportunities to broaden the scope of behaviour change that can be achieved in practice (Marsden et al., 2020;Marsden & Docherty, 2013). ...
View
... A social science perspective drawing on qualitative methods can help to reach a more comprehensive understanding and to widen the perspective on the dynamics and entanglements within the coordination of everyday life against the background of ongoing transformations. In particular, experiences of the COVID-19-pandemic are valuable for understanding the resilience of walking in the context of disruptions, as well as, more generally, to gain nuanced insights on the flexibility that walking facilitates and the different roles it plays (Graham & Thrift, 2007;Marsden & Docherty, 2013). ...
... Disruptions such as the COVID-19 pandemic that affect the established coordination of practices and social norms prominently figure in transport research as a "window of opportunity" for transforming policies and, concomitantly, behavioural routines (Nurse & Dunning, 2021, p. 175;Marsden & Docherty, 2013). Howevera precondition to this normative perspectivedisruptions and the reactions to them can also appear as an analytical lens that helps researchers explore, examine and understand the coordination of everyday practices (Cass et al., 2024;Kent et al., 2017;Wethal et al., 2022). ...
... Howevera precondition to this normative perspectivedisruptions and the reactions to them can also appear as an analytical lens that helps researchers explore, examine and understand the coordination of everyday practices (Cass et al., 2024;Kent et al., 2017;Wethal et al., 2022). Where mobility is disrupted and reconfigured, one can learn about the functions and repair mechanisms within the mobility system (Marsden & Docherty, 2013). For instance, Graham & Thrift (2007) refer to the practices and competences of car drivers of the past century that were necessary due to regular breakdowns. ...
Stepping towards transformation: Adaptations and functions of walking practices in the pandemic urban neighbourhood
Article
  • Nov 2024
Many concepts of the post-pandemic urban neighbourhood transitioning into a socio-ecological and resilient future centre on walking. However, the lived experiences of walking – beyond frequencies, rationalities or specific features of the built environment – are less reflected in these concepts. This paper studies the dynamics of walking and its entanglements with practices of everyday life in an urban neighbourhood. Under the analytical lens of the COVID-19 pandemic, qualitative focus groups were conducted to explore walking experiences. The analysis of adaptations and functions of walking shows the versatility of walking practices in their flexibility and resilience. Walking in a neighbourhood that is attributed high walkability functions as a key mode in everyday coordination. Walking, however, is not exclusively pleasurable, accessible or directly conducive to a shift away from carbon-intensive everyday practices. Rather, the complex and multi-dimensional role of walking within a socio-ecological and resilient transformation requires policy and planning to address the relations of different elements and practices. The paper contributes qualitative insights to both walkability and COVID-19 transport literature, and demonstrates the benefits of a social practice perspective.
View
... In the literature, similar concepts to moments of change are referred to using a range of terms -i.e. 'life events' (Ben Clark et al., 2014;Chatterjee et al., 2013;Klein & Smart, 2019;Olde Kalter et al., 2021;O'Loughlin et al., 2020;Whittle et al., 2022), 'key events', 'habit discontinuities', 'transformative moments', 'teachable moments', 'turning points', 'context change', and 'disruptions' (Beige & Axhausen, 2012;Hards, 2012;Kent et al., 2017;Lanzendorf, 2010;Marsden & Docherty, 2013;Scheiner, 2014;Verplanken et al., 2008;Verplanken & Wood, 2006). In the transport-related literature, terms such as 'mobility trajectories' and 'mobility milestones' are used (Laura McCarthy et al., 2019;Rau & Manton, 2016). ...
View
... Overall, our transportation systems are continually buffeted 13 by sporadic disturbances that change travel times, travel costs, and various types of physical infrastructure (e.g. Marsden and Docherty, 2013). Such disturbances are invaluable opportunities to observe how well our analyses predict the effects of external changes to these key attributes. ...
Causal Inference in Travel Demand Modeling (and the lack thereof)
Preprint
  • Jun 2017
This paper is about the general disconnect that we see, both in practice and in literature, between the disciplines of travel demand modeling and causal inference. In this paper, we assert that travel demand modeling should be one of the many fields that focuses on the production of valid causal inferences, and we hypothesize about reasons for the current disconnect between the two bodies of research. Furthermore, we explore the potential benefits of uniting these two disciplines. We consider what travel demand modeling can gain from greater incorporation of techniques and perspectives from the causal inference literatures, and we briefly discuss what the causal inference literature might gain from the work of travel demand modelers. In this paper, we do not attempt to "solve" issues related to the drawing of causal inferences from travel demand models. Instead, we hope to spark a larger discussion both within and between the travel demand modeling and causal inference literatures. In particular, we hope to incite discussion about the necessity of drawing causal inferences in travel demand applications and the methods by which one might credibly do so.
