TravelSmart Workplace ideas

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1 Department of Transport Department of Health TravelSmart Workplace ideas Workplace actions for active and sustainable travel Employers can take practical action to make it easier for workers and visitors to choose active, sustainable ways to get to and from their workplaces. By reducing car use employers can promote staff health, wellbeing and productivity, reduce local congestion and emissions and manage fleet and parking costs. This sheet lists actions that workplaces can implement. A workplace travel plan is a good framework for taking action. A workplace travel plan is about changing how your organisation manages travel including commuting and business trips by workers and client/visitor trips. A travel plan is a package of actions tailored to do this at a workplace to realise business and community benefits. For information and support to develop a travel plan for your workplace contact the TravelSmart Workplace program. Employers influence how their workers and clients travel to their workplaces. Levers for change to make your workplace TravelSmart include: Information Inform people of travel options and promote good examples Workplace engagement and incentives Involve people in using travel alternatives, build positive attitudes Policies and practices Align ways of working and incentives with transport goals Facilities and fleet Plan, provide and manage in keeping with transport goals. TravelSmart Workplace is a component of the WA Healthy Workers Initiative which is jointly funded by the Western Australian and Australian Governments.

2 What has worked elsewhere? Gather inspiration from literature and local experience. If you have done a workplace access audit, travel survey or looked at workforce data about where staff live, what does this tell you about barriers and opportunities for change? Consider things like the current level of car use, the proportion of staff within walking or cycling distance of work, the proportion of people living close to frequent and direct public transport services to the workplace and how many staff have a company car What makes change happen? Approaches for influencing behaviour include the use of role models, helping people try out a practice/activity to give a positive experience, using commitments or goal setting to encourage individual action. See the Designing a travel behaviour change project fact sheet for more. Introduce a mix of measures and establish incentives before trying any disincentives. Approaches that have been effective in reducing car commuting include reduced or more expensive car parking, tangible incentives to use alternatives, opportunities to try out alternatives and practical information. What do your stakeholders think, e.g. your employees? You can seek their input through focus groups, workshops and surveys. This helps in identifying actions to influence their travel choices and address the real or perceived barriers they face. You want to create a plan for long term change, however it is important to put some measures in place that will have an immediate effect and produce quick wins, generate buzz and positive stories in your workplace. You will not get the best results by picking out the measures that are most popular. Instead, aim to address the barriers raised in the travel survey and audit activities and decide what is needed most, what is feasible and how your combination of actions may interact to produce behaviour change. 2

3 Strategies The actions in the TravelSmart Workplace menu can be grouped under strategies for change; the rationale for each strategy is summarised below: Increase walking Walking is a great low cost, healthy way to travel short distances to work but also for business trips during the day. Promoting walking challenges in the workplace, setting up a walking group or organising lunchtime walks are all great ways to build a workplace culture that supports walking. Increase cycling Cycling can be a healthy, accessible option for many people to get to work or make business trips. A 10km can be cycled in about 30 minutes, 5km in 15 minutes. Providing good bicycle parking, shower and change facilities and even pool bicycles can make cycling possible for employees. Workplace promotions and cycle training can encourage staff to try cycling or keep it up. Increase public transport use Public transport offers an opportunity to read, relax, lose parking hassles and save on travel costs. Providing information on what public transport is available, offering an incentive to employees to take public transport and providing SmartRider cards so staff can use public transport for business trips are all positive ways to encourage a switch. Increase carpooling Carpooling can offer a flexible alternative to driving alone for commute or business trips. Carpooling offers opportunity for shared expenses and a social journey to work each day. Holding postcode morning teas for employees to connect, incentives for carpoolers or even priority or discounted parking on site are all actions that can make carpooling a viable option. Support teleworking Teleworking and virtual meetings can save employees time by avoiding the need to travel but also lead to increases in productivity. By implementing a policy that encourages working from home and flexible work practices and providing technology and training to enable video or web conferencing are good ways to make teleworking a part of everyday business practice. Manage car and parking provision Free parking and vehicles provided to employees as part of a salary package are key barriers to encouraging the use of alternatives. Reviewing and changing parking provision and considering fleet arrangements are an important part of a package of actions to bring about change in travel. Engage employees in using active, sustainable travel Many solo car commute trips are made for subjective reasons, including lack of information, misperceptions and habit. Many car trips could readily be switched to public transport, walking, cycling, carpooling or telecommunications. Providing information on travel alternatives and building social acceptance of them is important. Workplace policy should support these options too. 3

