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Travel Plans

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What is a Travel Plan?

A travel plan is typically a package of practical measures to encourage staff to choose alternatives to the car. Employers are encouraged to develop travel plans, aimed at reducing car use for travel to work and for travel for business.

 

Apart from the intended benefits for the environment a travel plan offers benefits to the organisation, its employees and the local community. It may help to relieve an on-site parking or congestion problem, or it may help to improve public transport services where there was previously a deficiency. In turn it may relieve stress on employees by improving their health by walking or cycling, or through the opportunity to reduce the amount they travel, perhaps by working at home.

 

A plan should be site specific and include a range of measures which will make a positive impact at that site, e.g. setting up a car sharing scheme, providing cycling facilities, negotiating improved bus services, offering attractive flexible-working practices. The concept is to make the alternatives more feasible and more attractive to employees.

 

A travel plan will have clear objectives and a set of targets, which can be measured and monitored in order that the organisation can measure how effective the plan is.

 

An effective travel plan is one which is supported by senior management who recognise the added value of bringing together key parts of the organisation internally (for example, building managers, fleet managers, personnel managers, business managers). In addition, working with the local authority and local transport operators is important if effective changes are to be made. Finally, teaming up with neighbouring organisations will give value to many of the measures introduced in your plan.

 

A travel plan need not cost your organisation lots of money and it may help to save money while helping to improve the environment. Travel plans will help to address wider problems of social exclusion and crime and safety, at the same time as reducing the costs to society caused by delays and congestion and poor health.

Background to Travel Plans

The concept of travel plans have been introduced against a background of depleting fuel stocks, increased emissions (many of which are a result of vehicle use) and global warming.

 

As a result of the Rio Earth Summit (1992) and Kyoto Climate Change Conference (1997) there is an international recognition amongst world leaders that there is a need to reduce our impact on the environment. Rio introduced the concept of Local Agenda 21 (requiring local authorities to address the impact their activities were having on their local environment) and Kyoto produced legally binding agreements to reduce greenhouse emissions. Consequently, a mixture of local, national and international policies, Acts of Parliament and initiatives have paved the way for travel plans. As 70% of the UK's harmful CO2 emissions can be attributed to transport this is the area which seems to offer the greatest potential for change.

 

The Government's Transport White Paper, New Deal for Transport (1998) and the Ten Year Transport Plan emphasised the need for an integrated transport policy. The Road Traffic Reduction Act (1997) required local authorities to monitor traffic levels and consider setting targets for reducing traffic levels. All local authorities must produce a Local Transport Plan to set out their transport plans and priorities until 2005/6. Hampshire produced a Local Transport Plan, which lead to Fareham Borough Council producing a daughter document for the Borough to reduce the growth in use of private vehicles particularly in peak periods.

 

Currently travel plans are compulsory for government agencies and for those seeking planning permission for major developments as a requirement of the PPG13, other organisations are currently invited to consider the benefits of travel plans for their organisations on a voluntary basis.

Potential Benefits of Travel Plans
  • Provide real cost savings to your organisation
  • Relieve congestion in and around your workplace
  • Help your company select from a wider labour force
  • Improve your company's image
  • Help with on-site parking problems
  • Release land for other purposes
  • A healthier, more motivated, less stressed workforce
  • Help gain environmental accreditation
Examples of Travel Plan Measures
  • Travel Plan Co-ordinator (FT/PT)
  • Interest free loans for season tickets
  • Interest free loans for purchase of bicycles
  • Incentives to encourage cycling / walking, including shower / changing facilities, secure cycle storage areas, discounts at local cycle shops
  • Negotiated discounts on public transport tickets
  • Guaranteed ride home in event of emergency
  • Support new bus route / put on a shuttle bus
  • Relocation Policy that encourages people to move closer to work
  • Membership of the signPOST Travel Forum
  • Incentives that encourage individuals to make a change - a green travel reward scheme (points = money or time off)
  • Provide public transport information
  • Pool cycles / cars / electric bikes or scooters
  • Cycle mileage at Inland Revenue rate
  • Car Share Scheme (database, priority car share spaces, car park management)
  • Business Travel Policy
  • Car park charges - even if nominal, but on a daily basis
  • Offer the Inland Revenue rate for additional passengers carried on business journeys
  • Consider flexitime / homeworking / videoconferencing / compressed working week
  • Alternatives to company cars
  • Offer on site services (creche, laundrette, restaurant, staff kitchen)
Legislation/Government Initiatives
Steps to Producing your Travel Plan

Once your organisation had identified the need for a travel plan there are a number of key steps to ensuring that your travel plan is a success.

  1. Engage senior management support
  2. Undertake baseline survey (of the staff and the site etc.)
  3. Work with your staff (eg Focus groups, consultations)
  4. Identify a co-ordinator
  5. Identify your budget
  6. Writing up your plan - set the main objectives and targets and your plans to monitor them
  7. Set in place the measures that you intend to make
  8. Promote the measures to your staff
  9. Monitor progress
  10. Review travel plan
  11. Keep on going - the work of the travel planner never stops