A study of the perceived effectiveness of TravelSmart tools for travel behaviour change

Between 2005 and 2006, a TravelSmart project was introduced in targeted suburbs within metropolitan Adelaide, South Australia. A component of theproject was to provide participants with tools to assist them to change their travel behaviour. The tools included information on ways to cut down cardriving in general, and information relating to alternative, more environmentally friendly travel modes. An extensive perception study was conductedtomeasure if some tools were more effective in bringing about travel behaviour change. More than 1000 TravelSmart participants were involved. The surveywas conducted by telephone and a stratified sampling method was implementedto evaluate four tools: Journey Plan, Walking and Cycling Map, Affirmation Letter, and Local Access Guide. The results show that the most notable difference is that the Walking and Cycling Map appeared to be the most effective tool and encouraged people to walk more. The other three tools together appeared less effective in changing travel behaviour. In addition, the most useful feature that participants cited in the survey was being provided with information about driving alternatives and the locations of nearby facilities.