Car-free development through UK community travel plans

Abstract

European residential car-free development projects generally take the form of larger car-free ‘districts’ that provide both lifestyle and mobility incentives to residents, including green space, a safer play environment for children, car clubs and improved public transport provision. In contrast, most car-free housing in the UK thus far has taken the form of small-scale infill developments that rely on existing public transport infrastructure and local amenities. This paper reviews the progress of car-free housing in Europe and the UK. The shortcomings of current forms of UK car-free housing are discussed and a methodology is presented for furthering car-free development through community travel plans (CTPs), which are emerging as a progression of workplace travel plans. The paper suggests that the current UK ‘do minimum’ approach offers relatively little incentive to potential residents and is not an effective means of promoting the concept of car-free living. Furthermore, the lack of an integrated approach towards delivering mobility measures is a barrier to developing more extensive car-free neighbourhoods that would be more attractive to residents wishing to reduce their car use. The paper suggests that there is a need to adopt a European model for car-free housing, through the incorporation of area-wide CTPs. The use of CTPs is discussed in relation to reducing car dependency within existing communities and also as a means of facilitating car-free housing.

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