Our Car Free Oxford trial - results are in.

To hit our climate goals, UK car miles need to be drastically reduced. For this to happen, politicians and the public need to work together to achieve a modal shift away from private cars, towards walking, wheeling and public transport. Our latest research project helps to support that shift.

Following our successful car-free trials in 2022, where we followed the experiences of drivers in Bristol, Birmingham, London and Leeds going car-free for three weeks, our friends in Oxford got in touch to run a trial in their city.

Oxfordshire’s strategy for reducing traffic is already one of the most ambitious in the country. It aims to radically reduce greenhouse gases, air pollution and congestion and get more people healthy through walking and cycling, removing one in four cars from the roads by 2030 and delivering a net zero transport network by 2040. They understand there’s a lot to do to achieve these aims.

So we teamed up with Low Carbon Oxford North (LCON) and ESRC Centre for Climate Change and Social Transformations (CAST) to research the opportunities and challenges for car-free living in the city, and give guidance to local decision makers about how they can help more people choose public transport and/or active travel.

Together, we recruited a diverse group of 12 residents of Oxford, who were all regular drivers, who were willing to go three weeks without using their cars, and log their experiences through recorded interviews and journals for the duration of the trial.

Today, we’re excited to publish the research findings in a new report.

Read the full report

The report shows that ordinary residents are willing to try alternative ways of getting around, while highlighting the city’s existing barriers to greener travel and the types of support that residents found most helpful in leaving their cars behind.

During their three weeks car-free trial, our participants reported personal benefits, including improved health, wellbeing and social connections; and 10 of the 12 plan to continue with reduced car use beyond the project.

As well as the benefits to the drivers, the research is helpful for decision makers in Oxford, who can use these findings to inform their strategy for accelerating the modal shift to climate-friendly travel in and around the city.

“It’s fantastic that most of these regular drivers enjoyed going car free and reported benefits. The experience of this project suggests there may be many more people in Oxford who would like to drive less and would value some support in making changes.
“What’s more, a relatively simple package of support of the kind developed here - including personalised journey planning and information about the wide range of travel options available in the city - could be very effective in helping people to try out alternatives, with potential for long term change and carbon reductions. This would be especially beneficial for residents alongside the planned introduction this autumn of traffic filters, designed to cut traffic and improve conditions for walking, cycling and bus use.” Carey Newson, a trustee of Low Carbon Oxford North.

What now?

This trial shows us that shaking up routines for just a short time has the power to slash carbon emissions and create long term change. So we’re opening up the challenge.

This June, we’re inviting the drivers across the country to participate in a national car-free challenge.