Highways Agency

Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Green Travel Plan - 1999 report

Contents

• Foreword
• Introduction & Background
• Understanding How We Travel To Work
• Our Plan, Targets & Monitoring
• Travel To Work
• Business Travel
• Reducing The Need To Travel
• The Way Forward

Foreword

"If we all can modify our travel habits, even slightly, we can start to make a difference"

We are all aware of the stress that traffic congestion can cause in our everyday personal and business lives. Poor air quality and noise problems caused by road traffic, affect our living environment. Research says it will get worse.

The Government has set clear aims for sustainable development. The Integrated Transport White Paper sets out the Government's vision of a transport system that supports sustainable development. To contribute to that vision, in common with all Government Departments and Executive Agencies, we have been asked to develop a "Green Travel Plan" for our staff to help us all to play our part.

The proposals in our "Green Travel Plan" will help us all to make more informed choices about how we travel - whether commuting to work or travelling on business. Also, these ideas should help to reduce the strain associated with travelling these days. We are aware from a recent Agency survey that getting to work is regarded as one of the major sources of stress.

We have chosen the old wartime slogan "Is your journey really necessary" to publicise green travel. We should ask this question each and every time we travel. If the answer is yes, we should look critically at the way in which we travel.

In order for any Green Travel Plan to work, it is important to have the commitment of all our staff. I, for my part, will be looking closely at my own travel arrangements and I am asking my Management Board colleagues to do the same. All staff are encouraged to enter fully into the spirit of green travel so that we can be seen to be making a valuable contribution to Green Travel within the Government. If we all can modify our travel habits, even slightly, we can start to make a difference.

Lawrie Haynes
March 1999

 

Introduction and Background

This is the Highways Agency's own "Green Travel Plan". It demonstrates our commitment to playing our part in minimising the impact of travel on the environment by reducing the level of unnecessary travel and encouraging those who have to travel to do so in a more environmentally friendly way.

It contains a number of measures which we hope will give staff an opportunity to make more informed choices about how they travel and how they can make a valuable contribution to a sustainable environment.

The Background

Our "Green Travel Plan" follows the direction of Government Transport Policies. These set out to achieve sustainable development by combining environmental, economic and social goals to ensure a decent quality of life for everyone, now and in the future.

Green Travel Plans are recognised as having an important part to play because they can produce real benefits for:

• individuals
  - through improved health, reduced stress and potential cost savings
• the Agency
  - through healthier and more motivated staff, reduced congestion and improved access to sites for employees, visitors and business traffic
• the community
  - by the Agency demonstrating its commitment to the Government's environmental priorities and by setting an example to others
• the environment
  - through improved air quality - with less noise, dirt and fumes, as well as by reducing the impact of other national and global environmental problems such as photochemical smog and global warming

The smallest change in travel habits by a large number of people can have a major impact on the negative effects of transport and so help meet the aims of a sustainable environment.

Understanding How We Travel To Work

In 1997, we commissioned a Travel Survey among all our staff working at our offices throughout the country.

The response to the Survey was a very encouraging 87%. We reviewed the staff responses to provide us with a valuable source of information to develop ideas for our "Green Travel Plan".

The major points which emerged were:

• nearly half of all staff take the car to work; most travel alone
• over a third of staff use public transport, most commonly when commuting to city centre offices
• a small number of staff cycle or walk to work
• car sharing and switching to public transport were considered as possible alternatives to driving to work but there were obstacles preventing this.

Following the survey we held a number of green travel workshops at our offices to ask staff for their views on: travel to work, travel on business, and travel avoidance. The workshops were well attended. Some of the comments were:

• "Car sharers should have priority parking spaces"
• "We should plan meetings more carefully to avoid unnecessary business travel"
• "The office is easily 'walkable' for lots of us"
• "My car is essential. I have to drop my children at nursery and at school on my way in"
• "Congestion and driving standards in the city make me very reluctant to cycle"
• "Public transport facilities for the disabled seem very limited."
• "Improving cycle storage, changing and washing facilities has made a real difference"

Our Plan, Targets and Monitoring

Our Plan

Based on the staff survey and workshop findings we have identified four key aims for our "Green Travel Plan". These are to:

• reduce the overall amount of car travel, particularly sole use
• increase the use of alternative modes of transport
• reduce business travel
• explore opportunities for reducing the need to travel

We will work with others to deliver this Plan. This Plan will last three years.

Targets

The Government has set a voluntary target in relation to reducing single person car use. We have set our own additional targets, based on findings of our survey and workshops, which will help us to measure the success of our "Green Travel Plan". Over the next three years we will aim to:

• reduce the number of car journeys to work by 10%
• reduce the number of people travelling to work alone by car by 10%
• reduce the recorded business mileage by car by 10%
• increase walking and cycling journeys by 15%

Each Agency office will develop its own "Green Travel Plan" which will set out its contribution to these overall Agency targets. These will be designed to reflect the particular local circumstances. Some central initiatives will also contribute to these targets.

