A new think piece has been released by the Transport Planning Society (TPS), urging what the society has described as “a fundamental shift in how transport planning is approached across the UK.” 

The paper is entitled From understanding to influencing travel behaviour – if not now, then when? Transport consultants and other parties who are interested in reading the paper in full, can download a copy from the TPS website. 

In this document, the society argues that the embedding of behaviour-change thinking across all aspects of the profession must no longer be limited to a mere “specialist consideration”, but should instead be central to everything the transport planning profession does. 

What does the new think piece aim to accomplish?  

In the words of the society: “Policies, plans, and interventions that are not delivered in a way that resonates with their intended audience will only ever go so far in influencing travel behaviours”. 

The executive summary of the paper states that in it, the society seeks “to understand the transport planning profession’s journey in influencing travel behaviours (not just ‘behaviour change campaigns’ but across our activity more broadly), highlighting successes and areas for improvement.” 

The paper also: 

  • Examines the present situation for the transport planning profession 
  • Considers whether the case for the profession embracing behaviour-change thinking is “sufficiently grounded” 
  • Explores the practical actions that the profession as a whole, and TPS more specifically, can take immediately to speed up the attainment of the new travel behaviours necessary to sustain communities. 

What are the recommendations arising from the TPS paper? 

The conclusion of the society’s think piece puts forward several recommendations, suggesting that transport planning professionals should: 

  • Recognise that their work is fundamentally about influencing choices and behaviour, and that this should be reflected in their approach to transport planning. The paper advocates that transport planners tap into effective behaviour-change thinking. 
  • Work to make sure transport planning courses “champion the centrality of behaviour-change thinking to transport planning practice”, at the same time as maintaining the profile of programmes that focus on behaviour change. This recommendation applies to master’s courses, the Transport Planning Professional (TPP) qualification, and short courses such as those that PTRC provides. 
  • Promote greater working with other professional fields, such as behavioural science and marketing. The aim behind this, according to the society, should be to increase understanding of how transport interventions can be delivered in a way that brings about sustained changes in behaviour. 

For its own part, TPS said it would capitalise on all opportunities to work with the Government to make sure capital allocations for transport infrastructure are supported by “activation” funding, to make sure behaviour change happens. 

Furthermore, the society stated that in its responses to Government consultations, it would seek to reflect the think piece’s principles. 

The TPS said the paper had been envisaged “as a journey of discovery for transport planners regarding the value of making behaviour change thinking an intrinsic part of what we all do – and not just left to those who ‘do behaviour change projects’.” 

Our own team of transport consultants at Transport Planning Associates (TPA) stands ready to guide you to support the success of your projects. Please don’t hesitate to contact your nearest TPA office today to benefit from tailored transport planning and infrastructure advice.