CHAPTER 8: CYCLING AS THE MOST REALISTIC SUBSTITUTE FOR CAR USE IN URBAN AREAS: BURYING THE CONVENTIONAL MYTH ABOUT PUBLIC TRANSPORT. FROM THE GREENING OF URBAN TRANSPORT, EDITION 2.

The data presented in this chapter suggest that policy initiatives based on improving the quality of public transport services as part of the car use restriction policy are limited. That the diversion of substantial funding to public transport will lead to only a small transfer from the car to public transport, and that therefore investment in it does not represent a cost-effective policy option for reducing the demand for car-based patterns of travel. Moreover, the allocation of more public expenditure to motorized travel -- albeit a form that is less damaging -- represents a further subsidy encouraging the adoption of longer distance patterns of activity. Thus, to meet the objective of providing a realistic alternative to car travel, evidence from Great Britain suggests that investment would be fare more effective if directed to provision for safe and convenient pedestrian networks to meet the demand for short journeys and evidence from the Netherlands suggests that it would be fare more effective if allocated to provision for safe and attractive cycle networks for other urban trips.