Motorway Congestion Research for DfT

London, UK

Project outline

The Department for Transport commissioned Faber Maunsell to undertake a research study to examine public perceptions of motorway congestion. The aim of the research was to identify why people continue to use busy motorways, through discussion of the options available to them. The study also explored the impact of congestion on travel behaviour and lifestyle. The research sought to identify the factors that influence how people cope with different levels of congestion, such as age, gender, social economic group, journey purpose, and driver personality.  The findings of this research would inform policy on measures to both reduce and manage congestion on the motorway network and across the wider road system.

Contract value

£0.08m

Key features

• Focus groups
• In-depth interviewing
• Sample design
• Innovative game technique
• Qualitative framework analysis
• Production of a final report

Skills utilised

• Social and Market Research

Project detail

The Department for Transport wished to obtain a greater in-depth understanding of driver attitudes and experiences of motorway congestion than had been possible from previous studies, and in particular to help explain why many people continue to use busy motorways, and with this in mind Faber Maunsell was commissioned to undertake a research study into public perceptions of motorway congestion.  The research findings would inform policy on measures to both reduce and manage congestion on the motorway network and across the wider road system.

The research was mainly exploratory in nature, and aimed to address any gaps in knowledge relating to the impact of motorway congestion on driver behaviour.  Most previous research on congestion had focused on the wider impacts across the road network, whereas this study focused specifically on motorway congestion.  A number of research studies have also been conducted to establish public reaction to proposed solutions to address traffic congestion such as road user charging.  This study provided an opportunity to go beyond the aims of these previous studies and to obtain a more in-depth and detailed understanding of perceptions of congestion on motorways.

The exploratory nature of the research dictated the need for a programme of qualitative research, involving a programme of focus groups and in-depth interviews at a number of locations across England.   The research was conducted in two phases, with a break between each to provide an opportunity to review and revise the process. 

A series of focus groups and in-depth interviews were held with non-commercial and commercial drivers. The non-commercial drivers included in the research were people who drive on motorways to commute to work, for leisure trips, and occasional business trips. Commercial drivers included business travellers (who regularly drive on business, not just commuting), Light Goods Vehicle (LGV) drivers, and Heavy Goods Vehicle (HGV) drivers.

An innovative travel game was developed and implemented to further explore travel time predictability.  The aim was to test what type of journey time information people want and can understand, for a range of situations. 

Data from the focus groups and depth interviews were analysed qualitatively to allow for a detailed and thorough comprehension of respondents’ attitudes and experiences in relation to the research topic.

A thematic analysis of the verbatim transcripts and regular debriefing sessions with the interviewers meant that the research team were able to identify emerging themes and construct a thematic index of initial themes and concepts.  A framework was developed using data matrices to sort and order the qualitative data under a series of key themes and sub themes.

There were significant differences in the findings by age, gender, social class and journey type.  Respondents were categorised as confident, indifferent, reluctant or nervous motorway drivers, dependent on whether they liked or disliked driving, and there were key differences between these types of drivers.

For more information, please contact Jeremy Hardin.