Poll Reveals Car Remains King Despite Congestion Woes

MOTORISTS are trying alternatives to the car to get to work but some find journey times are worsening, according to an AA/Populus survey.

More than 20% of 21,000 AA members polled said they had tried different types of transport on their daily commute. These included car sharing, cycling, public transport and motorbikes or scooters.

But 17% of those who normally took the car said their journey times had got worse over the past 12 months.This figure rose to 20% for commuting AA members in London and in the West Midlands.

The poll also showed:

:: Older commuters are more likely to go by car;

:: 2% of commuters travel more than 75 miles to work and are most likely to be based in south west England;

:: These long-distance commuters are five times more likely to take the car than the train;

:: Women are more likely to have shorter commutes than men, with younger drivers (18-24) more likely to try car sharing.

The survey also found that excluding AA members who did not work or were retired, the percentage of the workforce working from home had grown marginally over the past five years, from 7.9% to 8.7%.

The AA also pointed out that Government figures showed a decrease in traffic speeds on local A roads in England in the morning peak in the 12 months ending June 2014.

AA president Edmund King said: "Our study shows that 'the car is still king' when it comes to commuting but the upturn in the economy seems to have slowed journey times in the last year.

"The increase in traffic and congestion is a stark reminder of the need to speed up investment in the roads around congestion and accident hotspots."

By Press Association reporters