The AA has said that an increase in car journeys in 2023 clearly demonstrates “the importance of the car for personal mobility.”
DfT statistics show people living in England made an average of 363 trips behind the wheel or a car or van in 2023, up 7.7% from the 337 during 2022. Average trips as a car or van passenger were up 12.1% from 165 to 185.
AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens said: “Today’s national travel survey, released by the Department for Transport, shows that greater use of road transport and particularly cars signals a return to near-normality after the disruption of Covid and the lockdowns.
“More significantly, increases in trip rates amongst private transport modes and public transport modes in 2023 – while trip rates for active transport modes such as walking and cycling have remained similar in 2023 compared to 2022 – underline the importance of the car for personal mobility.”
RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “It’s abundantly clear that the private car remains the mode of choice for journeys over a mile in length, despite the fact that the proportion of households with access to a car has remained broadly flat for the last 50 years.”
(Pic – Connected Places Catapult)
