UEA researchers work with local councils to tackle air pollution from idling engines
By: News Archive
Findings from a trial conducted in Norwich show that using road signs informed by behavioural science can help encourage car drivers to turn off their idling engines in one of the city’s worst areas for air pollution.
The five-week project was conducted by researchers from the University of East Anglia (UEA), in collaboration with Norwich City Council and Norfolk County Council’s Transport for Norwich initiative.
For three of those weeks, signs based on psychological theories of social influence were placed at a traffic light controlled junction on Riverside Road, an area that currently exceeds the national objective for levels of nitrogen dioxide.
The trial - which was conducted between October and November last year - examined whether there was an increase in the number of people who turned off their engine in the presence of a sign. It is part of a larger research project led by Prof Dominic Abrams of the University of Kent, with a team of social psychologists from UEA and the University of Lincoln.
The behaviour of 4660 cars drivers was observed over the trial period. Before the introduction of the signs only 9.6% of people turned off their engine when waiting at a red light - this increased to 17% when a sign was present. Results also suggest there was a lasting benefit even after the signs were taken down, with motorists continuing to switch of their engines.
The findings come as Norwich City Council’s Cabinet today decide whether to ask the government for powers to fine motorists who leave their engines idling.
Dr Rose Meleady, a lecturer in psychology at UEA, led the trial and said air pollution was a pressing issue, with local authorities needing to act quickly to tackle it.
“Traffic and vehicle pollution is a primary contributor to poor air quality and idling traffic is of particular concern,” said Dr Meleady. “Our research shows that using psychological theory to inform the design of road signs can help bring about changes in driver behaviour. Rather than simply telling people what do to, the signs are designed to tap into the underlying motivational basis for behaviour.
“While there are stop-start technologies being developed for cars, this is a simple, cheap, site-specific method of encouraging positive behaviour change. It is also a good example of working together with local authorities on an important issue - how to get people to turn off their engines and ultimately reduce air pollution. We’d like to work with others in this way.”
Councillor John Fisher, chair of Norwich Highways Agency Committee, said: “Air quality is an important issue facing cities across the country and work like this is a valuable step in understanding what measures we can take to keep emissions as low as possible. Initial findings from the Riverside Road study are promising so we’d like to continue our collaboration with UEA and look for funding opportunities to explore this approach to behaviour change further.
“We’re pleased to have supported the research through Transport for Norwich – it’s a real asset to have this sort of expertise on our doorstep and I’m delighted we’re using it to look at ways of addressing such an important subject.”
The trial follows on from previous research* conducted in Canterbury by Dr Meleady, Prof Abrams and Dr Tim Hopthrow at the University of Kent, and Dr Julie Van de Vyver at the University of Lincoln. This showed how a series of signs based on psychological theories of behaviour change could increase compliance with an instruction to turn of engines while waiting at a level crossing.
While some councils already use signs to try to influence driver behaviour, Dr Meleady said these might be more effective if they drew on behavioural science and changed the wording slightly, as was the case in the research conducted in Canterbury.
The three signs used, for one week each, in the Norwich trial read:
- Think about your actions. When the traffic lights are red, turn off your engine.
- Join other responsible drivers in Norwich. Switch off your engine when the traffic lights are red.
- Turn off your engine when the traffic lights are red. You will improve air quality in this area.
The research team recommends that future work should look to implement the signs, which cost about £1000 and were funded by Transport for Norwich, in other locations around the city. It also suggests considering how their effectiveness might be further increased through, for example, the use of smart-technologies allowing messages to be varied.
The next stage is to test the signs over a longer period, and to confirm whether the change in driver behaviour corresponds with improvements in air quality. The team hopes to apply for funding to carry out further trials incorporating innovative air quality monitoring technologies.
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