Travel planning

What is a travel plan?

Tailored to the specific needs of your organisation, staff, clients and visitors, travel plans are integrated packages of measures designed to promote more sustainable transport choices.

The overall aim is to reduce the impact of transport activity on the environment, deliver cost and time savings and promote productivity gains.

Benefits of travel planning

Here are just a few of the ways in which organisations of all sizes can benefit from travel planning:

• Reduced transport costs
  With fuel costs increasing, it is becoming increasingly important for many organisations to reduce transport overheads.

• Increased productivity
  Easing congestion around busy sites and reducing working time lost during at-work journeys boosts productivity. Not having to concentrate on driving frees up time for business travellers to relax or work en-route, meaning they'll arrive fresher and better prepared.

• Reduced need for parking facilities
  Travel Planning can help you ease parking problems around your premises or remove the need for expensive parking facilities altogether.

• Reduced absenteeism
  Where staff shift to more active modes of transport - walking or cycling - the knock-on benefits to their health and well-being can also reduce rates of sickness absence.

• Demonstration of corporate social responsibility
  Having a good travel plan shows your commitment to environmental issues, making your organisation more attractive to potential customers and new recruits.

• Meeting planning obligations
  When developing a new or existing site - especially for larger proposals - having a detailed Travel Plan in place is often an essential part of planning applications.

• Aiding staff recruitment and retention
  Many measures that encourage more sustainable transport choices - such as flexible start and finish times - have added side-benefits for employees. Not least, they can help your employees save money and time.

• Improving partnerships and neighbour relations
  Successful Travel Plans are often implemented in partnership with other nearby organisations, local authorities and transport providers. As such, the development and implementation process can aid the creation and strengthening of partnerships. Reduction of emissions, parking and traffic congestion, and the improvement of local transport links can also greatly enhance the standing of organisations within the communities around their sites.

How to get started

The following steps could help you reduce fuel bills, CO₂ emissions, increase productivity and can benefit staff health, recruitment and retention:

• Be flexible about start and finish times
• Allow home working where possible
• Raise awareness of the benefits of walking and cycling
• Provide maps of walking and cycling routes with journey times
• Keep some umbrellas by the door for walkers to use at break times
• Use cycle couriers for light, local deliveries
• Provide information on public transport to and from your premises
• Consider transport links when choosing venues for meetings and conferences
• Promote car sharing
• Provide information on eco-driving
• Provide information on journey planning.

For other easy steps and comprehensive measures that promote more sustainable transport choices, visit ChooseAnotherWay.com