The Disconnexion Between Attitudes to Transport and Policy Choices

This proposed article explores the following paradox: whilst research on attitudes to transport and travel behaviour in European States often suggests that the negative externalities of the transport system are a significant everyday concern, decision-makers at various levels of government are reluctant to support “anticar” measures that is, binding sustainable transport policies and policy tools such as speed limits, urban tolls or other carbon taxes. This article seeks to further explore this paradox by revisiting the public policy assumption. Political attitudes research, especially that which seeks to identify influences on voting intention, shows that transport is often relegated to a much lower level of priority. Based on successive waves of Eurobarometer surveys, our analysis suggests that attitudes to transport and travel are increasingly shaped by the politics of choice and combination of policy tools. Following the claim made by the so-called policy feedback model, we expect transport policies to shape citizen’ attitudes towards institutions, including policies, measured in terms of trust, causal narratives, the punishment of free-ride.