4 TravelSmart Workplace actions The following menu of TravelSmart Workplace actions will help in identifying possible actions for your workplace travel plan. The actions are classified as low, medium and high resource actions, according to the level of financial and employee resources required implementing them. These actions can apply to a range of size and types of workplace. The table below also denotes whether the actions fall into one or more of the levers for workplace change categories. These are information, workplace engagement and incentives; changes to policy and practices, or changes to facilities to encourage active travel. Based on experience, you need to have a combination of these in order to achieve behaviour change. LOW RESOURCE ACTIONS Strategy Action Provide maps and information about local cycle networks and cycling safety Participate in local and national cycling events - National Ride to Work day, Bikeweek events Promote Lock n Ride Bike Shelters at trains stations in the Perth metropolitan area as well as existing facilities at your site Negotiate a servicing discount for staff at local bike shop or sports gear store Arrange tours of cycling facilities for new/interested employees Provide public transport service information, e.g. timetables on staff noticeboard (remember to update them regularly), include link to Transperth journey planner on intranet, encourage staff to sign up to TravelEasy Provide Office SmartRider cards for employees to use for business tripsset up a simple booking sheet so staff can sign them out Organise a lunchtime talk on public transport through the Public Transport Authority (PTA) Education team promote what is available and service changes Encourage walking through corporate health promotions e.g. Walk Over October corporate challenge Run a workplace challenge to encourage active travel e.g. staff walking challenge using pedometers so people can keep count of steps walked, graphs or charts of staff progress for healthy competition Set up walking groups at the workplace lunchtime walks or walking to or from work or train station Produce a map showing walking routes and show distance Organise a car pool postcode morning tea to match up potential car share partners Provide recognition for those that use active and sustainable travel at an event or in a newsletter Set up a ride-matching system on a board in the staff room so staff interested in carpooling can link up 4

5 Strategy Action Run a prize draw or offer incentives for carpoolers Encourage carpooling for business trips smart fleet car booking system so employees going to same destination can share ride Enable employees access to Skype to use for face to face virtual meetings Introduce rules around minimum journey length and/or load for the use of fleet cars Promote TravelSmart through newsletter or intranet articles promote events, feature employees who use sustainable and active modes, news on changes in the workplace and benefits of active travel Establish an intranet page with information on travel options for your workplace and links to Transperth journey planner and local TravelSmart Guide, location of bike facilities, walking distances to local amenities etc. Start a TravelSmart suggestion box in the workplace where employees can offer ideas on an ongoing basis as the travel plan is implementedoffer prizes for submissions Hold occasional activities e.g. walk and talk on walking and health, talk on public transport services to the workplace with timetables Prepare a workplace access guide or make local TravelSmart Guides available (intranet, noticeboard) Seek improvements to walk and cycle routes to the workplace e.g. lighting, quality of path, signage. This can be a letter to or meeting with a Local Council Technical Services officer MEDIUM RESOURCE ACTIONS Strategy Action Link up staff who want to cycle with experienced cycle commuters bike buddies scheme to build confidence of novices Provide a bicycle kitchen/repair station for staff with access to air pumps and repair materials Provide pool bicycles for staff use for short business trips or lunchtime rides, so that staff can try cycle commuting Run cycle training and maintenance sessions for staff to build knowledge and confidence to cycle commute Provide items like an iron, ironing board, hairdryer, hair straighteners, clothes line, hangers etc. to make it easier for active travellers to get ready for work Form or join a Bicycle User Group a group of employees who cycle, can promote the cycling ethic and provide advice on training, events and facilities to other staff Produce a stop-specific timetable for the workplace alternative way to present and promote public transport services Seek service improvements if limited services are a barrier, talk to the Public Transport Authority or your Local Government about what could be done Organise a discount or allowance for those staff that opt to take public transport 5

