“TravelWise- workplaces, a government-led programme that supports workplace travel plans, is already helping to keep cars off Auckland ’s roads and motorways at peak times – and shows strong potential for further growth.

TravelWise is on track to achieve its 2016 target of removing 3,500 car trips from Auckland ’s morning peak – which equates to more than a million trips annually and a saving of about $50 million in annual congestion costs to the region.

The program is attracting interest from other countries, and is also operating in various forms with councils including Greater Wellington Regional.

Behind the development of the TravelWise- workplaces process is Opus International Consultants’ Louise Baker, a senior transportation consultant with the company. Since joining Opus in 2005, Louise has developed a specialty in travel demand management, which dovetails neatly with work she was engaged in before she came to this country.  

Three years ago, Louise was working for the Royal Bank of Scotland Group as transportation manager where she was responsible for the project managing the implementation  of a travel plan at the company’s new world headquarters (this travel plan picked up an Association for Commuter Transport award in 2006). Louise was also behind the leading-practice travel plans developed by Orange , UK .


Smart ways to manage travel
Louise has designed a process for standardising the design and delivery of travel plans within an organisation, with its highest profile application being the TravelWise- workplaces process for the Auckland Regional Transportation Authority (ARTA).

She is also working with other councils and organisations in the Auckland region, applying the TravelWise workplaces process, and with Victoria University in Wellington . She also led the development of a travel plan for Waitakere City Council’s new Civic Centre. Her emphasis is on developing ‘smart’ or ‘soft’ measures to manage travel demand, and she relies on her expertise with behaviour change and social marketing to achieve travel management objectives.

“So many car commuters are willing to change the way they travel…they’re just stuck in the habit of driving everyday,” she says.
“Travel plans can inspire those of them who have access to alternatives, to make a change. And that change doesn’t need to be huge, even switching from the car to a bike, bus or carpool for just one day a week is going to help to reduce the traffic.”

ARTA has adopted the TravelWise- workplaces process enthusiastically, and with good cause, given some of the information and statistics it offers on the programme’s website – www.TravelWise.co.nz.

ARTA says 86 per cent of trips to work are made by car, with 6 per cent of those trips as car passengers and the rest as drivers. Some 22,000 households in Auckland have more cars than they have people.

“Cars have a place in travel plans, we’re not anti-car, we’re just pro-transport choice,” says Louise.
“Carpooling can be a really viable alternative to driving alone. Organisations can encourage carpooling by providing access to carpool software or offering a matching service, providing priority carpool parks and offering an emergency ride home. Taking these steps can help organisations to reduce demand for parking and provide opportunities for commuters to reduce their travel costs.”

Is is easier to walk?
ARTA’s TravelWise website says almost everyone is involved in some kind of travel every day – whether it’s travelling to work, school, the shops, sport or the movies. However, it asks the question: “When did you last think about how you travelled? And this question goes to the heart of workplace travel plans.
The council says people should be asking a series of questions. Is it easier to walk? Can I share a ride with someone? Where's my nearest train station? Can I ride a bike to work? Which buses go past my house?

For businesses, there are additional factors to be concerned with. ARTA says transport is critical to every organisation - whether it’s related to staff commuting to work, clients and visitors accessing business premises, or work-related travel for both business and freight.
TravelWise aims to address transport problems through increasing the number of travel options available and reducing car trips to the workplace.

With fewer vehicles trying to access a workplace, organisations can save on car parking, improve staff productivity, deliver benefits to the staff, provide community and environmental benefits, and improve the company’s image.
Ways to achieve this include:

• reducing the number of staff driving alone to work
• increasing the use of ride-sharing, public transport, cycling and walking for commuting
• ensuring the numbers of staff driving to work doesn’t exceed available parking.
  

Project manager needed
Once a decision has been made to implement a travel plan, Louise says selecting a suitable project manager is the most important decision to be made. The project manager’s role includes securing and maintaining senior management support, defining the scope of the travel plan, planning the project, and managing its implementation. The project manager will also be responsible for communications with stakeholders and will act as a contact point for management and staff.

“A travel plan project manager in a council would typically spend about 20 hours a week on developing and implementing a travel plan,” she says.
In smaller organisations, the project management function may rest with a person from a division within the organisation such as the human resources sector or facilities management.

“In this situation it is important that sufficient time is allocated to the role, although larger organisations may decide to outsource the position to a consultant or contractor.”
The overall objective of a travel plan is to achieve behavioural change in travel habits of staff. This means staff need to fully understand the issues around commuting and general transport use, and also need to buy into the projected results for the company - improving productivity and reducing its impact on the environment and the community.

After deciding to develop a travel plan, a Set-up Phase gets a company started, with one of the most important first tasks being drawing up a Project Charter – which documents the rationale and support for the travel plan.

There are a number of steps to be taken before the plan can be implemented, including a stakeholder assessment; a research plan that outlines how to gather the information you need to develop your travel plan; a communications guide which documents how you will promote and involve stakeholders in your travel plan; and a workplace partnership agreement that states the benefits and responsibilities of joining the travel plan.

Louise Baker says communication is vital throughout the entire process, with the aim being to introduce and gain support for the concept of a travel plan to senior managers and staff. Suggested tools include one-on-one meetings, staff focus groups, posters, presentations and use of the company intranet.

Louise Baker says communication is vital throughout the entire process with the aim being to introduce and gain support for the concept of a travel plan to senior managers and staff. Suggested tools include one-on-one meetings, staff focus groups, posters, presentations, and use of the company intranet.

Website guidance on offer
For companies with no specific knowledge of devising travel plans, ARTA’s website has a series of templates and guidelines that will lead planning from set-up to completion. A vital quality control service being offered to companies by ARTA is a ‘quality check’ at each step of the process.

AT the first of these checkpoints, ARTA determines that senior management have committed to the project and that the process is ‘robust’ or achievable. The final checkpoint ensures that:

• the travel plan implementation project is complete
• lessons learned have been documented
• the evaluation and monitoring schedule is agreed
• senior management ownership is in place
• the travel plan has been handed over to staff, who assume responsibility for it once continuous improvement begins.

(For more information about TravelWise-workplaces, visit www.TravelWise.org.nz).