A Guide to Developing a
Travel Plan
Regeneration & Environment Department
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council
Tel: 01254 585 776
Fax: 01254 585 599
Travel Plans – An Introduction
Congestion has increased significantly over the past twenty years and with it has
come an increase in pollution and growing concerns about the contribution that
transport makes to climate change. Businesses and organisations are now being
encouraged to consider their own impact on climate change and a Travel Plan can
be a very positive way for a company to improve its environmental performance. This
document is intended to give an overview of Business Travel Plans, how you can
develop a Plan to meet your needs, and the benefits that a Travel Plan could bring to
your organisation.
Travel Plans are aimed at promoting more sustainable travel to work, they are not
anti-car but highlight all the various travel options that are available and offer staff
and visitors a real choice in how they travel.
A Business Travel Plan seeks to:
• Achieve a shift away from single-occupancy car use towards more sustainable
forms of transport
•
Reduce the environmental impact of travel
•
Encourage healthy active travel
•
Reduce the need to travel at all
An effective Business Travel Plan can:
• Reduce the cost of providing and maintaining car parking spaces, releasing land
for other uses
•
Reduce business mileage costs
•
Reduce fleet management costs
•
Resolve friction with neighbours – enable and encourage employees, visitors and
delivery drivers to park appropriately
•
Ease recruitment difficulties – ease of access, a clear commitment to staff and
cost savings to the employee can make you an employer of choice
•
Improve the health of staff and reduce stress
•
Help companies to achieve environmental management certification
A good Travel Plan can offer real cost savings for the business and employees,
reduce the costs of congestion, improve the quality of employees’ journeys to work
and reduce the area of the site given over to car parking. The annual cost of
maintaining a parking space can be £300 - £500, the cost of running a Travel Plan is
typically £47 for each full time employee.
Changes in planning guidance mean that local planning authorities will often require
planning applications to be accompanied by a Business Travel Plan where a
proposed development is above a certain threshold.
Whatever the reason for preparing one, it is better to think of a Travel Plan in terms
of an ongoing process rather than a document that sits on the shelf. Travel Plans
work best when they are integrated with other management systems, well thought
out, sufficiently resourced and promoted on an ongoing basis.
Components of a Travel Plan:
In order for an effective and successful strategy to be implemented key Travel Plan
components are required and these include:
Background:
Prior to any attempt to influence travel choices information should be collated
concerning the travel behaviour of employees, what barriers to modal change exist
and what other modes of transport are people willing to consider. Travel surveys and
site assessments enable you to set the scene and identify the context into which the
Travel Plan must fit. (See example Travel Survey in Appendix A)
Objectives:
At this stage we need to ask ourselves ‘what are we trying to achieve from our Travel
Plan?’
Once you have identified your existing conditions and identified your requirements,
realistic, attainable, unambiguous measures and objectives can be developed.
Measures:
Suitable measures need to be highlighted in order to help attain the set objectives.
This process will be very organic and continue to evolve. The selection of measures
may be dependent upon budgets and subsequently the influence of diminishing
return will apply. It is therefore recommended that long and short term policies and
initiatives be developed.
It is considered a good idea to put some easy, highly visible measures in place to
launch the Travel Plan. (See example Action Plan in Appendix B)
Awareness Raising & Marketing:
In order to achieve any level of success employees must be made aware of what is
happening and become actively involved. By allowing staff/visitors at a site to take
‘ownership’ of the plan it is hoped that a great deal of interest will be generated.
A whole range of marketing techniques and awareness raising strategies can be
used and an outline approach must be detailed in the plan, but emphasis should be
placed upon its flexibility.
Monitoring & Target Review:
Monitoring is essential, as this will tell you if your Travel Plan is working, and if you
are going to reach your targets. It is important to monitor and review the Travel Plan
as a whole and each individual initiative. The level of success attained and the need
to adopt new tactics or target new sub groups can only be recognised if attitudes to
transport and the measures used are monitored from the Travel Plans inception.
