Tracking Travel in and around Hampshire (Wave 3)

Hampshire Perspectives is the County Council's residents' forum

This report summarises key findings from the 26th Hampshire Perspectives survey, which focused on understanding travel habits around Hampshire.

The survey was completed by 687 forum members between 5 and 23 July 2023, and results were compared back against the first two waves of data from the same period in 2021 and 2022. The learning has helped our Integrated transport team to understand changes in transport and travel across Hampshire, feeding in to work around changing travel needs following the impact of the COVID pandemic.

Key findings were as follows:

Vehicles used most:

While small cars remain dominant, there has been an increase in the use of electric / cleaner fuel / hybrid cars, and a decline in use of diesel fuelled vehicles.

Costs and ease of travel

Most respondents reported that journeys are easy to make, but this ease has reduced slightly over time, driven mainly by challenges using public transport.

Fuel costs and cost of living increases have affected around 60% of respondents to some degree, even if only causing people to think more carefully about taking journeys. However, impact has reduced from 2022 when cost affected around 75% of respondents, but those with mobility or health issues remain amongst the worst groups affected.

Post COVID travel patterns

Public transport use, and commuting / business travel both rose between 2021 and 2022, and now appear to have stabilised post-pandemic. People who are older or with health limitations are now out and about more, and there are very few people citing concerns over COVID as barriers to using public transport.

Journey length and frequency

The average number of weekly journeys has increased steadily between 2021 and 2023, and while most journeys remain within 1-7 miles, there has been an increase reported in journeys of over 30 miles.

Mode of transport

Most journeys are still made by car / van, but there has been a reduction in level of active travel (walking, cycling) since the pandemic, and an increase in people claiming that lack of services impacts use of public transport.

Journey details

Shopping, leisure and social use remain the key drivers of journeys (although shopping trips are declining slightly – a potential indicator of the rise of online shopping, and / or the impact of cost of living increases). Trips are typically made midweek in the mornings.