Travelling as a passenger – a gift of time or a burden?
Prof. Glenn Lyons
University of the West of England
Glenn Lyons, Professor of Transport and Society at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) talking about the demands of undertaking travel, the opportunities for consuming travel time and the growing role of mobile technologies.
Abstract
On average we travel for around one hour per day. That travel has traditionally been conceived of as a burden or ‘disutility’ which is the price of getting from A to B in order to participate in economic and social... [ view full abstract ]
On average we travel for around one hour per day. That travel has traditionally been conceived of as a burden or ‘disutility’ which is the price of getting from A to B in order to participate in economic and social engagements. However, interest has grown significantly in recent years in what goes on between A and B with examination of the experience of travel. It has been suggested that there are three types of effort involved in travel: physical, cognitive and affective. Travel can be mentally and/or physically demanding. It can also cause frustration, anxiety and even stress. However, the digital age has brought greater capacity to address this. Information services are now often at our finger tips to help ease the cognitive burden of travel: we can be guided and supported in making our journeys and know if they are on schedule; we can contact those at our destinations if necessary to advise of delays thus further easing the affective burden of travel. The more the effort of travel itself can be reduced, the more scope we have to turn our attention to how we pass our time on the journey. Here mobile technologies can potentially facilitate improved travel experience. We can indulge in how we would like to use our travel time whether for work, socialising or having some down time. For that period of time in motion we are less likely to be answerable to others: travel time is a gift to ourselves. In this context the question arises as to whether traditional notions of speed and reliability in relation to getting from A to B are any longer the imperatives they once were. Is there a growing importance attached to how we are able to consume our travel time when we make choices about how to travel? That hour per day may be an important contribution to our overall wellbeing. Does this represent a change to the appeal of public transport when compared to the car?
Session
KN-3 » Keynote - Day 3 (09:00 - Wednesday, 16th September, Flourish)
