Section 1 - Method of Travelling

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Section 1 Method of Travelling

The first questions were directed to establishing the ways in which work-people go to work. No attempt has been made to estimate separately the number of people who use more than one method and Table 1 refers to the principal means of transport or the method used for the greater part of the journey. Later in this Section there is an estimate of the number of people who have to change during the journey from one method of transport to another.

“How do you usually travel to work?”

Table 1

	January 1943	August 1942
	%	%
Bus or trolley-bus	46.3	34.4
Tram	7.4	9.1
Train	7.9	7.5
Underground	1.3	1.7
Bicycle	12.2	21.2
Walk	23.5	24.6
Other way	1.4	1.5
Sample:-	(4158)	3014

Nearly 63% of the sample made use of public transport in January compared with 53% in August, 1942. The new transport users were cycling in the summer.

Since the regional and group figures are the result of the occupation distribution this is given first.

Method of Travelling by Occupation

Table 2

	Heavy Mnfct .	Light Mnfct . (1)	Light Mnfct . (2)	Mining	Building	Transport & Pub. Utility	Distributive	Clerical
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Bus or trolley-bus	49.3	50.5	40.9	58.7	39.0	29.8	49.1	47.9
Tram	7.2	5.9	6.7	.6	7.7	11.2	9.7	7.1
Train	12.9	8.5	5.8	2.9	4.4	6.9	5.9	11.4
Underground	.4	1.2	1.2	-	1.1	.8	1.6	2.7
Bicycle	10.1	13.0	13.1	13.4	24.7	17.0	9.7	11.2
Walk	18.7	18.5	32.2	25.8	18.1	32.8	23.1	18.4
Other way	1.4	2.3	-	.6	4.9	1.5	.9	1.2
Sample:-	278	659	566	172	182	259	442	490

Light (1) = light engineering and any sort of munitions work.

Light (2) = all other light manufacturing, e.g. textile, food, drink, tobacco, printing, pottery, etc.

The greatest use of Public transport in one form or another is made by Clerical and Heavy manufacture groups. The least use by Transport and Public Utility and Building Workers. Bicycles are used most by Building and Transport workers.

Method of Travelling by Region

Table 3

	Scotland	N.	N.E.	N.W.	N. Mid ,	Mid .	S. Wales	E. Ang .	S.	S.W.	S.E.	London
Bus or trolley-bus	51.2	46.5	60.0	43.6	53.8	49.6	64.6	24.4	42.8	44.5	37.1	40.3
Tram	13.6	3.7	19.3	14.8	3.1	5.3	5.1	.3	4.5	-	.3	4.4
Train	4.8	3.0	4.0	3.0	2.4	4.8	10.7	2.4	9.0	9.0	7.9	23.6
Underground	1.5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8.1
Bicycle	7.0	10.3	3.0	2.8	15.3	12.3	6.8	43.1	23.5	15.2	25.5	9.1
Walk	20.4	36.5	14.3	34.3	24.0	23.3	11.9	27.1	18.0	29.4	28.8	14.5
Other way	1.5	-	.3	1.5	1.4	4.8	.9	2.7	2.2	1.8	.3	-
Sample:-	398	299	300	399	288	399	413	332	311	310	302	407

There is intensive use of public transport in the N. East, S. Wales, Scotland and London and less than average use in E. Anglia and S.E. England. Bicycles are most used in E. Anglia, the South and S. East and it will be noticed that “other ways” account for nearly 5% in the Midland region. This includes motor cycling and “lifts” on lorries.

The change from bicycles to public transport during the winter is common to men and women. Similarly, all age groups share this change and there is only a slightly greater change amongst the oldest age group. There is however a markedly greater reduction in the number of walkers in the 30 - 45 age group than in other ages.

The following table shows 1943 figures only.

Table 4

	Sex			Age
	Men	Women	Under 20	20 - 30	31 - 45	Over 45
	%	%	%	%	%	%
Bus or trolley-bus	43.0	50.6	45.7	50.7	45.9	42.6
Tram	6.5	8.1	6.5	6.8	6.9	8.1
Train	8.6	6.7	5.4	6.8	9.9	7.2
Underground	1.1	1.6	1.3	1.4	1.7	.8
Bicycle	17.1	7.2	15.2	11.9	13.3	12.7
Walk	21.5	25.4	25.3	20.5	20.6	27.3
Other way	2.1	.3	.5	1.9	1.7	1.3
Sample:-	1776	1262	387	694	1057	908

Analysis of the ways of travelling by the size of town shows a clear difference between the small and the large towns for public transport as a whole. In the very large towns the proportion travelling by train and tram is considerable but dwindles away sharply in the small towns whilst the proportion cycling or walking increases as the size of the town considered is reduced.

