Achieving sustainable travel behaviour change – Insights from practitioners

Abstract

Sustainable travel behaviour change has garnered increasing attention in response to the pressing challenges posed by traffic congestion, greenhouse gas emissions, and the broader impacts of travel on public health and wellbeing. This paper draws on insights from a series of expert roundtable discussions involving stakeholders from government, industry organisations, and research institutions with the primary objective of gathering multidisciplinary perspectives to inform the development of an overarching conceptual framework that supports the design of context-sensitive and effective behaviour change interventions. Themes emerging from the discussions were critically reviewed and mapped to relevant behavioural constructs such as attitudes, perceived behavioural control, subjective norms, and intention. The ensuing framework synthesises theoretical foundations from established behaviour change models with real-world experiences in the transport domain, offering a structured lens through which to interpret the drivers and barriers of behavioural shifts. Key insights that emerged include the critical role of overarching policies and goals enabled through collaborative governance, the need for inclusive and user centred interventions aligned with personal and societal benefits and the need for stakeholder collaboration within and across different sectors. By presenting evidence-informed recommendations and a cohesive conceptual framework, this paper offers a foundation for advancing sustainable transport through targeted and systemic behavioural change initiatives.