How gasoline prices influence the effectiveness of interventions targeting sustainable transport modes?

Abstract

The current study aims to quantify the moderating role of gasoline price on the effectiveness of interventions targeting healthier and more sustainable transport modes. This multi-level meta-analysis provides an analysis of 52 interventions targeting a change in driving, public and active transport across four continents in interventions mixing “carrot/stick” strategies. Gasoline price significantly moderates the effectiveness of interventions targeting healthier transport modes in Europe (standardized mean difference 4·43, 95% CI 1·11 to 7·74) but not in the other continents. Interventions conducted in Europe were more effective with higher gasoline price. Gasoline price also significantly interacted with access to public transport in the four continents, with the moderating role of gasoline price on interventions’ effectiveness being stronger in places with higher access to public transport. Gasoline price is a significant moderator of interventions’ effectiveness but mostly in context where infrastructures are available.