A Travel Plan is a strategy for an organisation or site that aims to encourage and support people to travel in a sustainable and climate responsible way for more of the journeys they need and want to make.
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They were first introduced in the UK in the late 1990s with many companies, universities and hospitals introducing them to reduce parking pressures, improve travel options for their employees and be more environmentally responsible. They were also known as Green Travel Plans or Green Transport Plans.
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In the 2000s the UK Government funded research and free expert advice to organisations to encourage them to introduce Travel Plans. This was successful and it has been found that Travel Plans on average reduce driving alone by 15 to 20%. These results mirrored findings from the US and the Netherlands. Europe has adopted them and call them Mobility Management Plans.
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Travel Plans also became an important part of the UK planning process. All major development is required to have a Travel Plan which is seen as an important way to reduce the traffic impact of the proposals. Travel Plans are identified in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) published by the UK Government for England and also in equivalent policy for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
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Travel Plans remain important:
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Allow an organisation to manage a reduction in transport related carbon emissions
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Net zero is a target, target setting is a core aspect of travel plans
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Different types of Travel Plans have emerged and are widely operated:
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Workplace Travel Plans for offices, factories, universities, colleges and hospitals etc.
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School Travel Plans for primary and secondary schools
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Residential Travel Plans for new housing developments
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Visitor Travel Plans for leisure sites e.g. tourist attractions, arenas etc.
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Faith Travel Plans for places of worship
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Station Travel Plans for rail station sites
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In fact, any type of site that generates significant amounts of commuting, business, visitor or servicing traffic could have and would probably benefit from a Travel Plan being established.
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The Travel Plan follows the Plan-Do-Review cyclical process of other initiatives such as Quality Management, Health and Safety Management and Investors in People. Travel Plans are site specific, need partnerships and progressive change.
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A document is required that sets the plan, the strategy to be followed, the objective and targets, the measures needed, how the implementation will be carried out and what monitoring and evaluation will be done. Key to implementation and monitoring and evaluation is the role of the Travel Plan Coordinator.
