Active Travel Policy Template

Active Travel Policy Template

Remove this page once you have completed your policy.

Background information

Choosing to walk, cycle or catch public transport for work-related trips is an effective way for working people to incorporate healthy physical activity into their day. Active travel means walking, cycling and using public transport to get places. Public transport is included as walking or cycling to and from stops is part of any bus, ferry or train trip.

Employers can encourage employees and clients/visitors to use active travel. Workplace facilities, policies and programs can make active travel a more convenient and accepted option for people. This can help promote health and wellbeing, reduce environmental impact from car use and manage workplace access and parking and traffic congestion. Adopting and implementing a policy on active travel is a positive way for an organisation to demonstrate support for a healthier, more active workplace.

Using this template

This template offers a guide for you to start to create you insert policy name. It can be adapted as needed to suit your workplace.

The template is formatted to guide you, with prompts including:

-  Policy headers – listed in green

-  Instructions (to be removed from final document)– provided in red

-  Example of content – written in italics and to be used as needed

-  Spaces to insert specific information – highlighted in yellow

Three simple steps to creating your policy:

1.  Draft: Use the template as a framework and do further research where necessary.

2.  Consult: Circulate the drafted policy to relevant people for comment, such as the Workplace health coordinator. This will ensure the policy is relevant and easy to understand. Staff could also be consulted.

3.  Approve: Make sure the policy is finalised and signed off by management. All existing and new employees should then be informed of the policy.

Resources

TravelSmart Workplace fact sheet – Active travel and employee health

Active Travel Policy

Purpose of policy
Short overview statement
Active travel covers walking, cycling and using public transport. Active travel offers a healthy, accessible and sustainable option for many trips to and from our workplaces. The insert name of organisation will enable and encourage employees and clients and visitors to use active travel more often. This is part of our commitment to boost employee health and wellbeing and improve our environmental performance.
Objectives
Write down aims of the policy.
-  Achieve a shift in work-related travel from sedentary to active modes
-  Achieve a reduction in car use and the associated health and environmental impacts generated by our workplaces
-  Improve health and wellbeing of staff by increasing physical activity
Scope
Define who the policy applies to, for example: The active travel policy covers employees at city and suburban workplaces[adapt as appropriate].
Policy Commitments
[Add, alter and delete examples as appropriate according to organisational requirements.]
Concise example:
The organisation will endeavour to meet these targets:
·  Reduce solo car commuting to the workplace
·  Increase the proportion of employees using active travel for commute and business trips
·  Ensure that workplace policies and facilities support use of active travel modes.
To achieve these targets the organisation will:
·  Develop and implement a travel plan for each workplace, incorporating appropriate actions to encourage the use of active travel options for commute and business trips
·  Improve and manage workplace facilities to support employee commuting by walking, running and cycling, including additional bicycle parking and shower facilities
·  Develop a policy on teleworking to support and manage this way of working for appropriate roles/employees
·  Provide information and tools to enable active travel for business trips, including corporate Smart Rider cards for public transport use and pool bicycles (a separate policy will define commitments and procedures for Smart Rider cards and pool bicycles).
Comprehensive example:
The organisation will:
1.  Lead by example
Targets
-  Ensure staff and stakeholders are aware of active travel plans
-  Ensure the worksite/each worksite has its own active travel plan by <specified date>
Actions
-  Develop and implement a travel plan for each workplace
-  Increase awareness of our travel plans both within the organisation and with partners
-  Develop tailored travel action plans relevant to all sites and regularly update these
-  Organise sustainable travel awareness campaigns in conjunction with partners
2.  Reduce unnecessary travel
Targets
-  Reduce the number of meetings where travel is needed by an agreed percentage (e.g. 10%)
-  Reduce single car usage for business and work related trips by an agreed percentage (e.g. 10%)
Actions
-  Enable remote and home working as an option for staff through a telework policy and staff and management training in teleworking
-  Create and promote a fleet car pooling scheme
-  Develop initiatives to reduce car usage for business trips, including Corporate SmartRider cards, pool bicycles, walking incentives, etc.
3.  Encourage the use of more active, sustainable modes of transport
Targets
-  Appoint a TravelSmart Officer or Travel Plan Coordinator for the workplace/s
-  Reduce single occupancy car use to and from the workplace/s
Actions
-  Enable opportunities for modes other than the car, making active transport modes more viable and attractive
-  Develop an incentive and reward scheme for active transport use (such as a Sustainable Travel Allowance)
-  Carry out regular checks and maintenance on bicycle use and facilities and promote a cycle to work scheme
-  Implement actions to increase the numbers of people car-pooling, such as a car pooling database and discount parking bays for carpoolers
-  Review and implement the options available to incentivise people to reduce their car use, for example public transport initiatives, pool car and pool bikes, try before you buy electric bikes, free bus passes, staff buses, walking buses, cycle to work scheme.
4.  Reduce the quantity of staff and visitors parking at sites
Targets
-  Increase the number of employees using active transport to get to work
-  Increase the number of employees using active transport for meetings
-  Increase the number of visitors using active transport modes to get to the workplace
Actions
-  Use incentive schemes for employees
-  Promote active travel to visitors and provide them with relevant information for getting to the site by active modes
5.  Improve facilities and access to facilities
Targets
-  Ensure the workplace meets best practice environmental standards e.g. Green Star Rating, NABERS
Actions
-  Provide high quality facilities for people using active modes, including bicycle storage, showers and changing rooms, pool bikes, etc.
-  Promote facilities to staff and visitors
Communication of policy
Outline what the organisation will do to communicate the policy.
Insert organisation name will ensure that:
-  All existing and new employees are informed of this policy
-  This policy is easily accessible to all staff
-  Staff are informed when there is a change to the policy and are empowered to actively contribute and provide feedback
-  Staff are informed when an activity is being held that relates to this policy
Monitoring and review
Make a commitment to review the policy an appropriate amount of time after its implementation and annually thereafter. Outline how the effectiveness of the policy will be assessed and by whom.
-  This policy will be reviewed 12 months after adoption
-  The review will be informed by feedback from workers, relevant committees and management
-  The review will determine if the policy objectives have been achieved and if there are any issues/opportunities to address that may enable more effective implementation of the policy
-  This policy will be reviewed by the insert relevant group/s
- 
Name: / Manager:
Signature: / Signature:
Date: / Date:
Date of next review: