National Travel Survey: 1999/2001 First Release

The latest bulletin updating the National Travel Survey (NTS) for 1999/2001 gives details of the travel habits of residents of Great Britain, and shows how these vary according to factors such as age, gender, car ownership and where people live.

The main findings include:

• On average, Great Britain residents travelled 6,815 miles each year in the period 1999/2001. This was an increase of 5 per cent since 1989/1991, mainly owing to an increase of 13 per cent in the length of trips. In 1999/2001, the average trip length was 6.7 miles.
• The average number of trips made in 1999/2001 was 1,019 per person per year, 7 per cent less than in 1989/1991.
• On average we spent about one hour a day travelling around Great Britain. Approximately 36 minutes (61 per cent) of this time was spent travelling by car and 11 minutes walking.
• 25 per cent of trips were under 1 mile, 80 per cent of which were on foot. Car was the dominant mode of transport for all trips over 1 mile.
• Car travel accounted for four fifths of the total distance travelled. Overall, the distance travelled by car increased by 11 per cent during the 1990s.
• 60 per cent of cars on the road had only one occupant. For commuting and business travel the rate was 84 per cent.
• 28 per cent of households in Great Britain did not have access to a car in 1999/2001, compared with 33 per cent in 1989/1991. Only 20 per cent of people lived in households without a car as households without cars tend to be smaller than average.
• Those in the highest income band on average travelled over 3 times as far as those in the lowest band (11,048 miles compared with 3,396 miles).
• 82 per cent of adult men held full car driving licences, but only 60 per cent of women. However, licence holding has increased rapidly among women, rising by over a fifth in the 1990s from 49 per cent in 1989/1991, while the proportion of men holding licences changed little during the same period.
• Walking fell by 20 per cent during the 1990s to 189 miles per person per year, and now accounts for under 3 per cent of the total distance travelled compared with 4 per cent in 1989/1991.
• The number of local bus trips made outside London dropped by 30 per cent between 1989/1991 and 1999/2001. In contrast the number of London bus trips rose by 25 per cent.
• Since 1989/1991, the proportion of primary-aged children walking to school has declined from 62 to 54 per cent, with an increase from 27 to 39 per cent in the numbers being driven to school. For secondary school pupils there was a similar, though smaller, shift from walking to car use, and a small increase in bus use.
• Men made an average of 1,031 trips per year, 2 per cent more than women, but travelled just over 8,000 miles a year, 41 per cent more than women.
• In the 17-59 year old age group, men made 27 per cent of their trips commuting to and from work, with an additional 7 per cent travelling on business. For women, only 19 per cent of trips were to and from work, and 3 per cent on business.
• The Government's 10 Year Plan has a target to achieve a one-third increase in the proportion of households in rural areas in England within about 10 minutes walk of an hourly or better bus service by 2010. This represents an increase from the 1996/1998 baseline figure of 36 per cent to 48 per cent. The level for 1999/2001 was 55 per cent.