Tanners Bicycle Club: Tanners' Cycle Champions Please Come Forward

Newsflash: We Are Not Stuck In Traffic

This advert has stuck in our mind for quite some time now. It's clever. It makes you think. 

Sustainable travel champions 'Sustrans' are also clever and make you think. We've been reading their latest input to get us workers considering the impact of how we get to work, a little deeper. 

Adding some walking or cycling in to our commute can help us adults meet our 2.5 hours physical activity needed each week to strengthen the heart and cardiovascular system.

That could mean parking 15 minutes from the office or catching the train and cycling to the station. 

Sure, you get a good leg stretch, some fresh air, time to think, read or sleep. Or check Facebook. But in these difficult times, we need stats. 

 How about this? 

A 20-35% lower risk of cardiovascular disease, coronory heart disease and strokes.

A reduction of 24 sick days each year per 100 employees. 

We are of course a realistic bunch here at PBA Travel. In a country built around the car, it's not always easy to make a 100% switch. Indeed, one of our own PBA Travel Planners bought a new car over Christmas. A nice little Aygo. It's so efficient that with all this bad weather around his driving activity has increased in 2014. But 1 month in, the daily motorway crawl and backstreet rat running has taken its toll and it's back on the saddle and South West Train for at least some of the week. 

He now remembers why he used to enjoy breaking up his commute like this. And he thinks you could too. So, as you drive in tomorrow, firstly, remind yourself that it could be worse. But secondly, think about those philosophical Tomtom words above and ask yourself:

Is it time to do this in a different way? 

A Primary Example of Sustainable Travel Promotion

With the New Year fast approaching the PBA Travel Planning team have been hard at work designing Tanners Gate residents a 2014 Travel Plan Calendar, with the help of a local primary school.

The Highwood Group's residential development at Tanners Gate is coming to the end of its third year of Travel Plan Coordination. Our work to date has proved that a Travel Plan really adds value post-completion by promoting sustainable travel practices where there is participation from a range of key local groups.

The PBA team are always on the hunt of innovative ways to portray their messages to residents. With the theme of the calendar based around the concept of persuading residents to leave their car at home, the PBA team got thinking, who better to encourage the Tanners Gate residents than local school children?

Miss Seall's Year 5 class at Locks Heath Junior School provided us with some excellent drawings all with honest and simple messages for the calendar which we believe will really impact resident decisions.

When handing our Travel Plan team the full set of drawings from her Year 5 class, Miss Seall told us about her class' enthusiastic discussion on sustainable travel. She explained, "The children identified a range benefits from saving the world and costing less, to being good for you, helping spend more time with the family and seeing places you wouldn't normally see."

On behalf of The Highwood Group and PBA Travel Planning Team we would like to thank Locks Heath Junior School for all their hard work and effort.

Are You Ready..... For Winter

As the clocks have now gone back, the evenings are closing in and for many this means that home time is in darkness.

We want to help you be prepared for the winter evenings for those of you who cycle. In the UK there is a legal minimum requirement for cyclists riding after dark, this includes: one red rear light, plus the reflectors that should already be on your bike:

• Front white
• Rear red
• Orange on the pedals

NB. This requirement does vary for older bikes.

Your main concern, when cycling in towns and cities, is being seen by other road users, so make sure they see you! Both you and your bike need to stand out and its very simple to do so. Consider wearing a high-vis vest, if we are your Travel Plan Coordinators then get in touch as we can send you a FREE high-vis vest!

Remember that if you are contemplating whether its dark enough to wear your reflective gear, then wear it anyway!!! A few simple measures can save lives and protect you and other road users from potential tragedies.

For more information visit: http://www.sustrans.org.uk/blog/be-prepared-darker-evenings-guide-being-seen-when-cycling-dark 

My Journey Set The Bar High With FREE Online Journey Planning

My Journey have recently added a "Plan my Journey" tool which allows detailed route mapping for various types of transport modes. The feature is FREE and easy to use and ideal for highlighting the various travel options available to you for particular journeys you wish you make. The travel planning team at Paul Basham Associates are very impressed with the capabilities of this route planning tool and even more impressed by how its not just restricted to Hampshire but can be used all across the UK. 

Using the feature is simple, this link will take you straight to it:  http://www.myjourneyhampshire.com/journeyplanner/ 

All that you need to know to use the tool is the postcode of your starting point and the postcode of your destination, however if you don't know the postcode the "Plan My Journey" application also has a feature whereby you can right click on the map to choose your start and end point. The illustrated diagram below shows you how to do it:

The page then takes you to a series of options:

This example has given the choice of walking, cycling, car travel and various bus routes. You can decide how you wish to travel and click on either of the above which will then plan your journey. Why not have a look at them all and compare the modes as you never know, some may be easier than you think!

The route planning tool also tells you how many calories you will burn by opting for each travel mode, the time in which the journey will take, bus service information, topography of the land for cycling and the CO2 emissions each mode will generate.  

So why not give it a go!!! Its FREE, fun, useful and can save you lots of money.

To end, we will leave you with this, as it is safer to travel in groups... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TWew0EqM7e4

Taking the Car Out of Human Care: Global Company Elect A Proven Consultancy in Sustainable Travel

We have now provided travel planning expertise for world leaders in innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders.

A significant player in our country’s economic recovery and the world’s healthcare technological advancement, the UK division of this multinational company are establishing a new state of the art Research and Development Centre. The Centre will replace an existing storage warehouse but only when proposals – including associated Travel Plan – are approved by the local authority.

With a short turnaround time to play with, our Travel Planning team were quick to undertake desk research and open dialogue with West Sussex County Council’s Travel Plan Officer, before visiting the site for an accessibility audit and meeting with the facilities management team.

From videoconferencing to a new Portakabin cycle storage, shower and drying facility, we were impressed with the range of sustainable travel measures being developed to support the site’s 750 employees at the site. With its 48% rate, our online staff travel survey also revealed more about what worked well and what else was desired to improve workplace commuting experiences further. 

Our resulting report, which presented a strategy of existing and recommended measures, an implementation plan and monitoring requirements, received the following from WSCC’s Travel Plan Officer:

Thank you for submitting this excellent Travel Plan which demonstrates the very good work the company have been doing, and will be continuing to do post-occupation of the R&D facility.

We look forward to working with the firm’s various departments in activating this Travel Plan and help further enhance the workforce’s quality of life, as they go about saving the lives of others.   

A Meeting of Great Minds - Outcome: TBC

First there was Reagan and Gorbachev. Then there was Cowell and Walsh. And now, the world is about to change again as PBATravel got down to Caffexpresso near Southampton station to join new friends from Sustrans.

The Tuesday afternoon meeting was spent sharing projects, experiences and ideas in the interest of bringing residents the greatest opportunities for changing travel behaviours and perceptions.

Our expert friends from this national charity bring with them a wealth of activities, initiatives and resources that our private consultancy selves hope to apply to our pool of residents.

This historic meeting of great minds (wow, we're really getting the hang of our journalistic spin) marks the birth of the Tanners Bicycle Club. The exact direction, benefits, mission and membership of TBC is, well, TBC. However we know for sure that it will bring together the existing rich cycle culture evident at our Locks Heath development, with local cycle networks, support and incentives, and hopefully encourage some new bicycle beginners too.

So, as we get the wheels in motion back in the office and reflect on the discussions had, we hope come summer 2014 PBATravel, Sustrans and our new Bicycle Club will be able to enjoy a brilliant cycle event at Tanners Gate and remember this memorable day.