DISRUPTION! was a three year study funded by the EPSRC (starting 1st September 2011) to understand how disruptions to the travel system – large or small – affect travel practices.
Disruptions at the individual or family scale (eg car breakdown, illness) or at the larger scale (weather events, strikes, cyber or terrorism attacks) will be investigated to see what these teach us about how the opportunities to change travel practices at individual level and within families; in organisations that generate travel demand and impact on our own individual travel decision-making; and within government where policy that determines our travel opportunities is made.
A range of innovative research methods will be used, including capturing travel behaviour through Facebook and Twitter and carrying out video-recorded mobile interviews. Those taking part in the research will be able to choose how they work with researchers to best capture their travel experiences and how these are influenced by different disruptions, which they identify as being significant.
The project then brings together the different social actors, both 'lay' and 'expert' in a number of forums where they have the opportunity to 'deliberate' the different issues that will emerge throughout the research, and challenge each other about what needs to be done to capture the opportunities for change.
Lastly the project seeks to establish mechanisms for embedding these changes in everyday life, in organisational practices and in social policy, so that a substantial contribution to reducing carbon emissions from transport is achieved.
Dr Anable is working on the project together with colleagues from ITS Leeds, University of Lancaster, University of Brighton, University of Glasgow and University West of England.
More information is available on the project website: http://www.disruptionproject.net/
You can also follow the project on Twitter @disruptionproj