Smarter Travel Workplaces

More than 100 large employers, comprising over 238,400 students and employees, are now engaged with the Smarter Travel Workplaces programme, which works with large employers to develop and implement workplace travel plans.

Results from before and after surveys in a sample of 14 Partner organisations in summer 2011 showed that:

• 10 of the 14 organisations (71%) achieved a reduction in car driver trips;
• The average reduction in car driver trips was 18%;
• 3 organisations achieved more than a 30% reduction in car driver trips; and
• Cycling increased in all but one organisation, with an average increase of 101%. Some organisations had a 3 or 4 fold increase in the percentage of cyclists.

Our annual walking event, the Pedometer Challenge, took place in September/ October 2011, with over 3,3100 people in 40 organisations taking part. Evaluation of the 2011 Challenge showed that once again, it was very successful in terms of modal shift, increasing physical activity and being enjoyable!

• There was a three-fold increase in the number of people walking to work during the challenge (12% at the start, 37% during the event). In addition, 47% of respondents to the post-event survey indicated that they intend to walk on a regular or occasional basis once the challenge ended.
• During the challenge, 93% of respondents indicated that they were undertaking recommended activity levels, up from 65% at the start of the challenge.

• 98% plan to continue to be active even though the challenge has finished
• Coordinators agreed or strongly agreed that the Pedometer Challenge had a number of benefits for employees/ companies, including: raised awareness of activity levels (94%); was good for team spirit/ team building (92%), boosted staff morale (81%) and contributed to stress reduction (44%). Other benefits included encouraging people to walk to work (86%) and encouraging people to use the stairs (94%).

Smarter Travel Workplaces also organises an annual Partner 10 Minute Cycle Challenge in June. Over the course of the three week event in June 2011, over 480 people in 42 of Ireland's largest workplaces saved the equivalent of EUR 41,736 in petrol, tolls and parking charges, by cycling instead of driving. That equates to an average of EUR 85 per participant. Participants also saved 68,000 kg in CO2 emissions and burned the equivalent of 103,532 chocolate bars by cycling instead of driving. 117 teams from companies including Accenture, Boots, Citi, eircom, ESB, IBM, Oracle and Pfizer took part in the challenge.

Besides Challenges, Smarter Travel Workplaces also hosts seminars and site visits, including a very interesting seminar on 'Marketing Travel Change' on the 26th of October. 42 people attended the event, which was designed to explore principles of decision making and marketing in relation to workplace travel plans. Feedback from the event was very positive, and future seminars/ site visits are planned for 2012.

Finola O'Driscoll
00 353 187 98 335
finola.odriscoll@nationaltransport.ie