TravelSMART Business - "better ways to work" - is a government program helping employers to reduce the financial costs and environmental impacts of  staff travel. TravelSMART is being run by a number of councils, including the City of Port Phillip, in partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Victoria, the Department of Infrastructure, the Department of Human Services and Bicycle Victoria.

Employers are increasingly bearing the costs of traffic congestion and according to the Bureau of Transport Economics, that cost is set to nearly triple by 2015. Taking a proactive role in tackling traffic by preparing green travel plan can help businesses to:

Alleviate parking problems

Reducing the amount of workplace parking necessary can save a business money and free up land to be used for more productive purposes. It can also improve site access for customers and essential deliveries.

Enhance company image

Preparing a green travel plan that encourages sustainable transport choices will improve company image as an environmentally aware organisation, and demonstrate a certain level of corporate responsibility. Employers can also improve relations with their immediate community by reducing, or best of all, eliminating, car park overspill.

Employee benefits

A green travel plan can also bring benefits for employees, such as providing them with greater choice in how they travel to work. Encouraging active forms of travel such as walking and cycling can increase staff fitness and significantly reduce the amount of days lost to illness related absenteeism.

Increase productivity

Due to the increase in physical activity of staff, improved levels of energy, fitness and mental health cause a substantial increase in productivity. Furthermore, employees generally feel more alert, have better rapport with their co-workers and tend to enjoy their work more as a result.

A green travel plan is a package of alternative travel options to the car which also suggests ways to use the car more efficiently for in-work travel and commuting.

A typical plan may look at providing incentives for walking, cycling and public transport, as well as promoting flexible ways of working such as working from home, car sharing and company car fleet (choice of vehicle, driver training, fleet operation).

Green travel plans are developed by each participating business, with help from Port Phillip's sustainable transport officer to create written strategies which employers use to influence staff travel behaviour.

The City of Port Phillip provides businesses with many free services to help them tackle site traffic problems through our TravelSMART Business program, including:

• The provision of TravelSMART written materials on specific commuting modes
• Support for implementation of annual events such as Walk to Work Day and Ride to Work day
• Conducting an initial survey of staff commuting habits
• Producing a GIS map based on survey results showing staff distribution
• Producing a report based on survey results with recommendations for green travel plans
• Assistance with production of access plan
• Guidance on implementation of access plan
• On-going monitoring through future staff surveys to gauge effectiveness of plan
• Conducting individualised marketing amongst staff who have indicated willingness to consider alternatives to single car occupancy
• Running a network of participating employers to share best practice
• Producing a newsletter for employers
• Acting as a first point of contact for employers in dealing with transport operators and government

Connell Wagner - www.connellwagner.com.au

Connell Wagner recognises the important roles of the consultant engineer, planner, surveyor and environmental manager in ensuring that economic development occurs in an environmentally sustainable manner. Connell Wagner is committed to the integration of environmental considerations into all areas of corporate activity; this includes not only our internal practices but also the project services we provide to clients.
Connell Wagner's regional manager, Paul Hardy, says that the Green Travel Plan is one element in improving the firm's sustainability. The company is looking at various initiatives to further their progress towards sustainability. These include reducing office waste being produced and going to landfill, committing to the Green Power program and ongoing support of work life balance initiatives. For more information regarding Connell Wagner's commitment to sustainability please telephone Emily Nagle on (03) 9697 8437.

Earth Tech Engineering - http://www.ap.earthtech.com

Sarah Greenwood-Smith
Environmental scientist with Earth Tech, an engineering and environmental consulting firm:

"In January 2002 I moved to Armadale, only 5km from my work. While there are good walking, cycling and public transport options to work, I wasn't brave enough to take on the High Street traffic by bike. Soon after, having already made contact with TravelSMART, David Meiklejohn from the Sustainable Energy Authority Victoria (SEAV) and Astrid Petersen, City of Port Phillip, contacted me. I met with David and Astrid to discuss the TravelSMART program.
Earth Tech Melbourne agreed to take part. We completed a survey of staff travel habits last November and are now incorporating the results into an Access Plan. We're hoping to improve the building's shower facilities and offer more room for bike parking. We're working on car-pooling and lunchtime group walks around Albert Park Lake. Personally, TravelSMART helped me ride to work safely and confidently through the idea of a bike buddy system. For a time, a colleague was meeting me on High Street and we were riding to work together. I'm now riding along High Street alone, and I'm feeling fitter already, more confident on my bike, I'm saving money by not having to pay for a tram ticket and I'm feeling energetic at work."

Program partners

Department of Infrastructure - www.doi.vic.gov.au

Department of Human Services - www.dhs.vic.gov.au

Bicycle Victoria - www.bv.com.au

Environment Protection Authority - www.epa.vic.gov.au

Bus Association of Victoria - www.busvic.asn.au

Use eServices to ask us a question, request information or give us feedback online. If you prefer call ASSIST on (03) 9209 6777 or TTy (03) 9209 6713 and ask for Sustainable Transport Planner.