Method of Travelling by Size of Town

Table 5

	300,000 and over	100,000 and under 300,000	50,000 and under 100,000	25,000 and under 50,000	Under 25,000
	%	%	%	%	%
Bus or trolley-bus	45.7	56.1	44.6	45.4	38.9
Tram	17.2	6.8	2.3	1.7	.3
Train	13.8	4.5	5.1	4.3	7.1
Underground	4.2	-	-	-	-
Bicycle	5.5	10.3	17.8	17.6	19.2
Walk	13.3	20.2	27.5	30.1	31.9
Other way	.2	2.1	2.7	1.0	2.5
Sample:-	955	426	567	705	395

The following table gives some indication of the extent to which working people are working out of their residential areas.

Method of Travelling by Situation of Workplace

Table 6

	Centre	Inner	Outer
	%	%	%
Bus or trolley-bus	45.3	41.6	52.0
Tram	7.6	9.8	3.5
Train	7.6	7.8	7.9
Underground	1.8	1.0	1.2
Bicycle	13.0	12.2	14.2
Walk	23.6	26.3	19.2
Other way	1.0	1.2	1.9
Sample:-	933	1161	932

It will be seen that roughly the same proportions of workers use public transport or get themselves to work whatever the situation of the place of work. That is to say, that for a considerable proportion of workers, wherever their place of work is situated some kind of transport service is necessary to get them to work. This does not mean that there is the same difficulty involved. The following abstract from the next section indicates that workers in places of work on the outskirts of towns have somewhat more difficulty since, of course, in this case it may be necessary to go into the centre and then out again.

“ Do you have to change? ” Analysed by Situation of Workplace

Table 7

	(% of those using public transport)
	Centre	Inner	Outer
	%	%	%
Change from:-
One bus or tram to another	12.4	23.0	32.8
One train or underground to another	2.6	2.3	1.2
Train or underground to bus or tram or v.v.	5.5	5.5	6.1
No change	79.5	69.2	59.9
Sample:-	579	695	600

Changing

For a substantial part of the working population the journey to work involves the use of more than one vehicle. This is an important factor in the whole picture of the effort involved in getting to work.

“ Do you have to change? “

Table 8

	% those using public transport	% whole sample
Change from:-
One bus or tram to another	21.9	14.4
One train or underground to another	2.0	1.3
Train or underground to bus or tram or v.v.	5.2	3.5
No change	70.9	43.1
Don’t use public transport	-	37.7
Sample:-	(2555)	3036

Nearly 30% of those who use public transport or 19% of the whole sample change vehicles. As noted in Table 7, a greater proportion of those working in the outskirts and using public transport have to change vehicles than others, and from Table 9 it is clear that proportions changing vehicles is much affected by the size of the town.

Size of town

Table 9

	( % those using public transport )
	300,000 & over	100,000 & under 300,000	50,000 & under 100,000	25,000 & under 50,000	Under 25,000
	%	%	%	%	%
Change from:-
One bus or tram to another	26.9	28.9	22.0	18.2	9.4
One train or underground to another	3.6	1.0	.3	.3	2.7
Train or underground to bus or tram or v.v.	9.6	1.4	5.4	3.0	1.1
No change	59.8	68.7	72.3	78.6	86.8
Sample:-	772	284	292	359	181

The proportion in the smallest towns who use trains was shown in Table 5 as 7% and in Table 9 it will be noted that there is a small proportion working in these towns who make use of trains and other services as well.

The proportions in the different regions who change vehicles is obviously influenced by the factors noted above.

Changing by Region

Table 10

	( % of those using public transport )
	Scotland	N .	N.E .	N.W .	N. Mid .	Mid .	S. Wales	E. Anglia	S .	S.W .	S.E .	London
	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%	%
Change from:-
One bus or tram to another	18.0	14.0	23.6	28.9	18.8	34.7	22.0	7.8	16.0	25.6	1.2	20.4
One train or underground to another	-	-	-	.4	-	-	3.7	1.1	2.9	1.8	1.5	8.7
Train or underground to bus or tram or v.v.	5.0	1.9	1.2	1.2	-	5.1	2.4	-	8.0	6.1	2.9	18.1
No change	77.0	84.1	75.2	69.5	81.2	60.2	71.9	91.1	73.1	66.5	82.4	52.8
Sample:-	283	157	241	246	170	236	332	90	175	164	136	310

It will be seen that the regions where the largest proportions change vehicles are London, Midlands, South West and N. West.

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