There are lots more ideas for Travel Plan initiatives at:
www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/sustainable/travelplans/
APPENDIX A – Sample Staff Travel Survey
Appendix B - Example Action Plan
Travel Plan Measures
The following are some ideas for actions that can be included within your Business
Travel Plan. This list is not exhaustive but the following table is a good guide to how
the various measures can be implemented:
To promote and encourage public transport use
→ information on public transport routes available to all staff and visitors
→ negotiate reduced price tickets with local bus & rail service providers
→ provision of works buses
→ interest free loans for purchase of season tickets
To promote and encourage cycling
→ secure covered cycle parking
→ showers and changing facilities
→ mileage allowance for short business trips
→ participate in the national cycle2work scheme
To promote and encourage walking
→ improved walking access
→ promote the health benefits of walking
→ changing facilities and drying area
→ identify and publicise safe walking routes
Reducing the need to travel
→ flexible working practices
→ home working
→ video conferencing
Measures to reduce single occupancy car use
→ encourage car sharing (www.sharedwheels.co.uk)
→ car parking restraints
→ use of pool vehicles
Increase rail usage
by ?%
Increase bus
usage by ?%
Identify resource issues and
deliverability issues.
Investigate and develop an interest
free loan scheme for staff for public
transport season tickets
Investigate and develop personalised
travel packs for all new starters
Create prominent staff travel
information within areas of high
footfall.
Enable staff to purchase public
transport tickets season tickets
through an interest free loan.
Provide personalised travel
plans
Increase awareness of public
transport information
(S)
(M)
(M)
(M)
(S/M)
(S)
Timescale
(S,M,L,O)
Timescale:
S – achievable in 6 months
M – achievable in 6-12 months
L - achievable in 12 – 18 months
O - ongoing
Site assessment required to identify
suitable locations.
Investigate legal side of interest free
loans. Can repayments be deducted
from monthly salary in the same way
as car park charges?
Develop a scheme to sell tickets at
the workplace
To be considered in light of response
to potential ticketing discounts
Open negotiations with Transdev
Investigate/negotiate with public
transport operators to provide a range
of discounted tickets and/or special
offers, including season tickets
Enable staff to purchase public
transport tickets at work
Establish discounted public
transport tickets for employees
Promotion of Traveline and Transport
Direct website.
Create a link to bus and train time
information from the Intranet
Provide internet and telephone
access to public transport information
Increase usage of Internet and
telephone access to public
transport
1. To increase the
proportion of staff
travelling to work
by public transport
Aim target
Action
Measure
Aim
Objective
Example Action Plan:
Identify potential for enhancing
existing facilities
Identify costs for secure cycle parking
and identify suitable sites
Investigate and develop a system for
pool bikes
Investigate and develop discounts
with local bicycle retailers
Organisation of quarterly meetings
Identify existing cycling facilities
available in the workplace
Develop a programme for upgrading
facilities
Develop a programme for upgrading
facilities
Provide pool bikes
Provide discounts for cycling
hire, clothing/gear
Promote Bicycle User Group
Establish minimum cycling
standards for each building
Provide showering and
changing facilities for cyclists
Provide secure cycle parking
Aim Target
Increase cycle
usage by ?%
Identify best practice
Investigate potential of car loan
scheme to include bicycles
Provide personal loan scheme
to enable staff to purchase a
bicycle
2. To increase the
proportion of staff
cycling to work
(M)
(M)
(S)
(S)
(M)
(M)
(M)
Timescale
Timescale:
S – achievable in 6 months
M – achievable in 6-12 months
L - achievable in 12 – 18 months
O - ongoing
Full audit of buildings
Co-ordinate regular BUG meetings to
discuss barriers and initiatives
Negotiate with local suppliers and
retailers
Investigate the potential to promote
bicycles
Action
Measure
Aim
Objective
4 To achieve
healthier lifestyles
for staff
Increase walking by
?%
Aim Target
3 To increase the
proportion of staff
walking to work
Objective
Develop links between walking, public Assess pedestrian routes to each
transport and car usage
building
Identify staff that live within 5 miles of
the workplace
Incorporate walking into every
employees journey to work
To promote the health benefits
of walking & cycling to and for
work
(S)
(S)
(M)
Timescale:
S – achievable in 6 months
M – achievable in 6-12 months
L - achievable in 12 – 18 months
O - ongoing
Review survey work and employee
database to map employees who
travel less than 5 miles.
Provide and promote showering and
changing facilities
Provide storage space for wet
clothing
Audit existing storage arrangements
and changing facilities
(S)
Identify staff living close to one
another and promote walk to work
events/days
Use survey information to identify
clusters of employees living within 02 miles of the town centre
Develop employee walking
scheme
(M)
(O)
Offer retraining for bicycle users at
Identify and develop a strategy to
Witton park as part of the Cycle for All provide training to staff at lunch times
Initiative
in work time or after work.
