Good public transport delays when people start driving – easing congestion and pollution

People who learn to drive at an older age tend to drive less later in life, according to new research. Better access to public transport is also linked to delaying when people learn to drive.

The report, from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), suggests investment in public transport has long-term benefits for the environment and in easing congestion.

The research, funded by the Department of Transport, combined a nationally representative survey of more than 2,000 people aged 16 and over with National Transport Authority data on access to public transport.

It examined whether having good public transport in an area was linked to the age at which people learn to drive. It also examined whether learning later in life has an impact on how often people drive as they get older.

On the first question, the results pinpointed how people living in areas with better public transport tend to learn to drive at an older age than those living in areas with less access to buses and trains.

Sixty per cent of people living in areas that lacked public transport had learned to drive by the age of 20, compared to 40 per cent of those in areas with good public transport options.

The results also highlighted how those who delayed learning to drive tended to use their cars considerably less later in life. The study suggests that with each additional year a person delayed learning to drive, there was a lower likelihood of driving on a typical weekday and a reduction in the distance travelled on days when they did drive.

A five-year delay in learning to drive could be linked to driving 1,500km less annually, the ESRI said.

“Debates about transport policy generally focus on how public transport affects travel choices today,” said Shane Timmons, ESRI senior research officer and lead author of the study.

He expressed the view that the findings of the study highlighted how there may also be “important long-term benefits too”.

Greater investment in public transport in the short-term could ultimately have “lasting effects in future years, reducing transport emissions and easing traffic congestion”, he said.