Transport in Guildford: Collective Problems, Collective Solutions
Presentation by Dr Birgitta Gatersleben,
The Guildford Borough Council Surrey Scholar
6.00pm, Wednesday 27th June 2001

Guildford Borough Council’s Surrey Scholar, Dr Birgitta Gatersleben will present the findings of her research to investigate the links between transport, pollution and health in the Borough. Her work will form part of the Borough’s response to the Government’s Transport White Paper. Dr Gatersleben, whose undergraduate and postgraduate studies have centred around social and organisational psychology, is based in the Department of Psychology in the School of Human Sciences, and has been working alongside colleagues from the School of Biological Sciences on the multi-disciplinary project.

When Birgitta saw the research brief for the Guildford Borough Council Surrey Scholar, she felt it could have been designed with her in mind and knew it was an opportunity she could not miss. "There were a lot of similarities with my PhD project which examines consumer behaviour and its effects on the environment. The Surrey Scholar project on environmental sustainability was also appealing because, like the work I had been doing, it was multi-disciplinary."

The research that Birgitta has undertaken seeks to investigate the link between transport, pollution and well-being in the Borough. Since transport problems are collective problems, neither caused nor solved by single individuals it is important to involve a wide range of transport users when examining sustainable options for change. The work therefore involved collaboration with local government, Guildford residents, schools and major employers. The presentation will discuss transport problems facing Guildford, drawing on pollution data collected by the Guildford Mobile Air Quality Monitoring Unit. Results from some of the field studies will be presented and two projects which were set up to promote actual change will be presented. One project set out to promote walking and cycling among parents and children in a number of schools in Guildford and the other focussed on cycling to work as a viable and healthy alternative to car use.

The goal of the project and the subject of the presentation are interlinked - to examine options for change in the current transport situation in the Borough of Guildford which are both environmentally and socially sustainable as well as economically viable.

The lecture will be attended by the Deputy Mayor of Guildford, Councillor Tony Phillips and the Chief Executive of Guildford Borough Council, Mr David Watts, who will propose the vote of thanks. Additionally in the audience will be a number of Borough Councillors and Council Officials with an interest in this area.

Journalists and photographers are welcome. For more information or to book a place please contact Liz Morgan-Lewis, Head of Communications and Public Affairs on 01483 873932 or 0790 005 0702

Notes to Editors

Birgitta was born in Zaandam, Holland, and initially embarked on a degree in architecture. She was inspired to change course after sitting in on some psychology lectures. She found that she was interested in people's behaviour and the motivation for it and was delighted to find that she could expand this interest into a career. Birgitta studied social and organisational psychology at the University of Leiden, focusing in her final year on environmental psychology. Her MSc project was a study on how people experience forest walks. Her research concluded that younger people choose natural forests whereas those over 40 prefer a more planned, park-like environment. Birgitta's PhD project examined the way household consumer behaviour in the Netherlands has changed since the 1950s, the underlying mechanisms of these changes and their environmental effects. The goal was to examine from different perspectives what changes are necessary in consumer behaviour to protect the environment and how to effect them. The project gave her the chance to work with environmental scientists, economists, social geographers and political scientists.

The University of Surrey is a forward looking, professional University. Whilst it has gained widespread recognition in science and technology, it is a balanced institution, with flourishing programmes in dance and music, social sciences, management and languages and law. The University has a world class research profile and a reputation for excellence in teaching and learning.