Can a Travel Plan solve my parking problems?
Yes it can, but this depends on the effort you put into implementing your Travel Plan, the backing that the plan receives from senior management, and the willingness of your staff to change the way that they travel.

My company is only small; do I need a Travel Plan?
If you experience any of the problems that are mentioned on the homepage, then a Travel Plan can help you. However, you might find it valuable to work in partnership with neighbouring companies, as you can pool resources, share costs, and double your target audience.


Planning


Will I need a Travel Plan if I am applying for planning permission?
This varies from application to application. However, if your development is likely to lead to a significant increase in traffic around the site, or the traffic generated is going to have an impact on the local area, then the chances are that yes, you will be required to submit a Travel Plan. The Planning Authority will secure this through either a Planning Condition or a Section 106 Agreement.

I have been asked to produce a Travel Plan as a condition of a planning application. What do I do now?
You need to speak to your local Council Planning Department to establish exactly what they require. The Council’s Travel Co-ordinator should also be able to advise. In addition to this, the Travel Co-ordinator can guide and support you through the process of producing your Travel Plan. More details on the Travel Plan process are available in the Travel Plan Resource Pack.


Money

Can I get help to fund my Travel Plan?
Yes, although only limited funds are available, and usually only at certain times of year; for example the Government Cycle funding that was announced in February - March 2003. In addition to this, Powershift grants are available to organisations that are converting their fleet to run on cleaner fuels. Clean Fuels also attract less fuel duty, lowering fuel costs.

Recipients of the On TRACK Award can apply for a grant of up to £500, to help fund Travel Plan measures. These grants are funded by the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities.

For further details of these schemes, go to the ‘What help is available’ page.

How much money should a Travel Plan cost me?
This depends entirely on the aims and objectives of the Travel Plan, the specifics of your site and workforce, and the measures that you wish to implement. At the cheapest end of the scale, providing public transport timetables costs nothing. Providing a complete bus service can cost over £100,000. However, a report undertaken for Department for Transport noted that the average spend per year on Travel Plans was £47 per employee.

It is important to note that any money that you do spend can save you costs on providing and maintaining car parking, business travel, and the costs of recruiting and training staff.

How much money can a Travel Plan save me?
This depends exactly on your situation. However, the Department for Transport report noted above states that the average cost of maintaining a car parking space is £300 – 500 per year; far more expensive than the average spend per person on Travel Plans - £47. In addition to those money savings, if you need fewer parking spaces for cars, this frees up the land for further developments.

Great savings can be made on fleet management. Thornton’s Plc saved £400,000 per year on fuel costs simply by implementing driver training and fuel monitoring.

Select Service Partner at Manchester Airport saved their monthly taxi bill by hiring a mini-bus for their staff to use. The employees take it in turns to drive the vehicle, saving the company and estimated £1,000 per month.

Reed Employment estimates the cost of advertising, recruiting, inducting and training a new employee to be £5,000. If you have poor staff retention because your site is difficult to access (this can be particularly true for shift-workers and those on lower incomes, such as Call Centre staff), a Travel Plan can help you retain staff and save you money. Fulfilment Logistics in Oldham solved this problem by providing five works buses.


How much staff time should I dedicate to the Travel Plan?
If you have 800 employees or more, you will probably need to appoint a full-time Travel Plan Co-ordinator, at least until the Travel Plan is up and running. As with many things, the most labour intensive part is getting the Plan written and launched.

If you have less than 800 employees, you can either give the work to an existing member of staff who has the time available to do the work, employ someone part-time, or jointly employ someone with a neighbouring organisation.


Staff Travel Surveys

What do I need to ask in the staff travel survey?
Essentially, you need to ask about journey details (how do people travel and where from); why they travel the way that they do (to identify barriers to changing mode of transport); and what other methods of travel they would consider. This is dealt with in much more detail in the Travel Plan Resource Pack.

How many staff do I need to survey?
If you are conducting your first survey, it is best to survey all employees. For future surveys, you might be able to survey a smaller sample, depending on the size of your workforce.

Why is consultation important?
Some of the issues that surround Travel Plans are extremely sensitive, for example car park management, and it is important that employees are allowed to have their views heard. This also breeds an air of openness and honesty, which is essential to encourage staff to ‘buy into’ the Travel Plan.

Furthermore, when choosing the measures to put into your Travel Plan, you need to understand your employees travel patterns and motivations. The only way to do this is to conduct a staff travel survey.


Choosing Measures

Which are the best measures?
A Travel Plan should always be site specific – what will work in one location will not necessarily work in another! When choosing your measures you need to take account of employee travel patterns, existing provision of transport, and the aims and objectives of your Travel Plan.

Are you trying to reduce pressure on your car parking, or are you trying to cut business travel costs? These factors will inform the measures that will work best for you.

Can I change a bus route and time?
Yes, but only if you can convince the operator of the service that it is in their best interests to do so. This can be done by either making a business case (by providing evidence that a change in route will provide extra passengers), or by subsidising the service.

How much cycle mileage should I pay staff?
In the budget of April 2002, the Chancellor allowed cycle mileage rates of 20p per mile. You can pay employees more than this to encourage cycling, but this is then considered as a taxable benefit. Some organisations pay a flat rate per day, rather than per mile, for example Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council who pay £1 per day regardless of mileage.

Planning
Money
Staff Travel Surveys
Choosing Measures