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. 

A Cycle Celebration!

The PBA Travel Planning team got involved yesterday with the Sustrans Pedal On UK event at Riverside Park, Southampton. This amazing event is on for three weeks and touches base with 35 different communities across the UK.

The event was extremely popular with lots of cycle powered family fun including: Bike Dr, Art bike, Smoothie bike, mobile pump track from DC Cycles and much more!! The event even had a special appearance from Peter Waterfield, a British diver and Olympic silver medalist, who lives in Southampton!

Cheers filled the park and flags were waved as the cyclists arrived. The TP team here at PBA would like to say a big CONGRATULATIONS to all the riders which took part.

For PBA's TP team, the event gave a real insight into getting people on their bikes and tips to get us prepared for our own meet and greet events we have planned. We are now feeling ready and prepared for next weeks Tanners Gate drop in session which we are holding on site from 4pm till 7pm.

So thanks Sustrans for bringing such a fantastic initiative to our hometown Southampton!!

Get On Your Bike

The widely trending BBC News article this week regarding The Netherlands coming up top in Europe as a cycling country (and the UK in a sorry 10th) has got our PBA Travel Planning team even more eager to get people on their bikes.  

The Netherlands now has more bikes than people, with cities such as Amsterdam coming out at 70% cycling modal use. Our own reports are recording 4% as typical in the UK.

How has the Netherlands achieved this? Might you ask. Well the idea that "the bike is right," has shifted power from the car to the bicycle, giving right of way in almost all cases. Here the bike is an important and integral part of everyday lives, all being made possible by the cycle friendly environment. The Dutch believe it's not about what you ride, this attitude has resulted in drivers having to take the back seat as being outnumbered by cyclists means they no longer rule the road. The Netherlands therefore provides a safe transport system with less pollution, less accidents and a healthier population.

PBA Travel Planners have been hard at work trying to persuade residents to make the switch. Within current live projects we have built strong relationships with local cycle stores in order to bridge the gap between them and new residents. Enabling us to offer great deals, services and aftercare to residents as they settle in.

As the team proceed with exsisting projects such as 'Tanners Gate' and Phase 2 of A2Dominion's 'VIVA Stanwell', residents here are already feeling the benefit of switching to cycle use and saving money in the process.

"I purchased a hybrid bike from East St Cycles In November 2012. They were courteous and very professional. I try to commute to work by foot to save money and stay active. I now have the option to bike into work too. With nice wide bike lanes alongside London road/Staines road, it feels very safe. In the short time I've lived in Stanwell, I've lost 3kg and thanks to the increase in physical activity in my life here." 

(Andrew Sin, Viva Stanwell Resident gaining from our Travel Plan) 

Offering a 'cycling package', we have provided residents with money off vouchers, bike doctor services and aftercare which allows further discounts. As the first and only Travel Planning Coordinators in the UK to apply Liftshare's MyPTP to residential developments we take data from residents through questionnaires and create personalised route planners.

With a new Travel Planning project on the horizon, 748-home 'Merton Rise,' in Basingstoke the TP team will be encouraging new residents to make the switch at their biggest project to date. We are very excited in rolling out innovative initiatives to get people switching away from single car occupancy use and towards a healthier mode.

Our recently launched Twitter account already has an international following with '@Miss_Fixx_It' from Amsterdam providing lots of hot tips straight from one of the world's biggest cycling cities, including:

"I always say look ahead as far as you can and go with the flow :) that's how I cycle in Amsterdam ;)"

Join the hype at Twitter: @PBATravel and Facebook: PBA Travel Planning and get in touch with Andy and Tracy to find out how we can make your travel challenge our business.