If you would like to find out more about the Travel Options program and how to arrange a workshop in your community contact Chris Foord, Marketing and Public Relations Manager, BC Transit

If you have questions or comment about this website please contact. Lanarc Consultants Ltd.

Travel Option workshops are being held to help employers and employees in each community discover how they can enjoy the direct personal and organizational benefits of trip reduction planning while contributing to improved air quality. The workshops are with public, private and not-for-profit employers.

For more information about the workshop program click here.

This website is both a training resource and a networking and information resource for workshop participants.

We have made for Travel Options workshop manual available online through this website. It has been created using Macromedia “Flash”. Flash requires a plug-in for your browser which is available for free from the Macromedia Website

If you already have the plug-in please visit the Travel Options training website.

A Portable Document Format (PDF) version of the Travel Options workshop manual (1.67megabytes) is also available for printing. Also available for downloading are Forms + Checklists (0.65megabytes)

Our hope is that everyone will find these materials useful in planning and implementing your own programs.

The Travel Options Manual

The Travel Options Manual has been prepared by BC Transit as a comprehensive resource for "Travel Option Coordinators" doing "travel option planning" within organizations of all forms -business, government, and all other non government organizations. The manual and the training of Travel Options Coordinators are a part of BC Transit's travel options planning initiative. The goal of this initiative is to reduce the use and environmental impacts of the single occupant vehicle in our urban areas. To attain this goal, the objective of this program is to promote travel option planning.

Travel Options Planning

Travel option planning is a process by which employers and employees in an organization work together to reduce the number of employees who arrive to work each day in a "single occupancy vehicle". This can be achieved by encouraging employees to choose amongst any number of alternative ways to travel to work. Cycling, walking, running and even roller-blading are the most common "active" modes of travel to work. Carpooling, vanpooling and transit are the most popular vehicle alternatives. Also included in this initiative are other measures that reduce traffic or single occupancy vehicle use such as telecommuting, variable work hours, or the creation of satellite offices. The chosen strategies of an organization's travel option planning are stated in a "Travel Options Plan" or "TOP".

Travel Options Coordinator

A Travel Options Coordinator is an employee who leads a travel options planning process. It is the task of a Travel Options Coordinator or "TOC" first to introduce the concepts and potential benefits of travel option planning to their organization, and to then design, implement and monitor a TOP. Because the way people travel to work is a matter of personal choice - a choice based on our individual living circumstances, work context, personal preferences, etc., -- BC Transit believes travel option planning is a matter best carried out in the workplace by the people who work there and who will ultimately make their own travel choices. Employees and employers need to work together to create their own 'made at home' TOP.

Travel Options Coordinator Training

This manual has been created with the training and resource needs of a Travel Options Coordinator in mind. It combines background on the need, importance and strategies of travel option planning with step by step suggestions on how to lead an organization through the process of creating and implementing a plan. The training approach recognizes that leading people to choose different ways to travel to work is an educational and developmental process. Changing travel behaviour requires changing people's underlying beliefs and attitudes about commuting. The training program coaches each TOC how to lead their fellow employees toward the long term travel behaviour change needed for program success.

Research confirms what most of us know from our life experience: we learn best when theory is combined with practice. We know that change first requires new learning. Travel Options Coordinators are asked to both learn about travel options planning and to then lead their organization to practice new travel behaviours. This is no small challenge. To do this, TOCs must integrate theory with practice for themselves and then lead their colleagues to do the same!

This manual's structure and content reflect these experiential learning and change requirements. There are four parts to the manual: "Think", "Act", "Assess" and "Reflect". These are the four parts or activities that can be found underlying processes of human innovation and learning in every field. (For more information about the cycle of "experiential learning" developed by D.A. Kolb.

In this manual, the TOC will be led through the whole change and learning process. The four activities work together like this:

Step one "think" study the theory about travel option planning

Step two "act" plan and implement a Travel Option Plan

Step three "assess" evaluate the change progress in action

Step four "reflect" learn from the experience (in discussion with your peers) and adapt the program Here is what each of the four parts of the Travel Options Planning Manual contains.

"Think"

This part of the manual contains the concepts and rationale of Travel Options Planning - a set of policies, actions and strategies that seek to use the existing transportation infrastructure more effectively. For TOCs, this section will be a resource for you and your colleagues to learn the theory: how commuting alternatives to the single occupancy vehicle can be of benefit to you and your organization.

"Act"

This part contains the strategies for implementing change in travel behaviour in your organization. For Travel Option Coordinators, this section will step you through how to lead your organization toward adopting new means of travel to work that are a benefit to your employer, your fellow employees and our natural environment.

"Assess"

This part contains tools for evaluating how travel change is progressing in your organization. For Travel Option Coordinators, this section will be a resource for you to set bench-marks, set goals and then to track progress toward those goals, both in relation to your organization and in relation to others.

"Reflect"

The last part contains the resources and networks necessary for sharing information and learning from your own experience and the experience of others in Travel Option Planning.

