Loughborough University
Browse
enoch ison travel plan blueprint report 1 - 22 9 2008 final (2).pdf (212.56 kB)

Expert perspectives on the past, present and future of travel plans in the UK

Download (212.56 kB)
report
posted on 2009-03-02, 13:50 authored by Marcus EnochMarcus Enoch, Stephen Ison
From a public policy perspective, travel plans are attractive to regional and local government since they are relatively cheap and quick to introduce and are normally politically acceptable. Meanwhile from a company perspective there are usually circumstances where an issue such as: access, a shortage of parking, a lack of space or finance, issues with neighbouring organisations, a need for planning permission or to enhance the organisation’s image – means there are potentially significant benefits from adopting a travel plan. In the absence of such motivations the majority of organisations have simply not participated in helping to solve something that is not legally or institutionally ‘their problem’. As such, a number of studies (see Rye, 2002; Bradshaw, 1997; Coleman, 2000) have stated that less than ten percent of large private businesses (of over 100 employees) have adopted travel plans while small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have taken even less of an interest. This lack of engagement can be attributed to a number of reasons. In particular, Rye (2002) identifies key barriers to wider travel plan implementation, namely: • Companies’ self interest and internal organisational barriers; • Lack of regulatory requirements for travel plans; • Personal taxation and commuting issues; • The poor quality of alternatives (particularly public transport); • Lack of examples due to novelty of the concept. In addition, while the UK Government has formally recognised the travel plan since its inclusion in the 1998 White Paper A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone (DETR, 1998), and has provided a whole series of support measures, these have tended to have been rather small scale, incremental and randomly applied. Travel plan policy meanwhile has largely been reactive and somewhat lacking in an overall strategic direction. Despite these barriers, travel plans are still in evidence and in fact are increasingly making an impression on the formulation of transport policy and practice and travel behaviour. The purpose of this Report is to ‘take stock’ in terms of what has occurred in terms of Travel Plans, to assess the current situation with respect to Travel Plans and then to predict how travel plan policy will develop in the future.

History

School

  • Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering

Citation

ENOCH, M.P. and ISON, S.G., 2008. Expert perspectives on the past, present and future of travel plans in the UK. Research Report to the Department for Transport and the National Business Travel Network, 22 September 2008. Loughborough : Loughborough University

Publisher

Loughborough University

Version

  • VoR (Version of Record)

Publication date

2008

Notes

This is a report. It is also available at; http://www.nbtn.org.uk/publications.aspx

Language

  • en

Usage metrics

    Loughborough Publications

    Exports

    RefWorks
    BibTeX
    Ref. manager
    Endnote
    DataCite
    NLM
    DC