View
... La movilidad urbana es una de las dinámicas esenciales en el desarrollo de ciudades sostenibles y en la calidad de vida de sus habitantes (Banister, 2008). Con el incremento de la urbanización, que proyecta que más del 68% de la población mundial viva en áreas urbanas para 2050 (Naciones Unidas, 2018), las ciudades se enfrentan al reto de optimizar sus sistemas de transporte para atender la demanda creciente, reducir el impacto ambiental y mejorar la accesibilidad de sus habitantes (Marsden & Docherty, 2013). En este contexto, la economía del comportamiento surge como una herramienta para comprender y modificar las decisiones de transporte de los individuos, yendo más allá de los modelos económicos tradicionales de elección racional (DellaVigna, 2009). ...
Economía del Comportamiento Aplicada a la Movilidad Urbana: Una Revisión de Alcance de la Literatura Científica
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2024
Este artículo examina la aplicación de la economía del comportamiento en el estudio de la movilidad urbana a través de una revisión de alcance (scoping review) basada en el marco metodológico de Arksey y O'Malley (2005). El objetivo es identificar, sintetizar y categorizar los principales hallazgos de la literatura científica sobre cómo factores conductuales afectan las decisiones de transporte en entornos urbanos, proporcionando una base para futuras investigaciones y políticas de movilidad. La metodología de revisión de alcance permitió abarcar una amplia gama de estudios y enfoques, mapeando conceptos clave y patrones recurrentes en las decisiones de movilidad influenciadas por aspectos como la percepción del riesgo, los incentivos económicos, y los factores socioeconómicos. Los resultados destacan la importancia de integrar perspectivas conductuales en el diseño de políticas de transporte urbano, con evidencia que sugiere que intervenciones basadas en la economía del comportamiento pueden mejorar la sostenibilidad y eficiencia de los sistemas de transporte urbano.
View
... Transport-related research reviewed the relationship between freight transport and economic growth (Alises et al., 2014), developments in outsourcing of European transport (Stojanovic, 2017), and the impact of the European Union's decarbonisation strategies on the road transport sector (Tzeiranaki et al., 2023). Disruptions as a cause of transport policy change have been discussed by Marsden and Docherty (2013), while game-based interactions between fictive governments and transport operators amidst natural disturbances are addressed by Zheng et al. (2023). The lack of coping strategies to overcome external uncertainties such as natural disasters negatively influences supply chains (Simangunsong et al., 2012) and freight operations (Sanchez-Rodrigues et al., 2010). ...
An empirical study of the resilience in Austrian wood transport
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2025
  • TRANSPORT RES A-POL
Wood supply chains are massively threatened by climate change impacts, leading to more frequent and severe forest calamities. Improving the resilience of wood supply chains requires enhanced knowledge about the structure, critical indicators, and challenges of the transport system. Consequently, a comprehensive empirical study of wood transport was conducted in Austria. Stakeholders of the entire wood supply chain participated in an online survey, focus interviews, case studies, and data collection, enabling both qualitative and quantitative analyses. A critical decline in future trucking capacity driven by an adverse age structure of drivers, a significant lack of new job trainees, and an unbalanced share of unimodal truck transport were detected as critical issues jeopardizing resilience. Stakeholders of the supply chain assessed promising coping strategies, such as increasing the modal share of multimodal and multi-echelon unimodal wood transport, enhancing working conditions of self-loading log truck drivers, exploiting digitalization, providing additional storage, and deepening cooperation. Presented learnings and improvement potentials in cooperation between forest owners, transport operators, and industry are highly relevant for supply chains worldwide to reduce common bottlenecks of truck transport, storage, handling, and take-over capacities. Management and policy implications improving wood transport resilience and increasing transport capacity through investment in railroad and terminal infrastructure, raising legal maximum gross vehicle weights, improving the availability of specific rail wagons, and enhancing wood storage capacities proved to be of utmost significance. Future emphasis on research regarding best practices to cope with salvage wood crises, as well as quantitative benchmarks based on the introduced resilience definition and indicators, is strongly recommended.
