Overall Requirements

The overall requirement of a Green Travel Plan (GTP) is adoption of a package of measures that will lead to agreed targets, performance measures and a monitoring regime in respect of promoting more sustainable modes of travel to and from the development. The targets should be aimed at reducing the number of trips made to the site by car in favour of other modes and, where applicable, improving the transport efficiency of the organisation's delivery fleet.

Suitable targets therefore might include aims to increase walking, cycling and passenger transport use to the site; a reduction in the number of single occupancy car journeys undertaken by employees for their journeys to work and on works business, etc. The measures adopted need to be considered carefully, with the nature of land use and location being major influences. It is expected that the measures will include 'sticks' as well as 'carrots', requiring a balance that can be realistically implemented and carried through at the particular location with the co-operation of the employer and employees.

The targets adopted must be achievable and clear linkages must be made between the proposed measures and targets. Procedures must be internally consistent and an audit trail will be required. This should provide evidence, through monitoring, that progress is being made towards the targets, or that they are consistently being achieved. Monitoring will also allow the GTP to be reviewed if some elements are not successful and some flexibility must be allowed for.

The Green Travel Plan

Each situation will lead to a different solution. However this section details the elements necessary to build a Green Travel Plan. It is expected that each should be considered for appropriateness in light of the particular development.

The GTP will need to take account of all trips generated by the organisation including:

• employee's travel between home and work
• employee's business travel during the working day
• client and customer visits to the site
• deliveries made to/from the site.

The cornerstone of the GTP is to provide more sustainable transport choices which lead to a reduction in the need to travel, especially by private car. The following sections outline how these choices can be enhanced through physical and other measures.

Walking as the main method of travel is probably best for journeys of less than one mile. Walking can be combined with, for example, passenger transport to cover longer distance journeys. There are obvious health benefits for staff, and savings on car running costs, as well as benefits for business in terms of a reduced need for more car parking spaces.

The GTP should include measures that ensure links to/from and within the site are pedestrian friendly by:

• Providing direct and convenient entrances for walkers. Wherever possible, these should reduce the walking distances to passenger transport facilities outside the site and within surrounding residential/ business/shopping areas.
• Providing walking facilities that:
  • are well lit,
  • take account of safety concerns, e.g. dropped kerbs
  • take account of the needs of the mobility impaired.
• Ensuring facilities are highly visible, assisting in the promotion of walking to/from and within the site.
• Ensuring that walking routes are attractive and, where feasible, passing points of interest.
• Providing locker facilities for walkers.
• Ensuring ongoing maintenance of the facilities provided.
• Ensuring routes that avoid the need for pedestrians to have to cross large areas of car parking, wide junctions or areas liable to being obstructed.

• Encouraging discussion of the health benefits (less stress/improved fitness)
• Encouraging staff to walk when travelling less than 1 mile to/at work
• Organising promotion events, such as "Walk to Work Week"

The benefits for cycling are similar to those for walking, with health and cost reduction being the major consideration for users. Again encouraging this mode will lead to the requirement for fewer car parking spaces.

The GTP should include measures that ensure links to/from and within the site are cyclist friendly by:

• Providing direct and convenient access to the site for cyclists (these need to be linked to facilities outside the site such as cycle routes)
• Providing cycling facilities that take account of safety concerns including lighting, cycle lanes, facilities at junctions, off road routes etc.
• Providing adequate cycle racks/cages - conveniently located in prominent visible location(s) to lessen the chance of cycle theft.
• Providing adequate showering and changing facilities for cyclists
• Providing lockers and drying facilities for clothing
• Ensuring ongoing maintenance of cycling facilities provided.
• Designing cycle facilities and access points at the most convenient location for cyclists

• Encouraging discussion of the health benefits (less stress, improved fitness etc.)
• Encouraging staff travelling shorter distances for business purposes to use a bicycle (including generous mileage allowances for bicycles - see Appendix E)
• Providing pool or company bikes for use by staff
• Providing cycle loans
• Organising a 'Bike to Work' day
• Encouraging a bicycle user group within the organisation.

