Local sustainable transport fund case study evaluation: Strategic employment sites and business parks summary report

In 2013 the UK Department for Transport commissioned a number of ‘Case Study evaluations’ of the impacts of Local Sustainable Transport Fund (LSTF) investment. One of these was an evaluation of LSTF impacts on Strategic Employment Sites and Business Parks. The aims of the evaluation were: to establish the impact of sustainable transport measures on commute mode use at selected strategic employment sites and business parks; to assess the impacts of these measures on the business performance of employers located at the sites; and to review the effectiveness of the LSTF delivery process. The results confirm findings from previous research that ‘pull factors’ are unlikely to bring about significant changes in commuter travel behaviour without measures which also ‘push’ people into reducing their car-use. Nonetheless, there was evidence from both surveys and interviews that LSTF measures assisted individuals in using alternatives to the car once they had been prompted to do so by ‘push factors’ such as parking restraints, traffic congestion or personal factors. The importance of ‘push factors’ also applied to employers’ engagement with sustainable transport issues, which tended to be prompted by a specific transport ‘problem’.