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Chapter 3: Setting the Context
At recruitment, respondents were provided with a full copy of the National Transport Strategy consultation document and a copy of the summarised version.
3.1 Understanding of the NTS Consultation Documentation
Respondents were encouraged to read the full and / or summary consultation document prior to attending the groups and where this was not possible they were asked to briefly examine the document within the discussion setting.
Most respondents had not read the document in any particular depth at all, with most having had a very quick look at the document, picking out those elements of particular interest to them. Some had read the document in more detail, although it is difficult to say whether this would have been the case had they come across it more "naturally" and not been asked to read it prior to attending discussions.
Most respondents did not find the document easy reading or particularly inviting. The overall perception was that the document was written for stakeholders or those with a professional interest in transport, rather than for members of the general public. Most, however, did appreciate that a summary document had been written to make the NTS more accessible and felt they were more likely to read that than the full document. Some felt that many of the issues covered were not of relevance to them.
"Heavy reading"
60-70, male & female, urban
"You really need to sit down and read it, don't you? I flipped through it and thought a lot of it was long-winded, you know, rather than getting straight to the point. There's all these fancy words and, you know, you've really got to sit and study it".
22-40, male & female, low income, urban
"It was quite, it was quite you know like easy to understand in the sense of the summary was but that, that (consultation document) was just a lot to read."
Minority ethnic, urban
" The whole consultation is certainly not aimed at the general public."
"I mean some of the terminologies are heavy, I mean… what is a modal shift you know?"
35-49, male & female, rural
However, a small number did read the documents in some depth and found them interesting. There were also some specific comments made about the layout, with one respondent commenting that the colour system worked well (green suggesting environmental concerns) and another that the typeface was easy for those with reading difficulties.
"Almost environmentally friendly [looking], but I don't know if it [the content] is."
LGBT, urban
While most respondents appreciated the importance of the consultation process and being asked to contribute their views, some were cynical about whether their participation would make any difference.
"I think that this is just, like, a paper exercise"
Minority ethnic, urban
3.2 The Need for a National Transport Strategy
Prior to examining respondent views' of individual aspects of the NTS, it is useful to assess the overall context within which respondents viewed the Strategy. Although transport in some shape or form is an integral part of their lives, most respondents found it very hard to think naturally in terms of a transport strategy. This was highlighted in a number of different ways.
3.2.1 Focus on local perspectives
Respondents understandably tended to view transport strategy very much through their own particular experiences (primarily in terms of locality or personal experience and circumstances). This does not mean that strategic views were not presented, although these strategic views were primarily on the basis of individual experience rather than a perception of what may be necessary for Scotland as a whole geographically, or for other types of transport users. So, for example, most respondents agreed about the need to bring about higher levels of public transport usage. That said, respondents in cities such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Dundee found it difficult to hypothesise about the needs people might have in more rural and remote areas of Scotland; respondents in more rural areas often hypothesised that the major cities all had good transport links but some of these respondents had little, or no recent experience of utilising public transport in major cities.
3.2.2 Links between transport and other policy areas
Respondents generally found it very easy to discuss specific areas of the strategy, although these tended to be areas that they had experience of. However, these were often considered in isolation and many respondents found it difficult to link different issues covered in the strategy document. In general, the greater the linkage between different aspects, the more difficult respondents found it to assess the impact of any potential changes. For example, it was relatively easy for respondents to discuss road safety issues, but considerably more difficult for them to theorise the impact that any changes to town planning may have on transport policy and road safety issues specifically.
Many respondents also noted that some issues were not pertinent to them, so unless they had an interest in a specific issue, most found it difficult to hypothesise. Examples of instances where respondents found it difficult to comment on specific issues included the use of biofuels, the targeting of expenditure, prioritising expenditure and meeting the needs of freight.
3.2.3 Prioritising issues or changes
While respondents found it relatively straightforward to make suggestions or recommendations for change and to identify problems with current transport provision or policy, most found it hard to prioritise these suggestions. In part this appeared to be due to a lack of knowledge about the implications of each suggestion and in part due to a lack of knowledge about the financial cost/benefits of each.
3.2.4 Implications
It is important to remember that the objectives of this particular study were primarily to reflect and examine the issues raised by individual respondents rather than expect them, on the basis of one discussion, to arrive at a comprehensive strategic view. Therefore, throughout the document, while we present responses to the strategic issues as outlined in the NTS, what emerges from the interviews is not a single view on a particular strategy, but impressions, views and suggested possibilities for various aspects of a strategy.
3.3 The Views of Specific Interest Groups
In designing a group structure for this study, there was a hypothesis that different groups of individuals may have very different requirements for transport provision. While to an extent this was evident, it was not as clear cut as was originally hypothesised. For example, while many with physical disabilities had problems with accessing different modes of transport, this was also an issue highlighted by the elderly, mothers with children in pushchairs or those with heavy shopping bags. While safety might have been an issue primarily for females, this in fact was raised by almost all our respondents at some point in time. Indeed, certain respondents (primarily those in LGBT discussions) tended not to view themselves as a specific interest group in terms of transport at all. Throughout our report references are made to specific needs for different groups of individuals, with these being drawn together in Chapter 11.
In summary,
- Many respondents chose to only read those parts of the consultation document of personal interest to them.
- The overall view was that this document was aimed at stakeholders or professionals working within the transport sector.
- While all respondents agreed on the need for a National Transport Strategy, most based their comments on their own particular experiences.
- While respondents were able to make suggestions for changes to transport provision, they often found it difficult to discuss these changes from a wider strategic perspective. Many also had problems in linking different aspects of the Strategy to other policy areas.
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