Pii: S1361-9209(99)00034-6

In two empirical studies, the impact of attitudes and environmental knowledge on driving distance, travel behaviour and acceptance of various trac restrictions was investigated. The ®rst study included the population in Lund, southern Sweden, and the second the politicians and civil servants responsible for transports and environment in the same city. Comparisons of the two samples revealed similar psychological processes, including environmental concern, hazard/ecacy perception and car a€ection, whereas environmental knowledge seemed to have a subordinate role. Preferences of restrictions di€ered somewhat between the public, and the politicians and civil servants. It is suggested that local implementation of new strategies to reduce private car driving might bene®t from a better understanding of what will be accepted among the public. Further, in promoting pro-environmental travel behaviour it may be important to focus on basic attitudes, rather than to rely solely on factual information. Ó 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.