Residents in hew housing developments are too reliant on cars, finds survey
A lack of public transport links and poor pathways mean residents take to their cars, writes Angus Howarth
Modern housing developments in Scotland make residents increasingly car dependent due to a range of issues including poor links to public transport and uneven footpaths, research has found.
A report by Living Streets Scotland, a charity which promotes walking, was carried out over a 12 month period and investigated how easily people could live in new developments without a car. Its finding detailed significant failings in the location and design of housing, which limited choices for residents in terms of walking, cycling, public transport and car clubs.
The research looked at top level planning policies, reviewed examples of best practice and interviewed residents.
Stuart Hay, director of Living Streets Scotland, said: “Local planning departments are storing up massive problems in terms of congestion, air pollution and inactivity by building car-dependence into new housing developments.
“People deserve a choice to walk, cycle or take public transport; instead developers are delivering housing in the wrong places, with the wrong infrastructure, and with very poor access to local shops and public transport.”
The charity is calling for simple and low cost measures from developers, including well-maintained networks of footpaths.
Mr Hay continued: “Councils and developers should be going back to recent developments to fix issues and learn from their mistakes, something that isn’t happening at the moment.”
Susan Jeynes, co-mobility specialist for COMOUK, which commissioned the report, said: “It is great that Scotland has the policies in place to support reducing reliance on private cars in new developments and encourage more active lifestyles; however, this study shows there is a gap between the policy and the reality.
“The report shows there is potential demand for car clubs in new developments that needs to be explored. COMOUK is keen to work with planners and developers to help identify how new developments can benefit from designing in shared transport, both for the residents and the economic opportunity for developers.”