What is Transportation Demand Management and Travel Option Planning

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a process that aims to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality by encouraging commuters to make more efficient use of existing transportation systems. It does this by three means: reducing the number of commuter trips; changing the mode of transportation from a low occupancy one (e.g. single-occupant vehicles) to a high-occupancy one (e.g., carpools or public transit); and changing the time of travel, spreading some commuting trips into off-peak hours. Travel Option Planning is the non technical term BC Transit has adopted in preference to TDM.

-What are the preferred travel option strategies The preferred strategies are:

-Ridesharing Promotes carpooling, vanpooling and use of public transit.

-Parking Management Organizes parking facilities to encourage high-occupancy modes of transportation.

-Variable Working Hours Varies the regular work day or work week to spread the transportation load over a longer daily period, and eliminates some trips altogether.

-Telecommuting Reduces or eliminates the commute by allowing employees to work at home or in nearby satellite workplaces.

-Cycling Walking and Jogging Promotes a vehicle-free approach to commuting.

"What's in it for me?"

There are many environmental and social reasons why alternatives to the single passenger vehicle make sense for cities, towns, and neighbourhoods, but there are good reasons why travel option planning can make sense for you and your organization: Ridesharing, cycling/walking/running, telecommuting, variable work hours, parking management and other travel option strategies save time, money and help us all stay healthier.

The situation for every employer and employee is different. Not all travel option strategies benefit everyone, but almost everyone can benefit from some!

"What's in it for me, as an employer?"

Save Time

Travel option planning can save your organization time. Ridesharing, such as in car and van pools, helps employees who travel together keep consistent working hours. On the other hand, variable work hours can extend your organization's hours of contact with clients and suppliers or with branch offices across time zones. Use of transit can give your employees a break from driving and traffic and a chance to plan for a meeting or think about their day on the way to work Employees who walk, cycle or even run to work are healthier and suffer less absenteeism.

Save Money

Travel option planning can save your organization money. A work force that participates in transit and ridesharing brings to work fewer vehicles for you to park. Bike racks and change rooms for those who walk, cycle or run to work are cheaper than parking spaces. Employees that telecommute can save you office space and office overhead and increased productivity. A well organized, and well publicized travel option plan can also can contribute to your organization's goodwill. In addition to the above advantages, by promoting travel option planning your organization will be perceived as being sympathetic-and proactive-about an issue of broad public concern: environmental quality. Through participation in the annual Air Quality Awards, for example, your organization's name and image will be widely promoted in a favourable light.

Stay Healthy

Travel option planning can mean healthier, happier employees for your organization. Driving less and exercising more, travel option planning can help your employees be less stressed and enjoy better health. Exercise from walking, cycling and running, contributes to an employee health, which in turn, contributes to superior productivity and less turnover. Reduced stress from less driving through transit and ride sharing sets employees up to be happier, more involved in their work and able to put a better face on your business for your clients and customers. Overall, Transportation Demand Management is a win-win proposition for your organization, offering considerable benefit at minimal cost.

"What's in it for me, as an employee?"

Save Time

Transportation alternatives can be faster. Sometimes, walking and cycling can be less hassle and create more time for the things you really want to be doing besides sitting in traffic. For distances under 5 km, cycling is usually the fastest mode of travel door to door. For distances under 2 km, walking is even simpler and nearly as fast as cycling. Running and roller-bladeing are two other choices you might consider just for the fun of it. If you are too far away from work to get there under your own steam, transit and ridesharing can reduce your time driving and give you time to think and work on other things.

Save money

Transportation alternatives can be less costly: It costs an average of $7000 a year to operate a car, and only $150 to operate a bike. How much are a good pair of walking or jogging shoes? And for distances too great to walk or cycle, car pooling can cut your transportation costs at least in half, vanpooling can cut your costs by 75% and transit can cut your costs down to 90 %.

Stay healthy

Transportation alternatives can be healthier. The time you spend in traffic might also be time you could be spending investing in your longer, healthier life! If you invest fifteen minutes getting to work and fifteen minutes getting home by walking, cycling or running, you have achieved the 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity medical sciences says pays big dividends in stress reduction quality of life and longevity.

So there you have it -- save time and money and stay healthy….

Getting to work under your own steam, ridesharing, or letting the transit system deliver you to work might be worth a lot more to you and your organization than you had thought.

Remember, to enjoy the benefits, you don't have to do it all every day, all at once, or to do it forever -- you only need to try it out and see how it works for you. A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step!

How can we get involved?

Appoint an interested and committed employee to be your organization's Travel Options Coordinator (TOC). Arrange for him or her to attend one of BC Transit's Travel Options Coordinator training workshops. Establish a task force or committee with representatives from throughout your organization to follow through with the preparation of your TOP. You could also join forces with other employers in your area.

Most importantly, extend your full cooperation to the planning and implementation of a Travel Option Plan for your organization. And lead by example: the small sacrifices management makes toward achieving the goal of trip reduction will be noted by your employees. Your commitment to the task will pay off in greater employee participation and enhanced morale.

Web Resources for managers

Driving to work: It's not working

Go Green Choices: Work better

Helping you make the move in the right direction

Your program: It's simple

Improve your workplace: You profit

Take the first step: Take action

The Greater Vancouver Regional District: Leading by Example