Optimising the Tube with a painted green line: The power of nudging
The London Tube is infamous for platform congestion and delays. But according to the latest behavioural science research, this complex problem has a simple solution – just paint a green line.
At the core of behavioural science is the concept of ‘choice architecture’ – strategically designing choices to motivate the desired outcome. We came across a fantastic choice architecture success story in this month’s volume of Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice.
Transport for London conducted an experiment on one of its busiest metro train platforms in 2017. The platform surface was painted green to highlight the exact location of the train doors when stopped on the platform. This visual cue encouraged commuters to wait in other parts of the platform, hence minimising obstruction to alighting passengers. As a result, train waiting times were reduced by 6.6% and the intervention generated a 6:1 return on investment.
Behavioural change doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.
All it takes is the right nudge.
Offiaeli, K., & Yaman, F. (2021). Social norms as a cost-effective measure of managing transport demand: Evidence from an experiment on the London underground. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 145, 63-80.