Global Consultant PBA Aims to Crack the USA's Addiction to the Car

ATLANTA, Ga.--(Business Wire)--
How long can we afford to drive ourselves crazy? Bob Pinkett,
partner from Peter Brett Associates LLP (PBA) international
headquarters in the UK, believes the same principles applied to break
addictions in drug therapy could be one secret to breaking America's
love affair with the automobile.

Speaking today at the Association for Commuter Transportation's
International Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, Pinkett will advocate a
radical approach to transport planning to change travel behavior in
the USA.

"Existing methods of travel demand management (TDM) only scratch
the surface. We must move beyond the traditional broadcast method of
influencing travel behavior, which delivers the same high-minded
message to everyone, everywhere, in a futile attempt to persuade,"
explains Pinkett.

"In this age of climate change fatigue, the 'narrowcast' approach
where messages are direct, valued and personalized will achieve the
necessary shift required to encourage widespread use of sustainable
transport. New models, drawn from other industries such as health,
environment and technology, now focus on the influence of the social
network on the individual's behavior."

Pinkett reveals how sophisticated market segmentation can identify
what drives people to behave they way they do, to enable transport
professionals to integrate these attitudes into the travel planning
process. In this way, transport planners can work with people to
understand their "triggers to change" better, and excite and engage
community influencers.

Addiction therapies used to combat smoking, for example, offer
proven techniques, as do the achievements of environmental activists
in mobilizing communities.

"Transport planners need to understand the dynamics of social
networks and how digital relationships and word of mouth campaigns can
mobilize entire communities. Once change is embedded, repeat
interventions from travel planners will not be required."

Pinkett will take his message to Europe on 6th October, 2008, as a
guest speaker at European Transport Conference in the Netherlands.

About Peter Brett Associates LLP

Peter Brett Associates LLP (PBA) is a multi-specialist
consultancy, bringing engineering, planning and scientific skills and
experience together to deliver sustainable development and
infrastructure projects worldwide.

With 11 UK and 8 international offices, PBA has developed a
reputation for providing quality and innovation, working in close
collaboration with its clients and associated professionals.
www.pba.co.uk

The CC Group for PBA
Dawn Flynn
T:+44-118-920-7650
dawn.flynn@the-cc-group.com

Copyright Business Wire 2008