Promoting partnerships: Our work with stakeholders is delivering a more sustainable transport system.

Our team developed a monitoring and evaluation framework based on realist evaluation, using logic mapping to examine the relationships between contexts, mechanisms and outcomes.

A mixed-method approach was used, combining quantitative data from traffic sensors and travel surveys for example, with qualitative data from focus groups and workshops. The quantitative data was a combination of traffic movements and individual travel behaviour, based on a specially developed evaluation tool combining a seven-day travel diary with questions around attitude. This was applied using postal surveys and an online tool. We also developed a one-day travel diary instrument using telephone surveys.  

Paired comparisons were made between treatment and control areas using a ‘difference in differences’ approach along with detailed statistical tests. We modelled emissions through the development of GPS locational tracking and adapting a Portable Emissions Modelling System.

Follow-up research projects are relating to the Access Fund (April 2017 to March 2020), Alternative Fuel Feasibility Assessment (October 2017 to October 2018) (both funded by Southampton City Council) and Metamorphosis (June 2017 to May 2020, funded by the European Commission).

The University’s partnership approach has contributed to over £50m being attracted to the Solent sub-region since 2012 (£38.5m for Local Sustainable Transport, £7.5m for Better Buses, £2.3m for Clean Vehicle Technology Fund and £3.1m for Better Access). We have also contributed to Southampton being named Transport City of the Year at the National Transport Awards 2013.

The Local Sustainable Transport Fund project’s findings indicated that those living in treatment areas experienced an average reduction in car use by 5%, compared to control areas.  Carbon dioxide emission reductions were of a similar magnitude.

There has also been some increase in active travel and public transport use.  Although not always consistent at a local level, at a national level statistically significant changes were observed.

Overall, it is estimated that for every £1 invested in the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, at least £6 of benefits were obtained, suggesting over £230 million of benefits to the Solent sub-region.

Our Transport Data Analysis Area has a direct traffic feed from Southampton City Council's City Watch. Our Instrumented Vehicle has been used for data collection in Southampton.

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This research was an interdisciplinary collaboration involving our Transportation Research Group, our Centre for Environmental Sciences, the Cyber Physical Systems research group and our Energy Technology research group.

We also worked closely with external partners in the form of Southampton City Council, Hampshire County Council, Sustrans, Leicestershire County Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, the Department for Transport and Transport for Quality of Life.

Sowman, J., Box, S., Wong, A., Grote, M., Laila, D. S., Gillam, N. G., Cruden, A, Preston, J, & Fussey, P. (2018). In-Use Emissions Testing of Diesel-Driven Buses in Southampton: is Selective Catalytic Reduction as Effective as Fleet Operators Think? IET Intelligent Transport Systems.

Grote, M., Williams, I., Preston, J., & Kemp, S. (2016). Including congestion effects in urban road traffic CO2 emissions modelling: do local government authorities have the right options? Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 43, 95-106. DOI: 10.1016/j.trd.2015.12.010

Grote, M., Williams, I., Preston, J., & Kemp, S. (2016). Local government authority attitudes to road traffic CO2 emissions modelling: a British case study. Transportation Planning and Technology, 1-19. DOI: 10.1080/03081060.2016.1238570

Preston, J., Wong, A., & Hickford, A. (2015). The impact of smarter choices of the use of active travel and public transport. Paper presented at 14th International Conference on Competition and Ownership in Land Passenger Transport (Thredbo 14).

Song, Y., Hickford, A. J., & Preston, J. M. (2014). Delivering sustainable public transport: the case of the Better Bus Area Fund. Research in Transportation Economics, 48, 373-380. DOI: 10.1016/j.retrec.2014.09.066

Song, Y., Preston, J., & Ogilvie, D. (2017). New walking and cycling infrastructure and modal shift in the UK: A quasi-experimental panel study. Transportation Research Part A Policy and Practice, 1-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2016.11.017

Wong, A., Preston, J., & Hickford, A. (2015). Big data, small changes: evaluating the impact of the local sustainable transport fund on travel behaviour and awareness. Paper presented at 14th International Conference on Travel Behaviour Reserach, IATBR.