An Evaluation of COVID19 Public Spaces Management in South Gloucestershire (PHIRST Fusion)

Aim

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, South Gloucestershire Council introduced temporary travel schemes to increase active travel and facilitate social distancing. Working closely with South Gloucestershire Council, this project seeks to evaluate the impact of the emergency travel schemes to provide policy makers with adequate information to make an informed decision on whether to make the schemes permanent and provide methodological recommendations for future reviews.

Research Questions

Following an evaluability assessment with local stakeholders, a number of outcomes were proposed by the Council which will be used in this project to evaluate the impact of the schemes which include the following; 1. Has the scheme induced a behavioural shift by increasing active forms of travel? 2. Has the scheme made neighbourhoods a more desirable place to live?

3. Has the scheme changed people’s sense of pride in their community and made it a more attractive place to live? 4. Are there any groups who have access issues to the schemes? Data Proposed Research Design

We propose to adopt a natural experiment research design using suitable existing secondary data along with primary data collected through an attitudinal survey and an intercept survey. Existing Data

Having thoroughly reviewed a range of existing sources of data, we have concluded that the Travel to Work Survey by TrafficWest and the Space to Move (online) survey conducted as part of the consultation process offer the best baseline data. Other sources such as air quality and traffic monitoring data were discounted due to the lack of data collected before the schemes were set up.

The Travel to Work data will help provide an understanding of the geographical patterns of commuters by their chosen mode of transport. The Space to Move survey provides an insight into the potential challenges the schemes may have and how best they can be mitigated. Primary Data Collection

Recognising the limitations of existing data, further primary data collection is required. Intercept surveys will be conducted with the help and assistance of local residents and/or community groups at the location of the schemes. The intercept surveys will only include active travel users, and so can shed light on whether the schemes have met the needs of these travel users.

Meanwhile, an attitudinal survey will be conducted across the entire South Gloucestershire area to understand whether the schemes have induced a behavioural response to more active forms of travel and altered perceptions of their community. Methodology Overall, the project will adopt a mixed-methods approach to the analysis of secondary and primary data.

Quantitative Analysis

With use of postcode information collected from the Travel to Work survey we will be able to model travel flows from commuters’ place of residence to their place of work. The flow maps will highlight patterns by transport mode across the geography of South Gloucestershire to identify areas where the uptake of active travel is highest and where more work is needed.

Qualitative Analysis

A qualitative analysis will be carried on written responses obtained from the Space to Move survey along with the attitudinal and intercept surveys. An initial descriptive analysis of the most frequent words will involve using a word map. A deeper exploration will be undertaken using thematic analysis.

Progress to date

The South Gloucestershire ‘COVID19 Public Spaces Management’ project was allocated to PHIRST North at the end of December 2020. On receiving the request, a preliminary viability assessment was undertaken, and the project was approved with Queen’s University Belfast nominated as the lead research team. The research brief has been developed following detailed discussions, meetings with key stakeholders and two EA workshops with South Gloucestershire.

The first EA workshop took place on 3rd March 2021 and the second on 30th March 2020. Both were attended by 16 stakeholders from South Gloucestershire council with representation from a range of service areas including delivery, decision making, community and campaign. In April 2021 the PHIRST North team appointed Dr Brad Campbell to take up the full time Post-Doctoral Research Associate post to support Professors Frank Kee and Jennifer McKinley at the Queen’s University of Belfast with delivering the evaluation.

At the same time South Gloucestershire Council seconded Catherine Jacobs to facilitate links as a ‘navigator’ within and between the local authorities, third Sector, community organisations and the PHIRST North team. A briefing paper was submitted on the 28th May 2021 and work is ongoing to complete a full protocol by the end of July 2021. Preliminary analysis of the ‘Space to Move’ and Travel to Work survey began in July 2021. It is anticipated the intercept and attitude survey will be carried out in Mid-September.