Research: Why do visitors to the city centre come by car?

Everyone is very welcome in the city centre of Eindhoven. It should stay that way. That is why the campaign “Hospitable and sustainably accessible” will be launched this autumn. The aim is to get people to come to the city more often by bike, on foot, by public transport or via the P+R. In order to do that effectively, it is necessary to know why people choose a certain means of transport. Bureau Markteffect has investigated this. Our mobility broker Jan Waalen tells us more about it.

There has been quite a lot of research done on travel behavior. Why this new research?

'Various organisations are working together with Brainport Bereikbaar to keep the city centre accessible. The campaign 'Hospitable and sustainably accessible' is a new campaign for this and we want to use it effectively. We know from previous research that a fairly large group is open to travelling in a different way. The majority is also quite flexible in the way they travel. But we don't yet know exactly why these people often choose to travel by car. Where is the moment of choice, what influences that choice? To find out, we had Markteffect conduct in-depth interviews among visitors to the city centre. Focused on the use of public transport and P+R because that is what the campaign is focusing on this autumn.'

Which results from the research stood out to you?

'I found it most striking that almost everyone indicated that they notice that the municipality of Eindhoven is working on making it more attractive to travel by other means of transport. And despite the fact that they are regularly bothered by this, they understand that. The special thing is that these reactions came spontaneously, they were not asked for at all. So if we try to persuade people to travel differently, that message is not experienced as negative. We can certainly use that in the campaign.'

What else did you find interesting?

'That many people know that there is a P+R but do not feel that it is something for them. And there is a lot of confusion. What does it cost? How often does the bus come? Is my car safe there? We can also do a lot with that in the campaign. Furthermore, it turned out that the interviewees experience the price of public transport as high. However, that is not always the case compared to the car. So we are looking at ways to promote when you are actually better off with public transport. We are also consulting with the NS about an attractive offer. For example, a regional group card that is linked to a benefit in the city. Think of something tasty with coffee or an hour of free skating on the ice rink on the Markt.'

What do you expect from that?

'People generally do not change their behaviour easily. That is why we jointly implement broad actions, facilities and campaigns with which we come just a little bit closer to behavioural change. If you get a nice public transport promotion, that can be the push you need. If you see how easy a P+R can be, you might give it a try. Every step forward is one. That is why we repeat the campaign every six months. In the spring we focus on encouraging walking and hiking.'

And after that?

'We will continue with this for at least another 4.5 years. Many people and organisations are involved in Gastvrij en duurzaam Bereikbaar. Shopkeepers, cultural institutions, the municipality, transporters such as NS and Hermes, the Philips Stadium. There is a lot of dedication and enthusiasm, it really is a train that is steaming ahead. You can see that in concrete results on the street. For example, the pop-up bicycle parking, the promotion of P+R sites, good visitor information on websites and the PSV Direct Bus. We involve everyone in the steps we take and because of the great involvement, there is very good and critical thinking. That ensures broad support where everyone feels comfortable with the messages we radiate and the actions we take. Of course, we fine-tune them all the time, it is a campaign that is in motion. We measure, research, keep track of how many people use actions: it is a continuous process of improvements, monitoring and development.'

Want to know more about the research?

Curious about the research? Contact Jan Waalen via jan.waalen@brainportreachbaar.nl