Public Transport Effects on Road Traffic: Potential and Limitations

Royal Automobile Club Foundation
Motoring Towards 2050 – Roads and Reality
Background Paper No.4
October 2008

The use of roads depends on transport modes used by people and those moving
goods. Clearly rail, water and airborne transport do not make direct demands on
the road network, but in many situations access to their terminals requires road
transport. The use of public transport depends on its price and service
characteristics in relation to current travel needs and these in turn depend on
modal characteristics network coverage and capacity. This note looks at the use
of public transport today, how it has changed over recent years and the role it is
likely to play in future.

The use of different means of transport depends on the types and patterns of
service required by people and those involved in logistics. These have changed
over the years with increasing reliance on road transport, with its greater ubiquity
and flexibility, and individualised forms of transportation that can quickly and
conveniently adapt as the demands made upon them change.

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