Travel Plans reduce an organisation's reliance
on the car by making alternative means of travel more
attractive.
This is because many car users would prefer the alternatives if
they are shown to be cheaper, healthier, or more
convenient. Travel Plans also enable those without a car to access
work and services, by broadening the options to travel to a
site.
The plans are not anti-car but are about making more efficient
use of cars, for example through car-sharing, and of resources such
as car parking. Car parking is a limited resource which is usually
provided free to employees, yet a similar subsidy is not normally
available to those who do not use cars.
Travel Plans thus promote equal opportunity
within transport and help promote and encourage
the greater use of public transport, cycling, walking, and
home working as alternatives to car use.
They can also bring environmental benefits as by
cutting down on car journeys they help reduce congestion,
pollution and carbon emissions.
We are developing a corporate travel plan aimed at
reducing our own employees' reliance on the car, called
change1journey.
Travel Plans Supplementary Planning Document
(SPD)
Travel Plans are a planning requirement for all new large or
expanding developments, and some smaller ones where there is
expected to be a significant transport impact. We have produced a
Travel Plans Supplementary Planning Document
(SPD) (pdf, Nov 2010, 478kb,) which was
adopted November 2010.
The SPD sets out the detail of what is expected from a developer
to mitigate the transport impacts of their development and
encourage more sustainable travel. For large developments, a fee
will also be payable, to cover the evaluation and future monitoring
costs to the council. The fee also pays towards the provision of
iTRACE
which the developer is encouraged to use to monitor their Travel
Plan, and it can also be used to generate a draft Travel Plan
document.
Resources
Many employers are also developing voluntary Travel Plans
because of the clear benefits they can bring. We have
a
Travel Plan Resources page to help all employers and
attractors of visitors, whether developing a voluntary or planning
secured Travel Plan. This includes the
iTRACE system which makes it very easy for any
organisation to conduct travel surveys and to produce a draft
Travel Plan document. There is also some basic guidance on the
Workplace Travel Plans page.
School Travel Plans
School Travel Plans are also now in place at all schools
in North Somerset, encouraging our 27,000-plus pupils to travel to
and from school in more environmentally friendly ways.
For further information contact
our Sustainable
Travel team on 01934 426962.