6 MEDIUM RESOURCE ACTIONS cont. Strategy Action Organise free auto loaded SmartRider cards for staff to try out journeys using public transport (including those that park and ride) Provide umbrellas and wet weather gear for staff that walk to work or in reception for loan for business trips Allow staff to have flexible lunch times and start and finish times to accommodate them using active travel to get to/from work Introduce a time reward policy for active travellers (if you travel more than 15 minutes to work via active travel you get 15 minutes to shower and change when you get to work) Offer free or discount parking for staff who car pool regularly this is an incentive to car pool to work and is even better if the parking is located close to the main building Offer a guaranteed ride home for car poolers reassurance that they won't be left stranded, set guidelines for use Provide a car pool guide to staff with hints on how to successfully car pool with colleagues, as well as some basic guidelines to follow. Guidelines could be what the organisation put in place, hints and tips could be around what other employees suggest works well outside of what is set in the guidelines. Reallocate parking on the basis of need priority to people with limited physical mobility, pool cars, clients, car poolers Ensure vehicles are fuel efficient check out gov.au to help you choose cars that have a reduced impact on the environment. Keep fleet cars tuned and serviced to obtain maximum fuel economy and reduce emissions. Promote travel options to new employees mention TravelSmart options in letter to new starters, information sheet in induction pack, presentation at induction seminar, phone or visit new starters Hold a sustainable and active travel commuter breakfast free breakfast for employees using green modes (reward for regular users, incentive for others to try) Offer personalised travel advice to interested staff provide journey planner output or relevant TravelSmart Guides Mention bus or train services for your workplace on the back of business cards or at bottom of your s so visitors can access the site using alternative modes. Encourage business on the Internet to avoid unnecessary travel provide access to information and services online and promote to clients Supply headsets and webcams for those employees who require them for teleconferencing 6

7 HIGH RESOURCE ACTIONS Strategy Action Improve bicycle parking, showers and change facilities at the workplace improve quantity and quality of facilities at the workplace in line with guidelines and ensure it is secure Run a 'Earn a bike' program interested staff commit to cycling to work a few days a week for six months, bicycle given as incentive, monitor participation and boost employee health Introduce an interest free loan for bicycle purchase (explore the FBT implications for this) Introduce a bicycle kilometre allowance for staff to be reimbursed for cycling for organisational business trips (explore the FBT implications for this) Organise an allowance for those people taking public transport, cycling or walking to work (explore the FBT implications for this) - see Incentives Fact Sheet Set up a shuttle bus to link major workplaces with train or bus interchanges Set up a ride-matching system on the intranet or on a board in the staff room so staff interested in carpooling can link up Raffle prizes of vehicle servicing for carpoolers every quarter Signage for dedicated bays for carpoolers Reduce the overall number of car parking spaces Offer cashing out of parking entitlements give employees a choice Review salary package options to include travel alternatives (check FBT implications of implementing this) Charge a fee for parking and use the revenue to fund travel plan initiatives Review the size, make-up and use of the vehicle fleet preference for smaller, alternative fuel cars and cross-section booking systems Facilitate teleworking by employees develop a policy setting out how teleworking can happen, promote to managers and employees, ensure IT system will enable teleworking Provide facilities and training for use of teleconferencing Address transport issues when planning an office relocation or refurbishment. See other TravelSmart fact sheets or contact the TravelSmart Workplace program for more information on these actions. References NZ Transport Agency, 2011, Possible actions for your workplace travel plan. Taylor, I The Essential Guide to Travel Planning Department for Transport, London Wake, D. et al. 2005, Way to Work: An Australian guide to green transport plans. Unpublished. 7

8 TravelSmart Workplace is helping WA workplaces reduce car use and promote active, sustainable travel choices. The program is run by the Department of Transport. To find out how your workplace can be part of the transport solution, contact TravelSmart Workplace: CONTACT Department of Transport 140 William Street Perth WA 6000 Telephone: (08) Website: Published by the Department of Transport, February 2014 The information contained in this publication is provided in good faith and believed to be accurate at time of publication. The State shall in no way be liable for any loss sustained or incurred by anyone relying on the information. 8