How to develop a workplace travel plan

National Specification for Workplace Travel Plans

We assess all travel plans against the National Specification for Workplace Travel Plans PAS 500:2008, published by British Standards. We therefore recommend that you follow the guidelines in this document, of which the basics are summarised below.

Senior management support

The travel plan must have the commitment of key members of staff in order for it to be successful. Senior managers must endorse the travel plan, resource it and lead by example.

Defining aims and objectives

This section of the document will identify both the benefits of the travel plan and present the issues which you hope to address.

Site audit

This section will contain information on current access arrangements, by all forms of transport; prioritising the most sustainable first. The site audit should also include information on parking arrangements for cycles and vehicles, car park management systems, smart working options, business travel arrangements, fleet vehicle travel patterns, visitor information etc. The full requirements are outlined in Annex C of PAS 500:2008. We will guide you through this process when you contact us. 

Measuring baseline travel behaviour

As part of the travel plan a survey will need to be undertaken to assess how staff currently travel and the barriers preventing more sustainable travel. This section of the document will also describe the organisation's travel survey design, methodology and include the results of the survey. Alongside the survey results, information may be provided on other consultation activities with staff and other relevant groups to assess any deeper issues with regard to travel problems. Survey templates can be provided when you contact us.

Targets

This section will outline the targets the company hopes to achieve. The targets should cover a five year period. Targets should be SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time bound. 

Measures and Interventions

The travel plan must include a list of practical, deliverable and funded interventions that will deliver the targets. The measures and initiatives should include physical improvements such as cycle parking, car share bays, showers, etc and also campaign and promotional type interventions. They should also relate to different aspects of the company, for example, employee travel, visitor travel, business travel, and fleet vehicles.  The measures and interventions will be designed to overcome some of the barriers and issues you found out when investigating baseline travel behaviour. The travel plan must show strong commitment to measures and initiatives; documents which only make proposals are unlikely to achieve much. The list of interventions should be put into an action plan to show who is responsible for each measure along with the target date for completion. The action plan should cover 5 years, in line with the targets. For ideas on measures, initiatives and campaigns please see the practical measures page. An example action plan can be provided when you contact us. 

Monitoring

The travel plan must contain information on how the document will be monitored, with details of when review surveys will be undertaken.