Passenger Transport should be regarded as a practical and positive alternative mode to the private car. In Hertfordshire buses have a better than 80% rate of being on time and 95-99% of trains are on time. New buses coming on the roads are cleaner, brighter and more comfortable. There are new features such as low floor buses to help those with impaired mobility.

The GTP should include measures that ensure links to/from and within the site are passenger transport friendly by:

• Providing entrances near to passenger transport interchanges.
• Giving priority to bus access over the private car where practical within the internal site layout. The use of dedicated bus lanes that cater for quick access to and from the local highway network should be considered.
• Providing dedicated buses to link the site to passenger transport interchanges.
• Providing clean, well lit, bus shelters with convenient information boards.
• Pursuing measures that fully exploit the potential to travel to the site by rail particularly where the site is close to a rail facility.
• Providing passenger transport facilities that take account of the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act.

• Providing interest free season ticket loans and subsidising travel by passenger transport to encourage use by staff.
• Providing a discounted fare scheme to encourage use by clients and customers.
• Providing site specific information regarding passenger transport services in conventional or electronic form (or both). The Travel Plan Co-ordinator will also have a responsibility for promoting passenger transport services

Homeworking includes changes in demography, travel to work patterns and information technology to promote staff working from home and from satellite offices near to their home. Homeworking often leads to work and family life being more compatible - staff appear to be less stressed and more productive.

There are clear savings in travel costs and provision of car parking spaces for business.

The GTP should include measures to encourage telecommuting/homeworking by:

• Providing appropriate technology - computing/e-mail/fax/copiers/etc.
• Canvassing staff for ideas
• Identifying suitable jobs and categorising working patterns including
  • based at home
  • home some of the time
  • fully mobile
  • using satellite office facilities
  • using office nearer to home
  • using electronic communication

The amount of car parking space provided will be determined by Local Planning Authorities when planning permission is granted for development, in accordance with the car parking standards developed from the Supplementary Planning Guidance to the County Structure Plan. However, the GTP should include measures to manage the car parking spaces by:

• Providing systems, such as barriers, or parking tickets machines to help maintain that provision.
• Conducting an annual monitoring survey of all car traffic in and out of the site.

Car sharing involves two or more people travelling together instead of using separate cars. They may pool their cars and alternate between them or regularly use a single vehicle and contribute to the running costs.

The GTP should include measures to encourage car sharing by:

• Assigning better positioned car park spaces to car sharers
• Making pool cars available for car sharers to use if necessary during the day
• Considering a guaranteed ride home - taxi service provided by the employer if the car sharer has to leave unexpectedly
• Holding a car sharing week/breakfast club to start the scheme
• Purchasing appropriate "car sharing" software or car share directory for use by employees on the site.

The benefits of flexible working hours include greater office coverage, longer hours of office opening, easier journeys to work by reducing the pressure on main approaches to the site in the morning and evening peaks.

Most staff are keen to get involved in flexible working hours. Consideration needs to be given to:

• method of recording time
• length of opening of site
• rules needed for breaks during the day.

GTPs should include a package of measures to promote alternative forms of transport and will need to demonstrate the integration of overall transport provision, and should discuss how this fits into the short, medium and long term strategy for the site. GTPs must therefore discuss timescales for implementation of each of the measures to fit in with the strategy.

GTPs can substantially reduce car travel. The alternatives must be attractive and available, although some deterrence to car use may be needed. The GTP must therefore have the active support of senior management. Indeed, the success of a GTP depends on the employer appointing a Green Travel Plan Co-ordinator. Such a role should be fulfilled by a senior person with full support from senior management. The Green Travel Plan Co-ordinator will be responsible for raising awareness in the organisation and promoting the alternatives to the car. Success of the GTP will also be dependent upon the parking strategy for the premises, for which the Green Travel Plan Co-ordinator will also be responsible.

The Green Travel Plan for St Albans City & District has been produced jointly by Sustainability Team and Enterprise & Development. For further information and copies of the plan please contact Gina Kellet on ext.2359 or Trevor Brennan ext.2466.