View
Understanding Consumer Sentiments Towards Two-Wheeler Electric Vehicles: Implications for Organizational Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility
Book
Full-text available
  • May 2025
Electric vehicles (EVs) are essential to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. Despite being the world’s fifth-largest car market, India’s adoption of electric mobility lags behind other nations. For instance, in Germany, 26% of vehicles are electric, compared to 18% in France and the UK, and 14% in Beijing (Singh et al. 2021). In stark contrast, the Indian EV market shows significantly lower penetration, with sales figures trailing far behind these countries (Gambhir 2017). In the fiscal year 2021, India produced 22.65 million vehicles, with 81% being two-wheelers, underscoring the nation’s preference for this mode of transport (Jain 2022). However, only about 1.3% of these were electric two-wheelers. This study examines the perceptions of young Indian consumers towards electric two-wheelers using sentiment analysis on Twitter data. We identified key concerns and positive attitudes towards electric two-wheelers by analyzing tweets collected with relevant hashtags. The findings reveal a growing interest in EVs, yet significant barriers such as battery life, cost, and performance persist. These insights are crucial for policymakers and manufacturers to address consumer apprehensions and enhance EV adoption. The research underscores the importance of understanding consumer sentiment in shaping corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives and promoting pro-environmental behavior among employees. By leveraging these insights, organizations can develop targeted strategies that align with consumer expectations, foster a culture of sustainability, and contribute to a greener future. The study’s implications extend to HR and marketing strategies, providing a foundation for developing comprehensive sustainability policies and innovative product development initiatives.
View
View
View
How Cities Can Apply Behavioral Science to Promote Public Transportation use
Article
  • Apr 2021
In this review, we present and critically evaluate evidence regarding how policymakers can apply behavioral science-based strategies to encourage the use of public transportation. After briefly introducing the theoretical background, we describe selected rigorously studied interventions informed by behavioral insights. We organize the interventions into three overarching groups: (a) communication-based approaches (information provision, goal setting and plan formation, and message framing), (b) bias-busting approaches (strategies that can counter negative perceptions of public transportation, break habits by timing interventions strategically, overcome anticipated dislike of social interactions on public transportation, and tap into emotional influences on decisionmaking), and (c) technology-based approaches (feedback and gamification). On the basis of the reviewed findings, we identify the interventions that seem most promising for increasing public transportation use.
View
View
View
View
View
Travel Behaviour of Car Users During the UK Fuel Crisis and Insights into Car Dependence
Chapter
  • Jan 2002
The September 2000 fuel crisis was, in effect, an impromptu experiement of driver behaviour in response to the imposition of vehicle fuel rationing. This represented a rare and important opportunity to gain fresh insights into car dependence and how households and individuals can adust their routine and trip-making to influence the extent of dependence on the car. It is perhaps the first time for some 30 years that researchers have had the opportunity to gather revealed preference data as opposed to only stated preference data on such matters on a large scale. The EPSRC provided 'emergency' funding to enable the Transportation Research Group at the University of Southampton to conduct a large scale questionnaire survey immediately following the crisis. This has been completed with over 2500 responses received from across the UK. This proposal is for funds to proceed with the data entry and processing, analysis and interpretation of the survey responses and to disseminate the findings and thereby draw the study to a conclusion. The study will seek to highlight the extent to which individuals are able and willing to reduce their use of the car. It will aim to identify what individual and household circumstances and trip purposes are most and least reliant on the car as a necessity for mobility and accessibility. To ensure the value of the findings from this rare and important opportunity are maximised the project will be supported by a small Panel of Expert Advisors. To ensure prompt and widespread dissemination of the findings of this and other studies relating to the fuel crisis a seminar will be held and a book published.
View
View
View
Deriving the constancy of traffic flow composition from vehicle registration data.
Article
  • Jan 1984
Using time-series records of vehicle registrations observed passing given points in an urban network, we are able to show the extent to which the flow on given links is made up of the same vehicles day after day. Demonstrates how the probability of reappearance of an individual vehicle varies with the time of day when it was first observed, with the time period between observations and with the characteristics of the route being monitored. When these data are compared with more conventional estimates of variability in individuals' travel behaviour, route choice and variability in their travel arrangements, it is immediately clear that both of these techniques seriously underestimate the true extent of variability. Includes discussion of the consequences of this underestimation and of the potential role of accurately-determined measures of variability in survey design, traffic management practice and assignment modelling. -from Authors
View
Three views on peak car
Article
  • Jan 2012
  • World Transport Pol Pract
View
Transport Policy and Planning in Great Britain
Article
  • Apr 2009
Transport in the twenty-first century represents a significant challenge at the global and the local scale. Aided by over sixty clear illustrations, Peter Headicar disentangles this complex, modern issue in five parts, offering critical insights into: The nature of transport the evolution of policy and planning policy instruments planning procedures the contemporary agenda. Distinctive features include the links forged throughout between transport and spatial planning, which are often neglected. Designed as an essential text for transport planning students and as a source of reference for planning practitioners, it also furthers understanding of related fields such as urban and regional planning, geography, environmental studies and public policy. Based in the postgraduate course the author developed at Oxford Brookes University, this indispensable text draws on a lifetime of professional experience in the field.
View