Travel Plans

What is a travel plan?
A Travel Plan is a framework of options to enable and encourage people to travel more sustainably and reduce the need to travel altogether.

Every Travel Plan is tailored to make it the best solution for the site, staff and circumstances. Typically they include a range of practical measures e.g. a car sharing scheme (!); improved cycle facilities; incentives for public transport use; Guaranteed Ride Home: flexible working; restrictions on/charges for car parking; video conferencing.

These all work together to:

• Achieve a shift away from single-occupancy car use towards more sustainable forms of transport
• Reduce the need to travel at all
• Reduce the environmental impact of travel

What are the benefits of travel plans?
Travel plans can result in a number of benefits to employers,
employees and the local community. They can:

Reduce

• Local congestion
• Parking problems
• The amount of land needed for car parking
• The cost of providing and maintaining car parking spaces
• Fleet management and business mileage costs
• Commuting costs for employees

• Staff health and wealth
• Recruitment
• “Green” credentials
• Relations with neighbours

A Travel Plan may be required with a Planning Application

How do I go about developing a travel plan?
There is a lot of help available!

For information about researching, developing and implementing a travel plan, try looking at the following external sites:

• For guidance on Travel Plans required via the Planning process visit the Norfolk County Council website www.norfolk.gov.uk/consumption/idcplg?IdcService=SS_G
  ET_PAGE&nodeId=3417 or contact alison.sayer@norfolk.gov.uk.
  
• For help with school travel plans in Norfolk visit www.schooltravelplan.net/norfolk/
  
• For a quick overview of problems and examples of solutions look up www.mobilitymanagement.be
  
• For case studies and an overview of the process try www.travelplans.org.uk
  
• For free transport consultancy through the Energy Saving Trust to help you develop your plan check out www.est.org.uk/fleet/travelplan/freeadvice/
  
• For a copy of the Department for Transport's ‘A Travel Plan Resource Pack for Employers' telephone 0845 602 1425 or visit www.transportenergy.org.uk/bestpractice. The DfT also produces a CD-ROM ‘Sustainable Transport Advice for SMEs,’ accessed the same way.
  
• The Department for Transport web-site has all the research papers and policy documents related to Travel Plans: www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_susttravel/documents/section
  homepage/dft_susttravel_page.hcsp
  
• The Association for Commuter Transport (ACT) offers employers a source of advice and information on travel plans: www.act-uk.com
  
• The National TravelWise Association has information on travel plans: www.ntwa.org.uk/travelplans.htm
  
• liftshare can help you in conducting a Travel Survey as a means of researching your travel plan.