ABSTRACT
In 2005, UK households spent E159.08 billion on transport, three-quarters of which was on the purchase and operation of personal transport equipment, such as the car.1 This amounted to 15 per cent of the total household expenditure – the single largest proportion of UK household spending.2 One of the reasons why this trend continues is habit – cars are convenient, and we enjoy driving them. Yet this is an expensive habit, and one that is contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and global warming. Furthermore, the private transport sector demands a large capital investment. Purchasing a car is not cheap. It is perhaps unreasonable then to expect people to purchase cars and maintain the car industry and economy in general, at huge personal cost, and then not use the vehicles. Their purchase belies intended use, and it is this that is increasingly seen as a problem both within the developed and developing world.