Monitoring

We will monitor progress against these targets. Bi-annually we will receive progress reports from local co-ordinators and annually we will conduct staff surveys in each office. We will include the results in our Annual Report.

Travel To Work

How we will deliver this Plan

In order to meet out targets, there is a number of possible actions. These can be used to a greater or lesser extent according to local conditions, and will be selected to suit in each local plan.

Travelling by car

Car sharing:
We recognise that travelling by car may sometimes be the only realistic option, especially where there is no public transport alternative. Organising car sharing is one way to reduce the number of cars on the road. There are some advantages to car sharing including the ability to save money and a chance to socialise. In the Staff Travel Survey 62% of staff confirmed they would be prepared to car share. To encourage this:

We will aim within one year to:

• Provide and maintain a database of car sharers
• Provide guaranteed parking spaces for car sharers
• Investigate an emergency 'get you home' service
• Provide practical advice on car sharing

Click to enlarge image

Public transport

Public transport has the capacity to move large numbers of people to and from work. In the Staff Travel Survey well over 50% of staff said they would consider switching to public transport when and where the reliability, regularity and comfort of services could be ensured. To encourage this:

We will aim within one year to:

• Publicise existing local transport services and travel information for staff
• Provide internet access to public transport information at selected information points
• Start to work with public transport operators to:
  
  • Improve services
  • Review routeing and timetabling
  • Negotiate subsidised fares where possible

Cycling

Cycling is efficient, healthy and very environmentally friendly. Travel costs are low and traffic jams can be avoided, resulting in journey times that are often faster and certainly more predictable. The number of staff already cycling to work is encouraging and many participants in the Staff Travel Survey were responsive to the idea of switching to cycling as their regular means of commuting. To encourage cycling:

We will aim within one year to:

• Improve secure cycle parking facilities where required
• Improve lockers, showers and changing rooms where required
• Provide cycle route maps
• Promote interest free loans to buy cycles
• Start up bicycle user groups ("BUGS")
• Promote "bike to work" days
• Provide basic cycle maintenance support

Walking

Nationally one in ten commuter journeys are made on foot. Our travel survey showed that 3% of our staff walked the major part of their journey, although over 10% of staff lived within four miles of their place of work. To encourage walking:

We will aim within one year to:

• Publicise the health benefits of walking
• Produce maps showing recommended walking routes from rail and bus stations to offices, with distance and time

Car parks

We will liaise with Building Facilities Management to ensure that car parks are managed to meet green travel objectives.

We will over the three years:

• Not increase current car park capacities
• Develop priority parking schemes
• Ensure that car park issues are included as part of the Agency's estate strategy

Office relocation

Green travel planning needs to inform any decisions taken on new office locations. Building property managers will consider green travel issues in any plans for office location.

Business Travel

We regularly need to travel to meetings as part of our work. Such journeys are often made by car. Where car use is essential for business journeys, we want to encourage more car sharing, the use of alternative methods of transport, and better planning of meetings which could minimise the need to travel.

We plan to introduce more effective monitoring of staff business travel costs, the travel methods and possible alternatives. We wish to encourage awareness of the impact of travel as well as the issues of cost, time and convenience for the organisation.

We will within one year:

• Advise visitors about public transport access to buildings

We will within two years:

• Develop an effective means of analysing and monitoring business travel, including business mileage
• Advise on changes to travel & subsistence policy to encourage green travel
• Promote the greater use of public transport for business trips
• Promote business trip car sharing
• Encourage use of greener/smaller cars
• Advise on alternative methods of transport
• Issue guidance on business travel
• Actively promote video and audio conferencing as an alternative to travel and investigate other information technology solutions
  

Reducing The Need To Travel

Development of information technology has led to radical changes in working practices, which in turn can significantly reduce the number of journeys to work. We plan to investigate the ways we can change our working practices to minimise our need to travel.

We will within three years:

• Investigate greater variation of attendance patterns including changes to flexi-time systems, "9 day fortnight" etc.
• Investigate extending the current homeworking policy, subject to business needs
• Investigate establishing telecentres

We will use the results of these investigations to initiate trials and issue central guidance at a later date.

The Way Forward

We are determined to make this "Green Travel Plan" work. The involvement and commitment of our staff is therefore essential. Every individual contribution is valuable.

In order to make this Plan work, there will be a central team who have overall responsibility for planning and implementing the green travel initiative: they will also act as a central contact point on all green travel issues. Contact information is provided at the back of this document.

At a local level, there will be green travel co-ordinators, working with Property and Facilities Management, who will have overall responsibility for each building. They will work with staff to draw up and implement local plans focussing on local issues and provide regular updates.

We will be using all channels of communication - including "Network", and "Update", - to keep staff informed of progress on the "Green Travel Plan".

We will be also be preparing detailed advice on each green travel issue. These supplements will be provided for inclusion in the folder section of this document.

Above all we want our staff to "own" our "Green Travel Plan". Its success will be everyone's success.