Testing the Effects of Constraints on Climate Change–Friendly Behavior among Groups of Australian Residents

This study explores the relationship between Australian's attitudes toward climate change impacts on the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). We hypothesize that general attitudes toward climate change, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control predict intended and reported behavior, and that attitude negatively influences constraints on adopting ERB. The moderating effect of residential condition (urban vs. rural contexts) was tested across these hypothesized relationships. We randomly selected 200 individuals from eight regions: Five within 50 km of the GBR Coastline and three from the Statistical Metropolitan Areas in Australia. We yielded 1,623 surveys by telephone interviews. Findings confirm our hypotheses and suggest the most important predictor of intentions is perceived behavioral control. The two groups of respondents (urban vs. rural) illustrate different relationships. This study offers insight on how managers of the GBR can effectively shape residents' behavioral tendencies that minimize human impacts on the natural environment.     

Determining strategies to increase response rates in transport surveys of small shop-based businesses

Increasing representation of small business perspectives in policy research would benefit from identifying strategies to increase response rates. Despite the significance of the issue, there is inconsistent reporting amongst small business research about issues such as sampling, recruitment and survey design. Reporting on such issues may help address the under-representation of small business respondents and help reduce wasting research resources on less effective strategies. For policy matters that have the potential to disrupt how small business owners run their business, this is of particular importance. This paper reports on a survey of small businesses about changes to the transport accessibility features of a town centre that have the potential to affect the supply of car parking. Based on a review of the available literature, strategies were adopted to reduce respondent burden and maximise engagement. The paper presents an analysis of recruitment approaches in the first wave of the survey and demonstrates how the refinements to the recruitment approach were successful in achieving an increase in response rate from 40% to 47%.     

Refining light rapid transit typology: a UK perspective

Abstract

Recent developments in the light rapid transit sector have introduced transit modes that are attempting to imitate the performance of others, e.g. buses with tram-like characteristics. The boundaries between existing definitions of what is a bus, tram or train are becoming blurred. For transport studies and practice this requires a review of how we define modes. This is not just a matter of semantics, but has safety and competition regulation implications for system operators. This paper proposes a structure to produce rail- and bus-based transit mode definitions and typology that are appropriate for modern use. A decision tree is used to classify and define the transit modes as guided-bus, trolley-bus, light rail and tram-train and is provided with example systems. The paper provides a robust definitional framework that allows transit system promoters, operators and other interested parties to have a consistent basis of reference when specifying and comparing rapid transit systems.     

Ocean Citizenship: An Emergent Geographical Concept

Ocean citizenship describes a relationship between our everyday lives and the health of the coastal and marine environment. Through our everyday lives we affect, and are affected by, the marine and coastal environment in numerous ways. As such, individuals have a responsibility to make informed lifestyle choices to minimize this impact. In doing so, the actions of individuals can contribute to the amelioration of large-scale and seemingly insurmountable geographical problems. This article outlines the concept of ocean citizenship within the context of the public understanding of marine environmental issues. The article draws heavily on the experience of the National Maritime Museum as an important contributor to the development of ocean citizenship in the United Kingdom. Specifically, the Planet Ocean initiative will be examined, in which the Museum has adopted a multimodal approach to public engagement through exhibitions, educational resources, and specific research publications. The article concludes by highlighting the importance of geography in the development and sustainability of ocean citizenship.     

Introduction to the Theme Issue: The Role of Geography in Contemporary Coastal Management Policy and Practice

This article provides a brief introduction to the theme issue on “The role of geography in contemporary coastal management policy and practice.” The theme is addressed through a suite of seven articles that collectively consider how geographical understandings and methods relate to contemporary coastal policy and practice. The key theme to emerge from the articles is that geography forms an underlying framework for considering integrated coastal management, largely due to the integrative nature of geography itself.     

Some thoughts on competitive tendering in local bus operations

Abstract

This article is derived from a report by Metra Consulting Group for the Dutch Ministry of Public Health and the Environment. The aim of Metra's study was to identify ways of reducing the environmental nuisance of urban traffic without adding excessively to transport costs.

The main theme of the article is that the traditional idea of an inherent conflict between transport efficiency and the environment is mistaken. Both efficiency and the environment are threatened by the same thing: the excessive and indiscriminate use of vehicles. This comes about because of defects in the fiscal and regulatory framework within which people take transport decisions. Suitable reforms in this framework would simultaneously enhance the environment and improve access for all classes of road user.

In the development of this theme, particular attention is paid to transport activities which tend to be neglected by policy makers, such as walking, cycling and urban goods distribution; and to measures which are not always thought of as instruments of policy at all, such as locational policy and development control, vehicle design, and vehicle taxation, especially of goods vehicles.     

Mainstream consumers driving plug-in battery-electric and plug-in hybrid electric cars: A qualitative analysis of responses and evaluations

Plug-in electric vehicles can potentially emit substantially lower CO₂ emissions than internal combustion engine vehicles, and so have the potential to reduce transport emissions without curtailing personal car use. Assessing the potential uptake of these new categories of vehicles requires an understanding of likely consumer responses. Previous in-depth explorations of appraisals and evaluations of electric vehicles have tended to focus on ‘early adopters’, who may not represent mainstream consumers. This paper reports a qualitative analysis of responses to electric cars, based on semi-structured interviews conducted with 40 UK non-commercial drivers (20 males, 20 females; age 24-70 years) at the end of a seven-day period of using a battery electric car (20 participants) or a plug-in hybrid car (20 participants). Six core categories of response were identified: (1) cost minimisation; (2) vehicle confidence; (3) vehicle adaptation demands; (4) environmental beliefs; (5) impression management; and, underpinning all other categories, (6) the perception of electric cars generally as ‘work in progress’ products. Results highlight potential barriers to the uptake of current-generation (2010) plug-in electric cars by mainstream consumers. These include the prioritization of personal mobility needs over environmental benefits, concerns over the social desirability of electric vehicle use, and the expectation that rapid technological and infrastructural developments will make current models obsolete. Implications for the potential uptake of future electric vehicles are discussed.