Provide cycle training
(S)
Develop a cycle incentives strategy
Provide business allowance for
cyclists
Offer incentives to employees
willing to undertake business
travel by bicycle
(M)
Timescale
Organise the promotion of cycle
maps and leaflets (this may require
contribution towards printing costs).
Train and recruit cycle leaders to lead
cycle buses into work.
Action
Promote cycle maps and cycling
information developed by the Council.
Create cycle ‘buses’ for staff from
certain areas
Measure
Promote existing cycle routes
Aim
6 Reduce the
environmental
impact of journeys
that have to be
made by car
Increase car share
by ?%
Aim Target
5 To increase the
proportion of staff
who car share
Objective
Promote a car share database with a
direct link from the Intranet, establish
informal meetings for potential car
sharers
Review car parking arrangements to
promote better parking spaces for car
sharers and possible reductions in
parking charges – or slightly less
increases in costs
Investigate and develop a policy for
guarantying a return home journey in
the event of an emergency
Reduction in expenditure on private
car expenses
Review loan scheme to reflect
‘greener’ vehicles.
Develop a car share database
Provide transport support to car
sharers
Review car expenses
Review car loan scheme
Provide incentives for car
sharers
Organise more lunch time walks,
cycle rides and seasonal activities
Measure
Co-ordinate & promote more
healthy activities
Aim
(S/M)
Timescale:
S – achievable in 6 months
M – achievable in 6-12 months
L - achievable in 12 – 18 months
O - ongoing
Investigate and develop a database
of fuel efficient vehicles
(S/M)
(M)
Identify financial and legal
implications
Identify and develop a new expenses
formula
(M)
(M)
Establish a private page on the local
car share website
www.sharedwheels.co.uk
Identify and promote car share
spaces
(M)
Timescale
Link travel plan with other initiatives
such as a healthy lifestyle campaign
Action
(M)
(M/L)
(S/M)
Audit of employees currently unable
to work from home
Investigate HR and Departmental
implications
Facilities manager and car park
services to review parking
requirements
Promote the work life balance
strategy
As with the above measure this is
concerned with promoting work life
balance by investigating the potential
for non core hours and a 9 day
fortnight.
Investigate policy on issuing car
parking permits
Audit travel patterns/ business
mileage claims by section/department
Increase the numbers of
employees able to work from
home
Reduce the number of days
travelling to the office
Review car parking strategy
Analyse present travel patterns
8 To develop a
managed car
parking system
9 To reduce
business travel
costs and business
mileage
7 Reduce the
number of car
journeys to and
from work
(M)
Timescale:
S – achievable in 6 months
M – achievable in 6-12 months
L - achievable in 12 – 18 months
O - ongoing
Produce league tables on mileage
claims by section
(M)
Link with local businesses to improve
air quality
Develop an alternative fuel
partnership with other
organisations/businesses in the
Borough
Promote alternative fuels
(S/M)
Investigate and develop schemes to
limit unnecessary mileage claims
Reduction in Regular Business Users
& non regular business users more
than 500 miles
Timescale
Review car user classifications
Action
Measure
Aim
Objective
11 To ensure
awareness of
Travel Planning
10 To maintain the
level of travel by
powered two
wheelers
Objective
Promotion of alternative travel
arrangements travel information
guides
Develop video conferencing facilities
Investigate and develop a test car for
use by staff
Analyse secure motorcycle parking
Identify motorcycling champion and
promote benefits to safely riding a
motorbike
Establish policy on travel to certain
buildings/meeting destinations
Audit provision of tele-working
facilities within the business.
Establish pool cars for staff
Audit existing motorcycling barriers
Organise twice yearly meetings for
Motorcyclist group
Awareness measured through future
travel to work surveys
Restrict car travel mileage
claims to certain destinations
Provide tele-working and video
conferencing technology
Provide low emission Pool
vehicles for business use
Develop minimum standards for
motorcycle parking
Establish a Motorcycle User
Group
All employees to be aware of
the Travel Plan
(S)
(O)
(M)
(O)
(M)
(L)
(S)
(M)
(S)
Timescale
Timescale:
S – achievable in 6 months
M – achievable in 6-12 months
L - achievable in 12 – 18 months
O - ongoing
Promotion of travel plan to every
department/section. Internet access
to information concerning the TP.
Highlight cost savings to organisation
of trips to Manchester by train rather
than car
Provide details of public transport
information to employees travelling to
Preston, Manchester etc.
Promote alternative travel
options to regular destinations
Action
Measure
Aim