Shifting Lanes : A quantitative study on how attitudes towards public transportation and car use differ between people and planners in Tampa

This quantitative study investigates on how the attitudes amongst people in Tampa are towards the use of public transportation and also analyse which factors they consider vital for its development. The data is collected with the help of an online questionnaire and later compared with the current comprehensive plan and transportation plan in Tampa, after a qualitative literature review, in order to analyse and compare if there are any differences between the respondents and the planners. In other word’s compare theory to what is happening in reality. The results show that both the planners and the respondents acknowledge the dominance and negative effects of car use and that an expansion of public transportation is necessary in order to enhance the overall quality of life but also sustainability. The biggest difference was the attitude toward and belief in Mobility Management and soft measures. As the plan documents do not put any emphasis on the importance of changing attitudes with the help of soft measures, the respondents showed that Mobility Management and services linked to it could be a vital factor to change overall attitude towards public transportation if it were implemented.