Workplace Travel Planning – Using the Triple Access System to deliver behaviour change

Berto Santana, James MacArthur, Sam Tasman-Jones & Kate Mackay

Ipswich City Council & Mott MacDonald , Queensland & New Zealand

This presentation was delivered at the 2021 Online Conference Series and until October 2022 is only available to registered delegates and Content Access Pass holders via Interchange. For information on accessing this and other presentations please review the Content Access Pass options.

ABSTRACT

In our new COVID world, workplace travel planning is now as much about digital technology, working from home, and net zero as it is about physically getting from A to B. We find ourselves in a hugely uncertain environment, where political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental elements are more dynamic than ever, providing a need and opportunity for change at an individual and organisational level. In our forward planning, in our design of workplace travel plans, there is an imperative to build resilience and incorporate the''Triple Access System': spatial proximity, physical mobility, and digital connectivity (TAS). 

Ipswich City Council (ICC) has decided to take a fresh approach to workplace travel planning, leveraging this dynamic environment and recognising the behavioural change opportunity presented by their office relocation. They have developed a Green Workplace Travel Plan (WTP) taking a vision and data led approach, based on the best practice WTP wheel. 

ICC has driven collaboration across the business throughout the GWTP's development. From the outset a collaborative approach was undertaken inviting a range of employees to help shape the GWTP Vision – to improve the quality of life for our employees and our community, leading the way in sustainable workplace practices. They embraced digital technologies, travel surveys, interactive Power BI dashboards and GIS analysis to deliver more interactive and detailed insights about employees travel behaviour. Through virtual focus groups, adapting to COVID restrictions, insights into employees' opinions, challenges and opportunities were captured. 
This best practice approach has identified the TAS as the basis for the overall approach, the strategy, and for the three key themes of the Plan. The GWTP has been further augmented by the incorporation of a voluntary travel behaviour change (VTBC) approach.

Author(s)

Berto Santana | Ipswich City Council

Berto Santana is a transport planner with 21 years experience currently working for Ipswich City Council. Berto is currently responsible for leading Council’s transport and traffic team (Team Lead - Transport and Traffic). Berto has worked in local and state governments across Australia as well as the private sector. His experience includes working for the Department of Transport and Main Roads across Queensland for 12 years and the Department of Planning in Western Australia. He holds qualifications in environmental science, urban planning and transport and traffic from Griffith and Monash Universities and is an avid seeker of knowledge and self-improvement. Berto specialises in transport strategy and the integration of transport and land use planning but has an interest in all aspects of transport planning and traffic engineering. He enjoys the complex transport challenges and is enthusiastic about finding the best solutions.

Sam Tasman-Jones | Mott MacDonald

Sam Tasman-Jones is a highly motivated Transport Planner with experience in New Zealand, Australia and Hong Kong. He has a strong focus on, and experience in, travel demand management, FUTURES & future mobility, communication & engagement, transport policy and strategy development. Sam is experienced in undertaking qualitative and quantitative transport related research through literature reviews, surveys, focus groups and stakeholder engagement, to shape policy, option and strategy development. He is passionate about utilising his experience to deliver more resilient, sustainable future-proof transport outcomes for our communities in the evolving world we now live in. Sam has been heavily involved in all stages of the GWTP, following a globally recognised, five step Travel Plan development process, integrated with carefully selected behaviour change techniques, to keep people engaged and deliver more sustainable travel patterns.

James MacArthur | Ipswich City Council

James MacArthur has more than five years’ experience as a Town Planner, specialising in transport strategy and policy. Over the last three years James has shifted towards a career in Transport Planning after spending several years in the telecommunications industry with Aurecon. In addition to James’ undergraduate qualifications in Regional and Town Planning, James has recently completed a Graduate Diploma of Transport and Traffic through Monash University.
James has also been involved in the development and implementation of a number of network action plans associated with the City of Ipswich Transport Plan (branded as iGO) on the topics of freight, road safety and intelligent transport systems. Additionally, James has a particular interest in parking management having recently delivered a Parking Pricing Strategy for the City of Ipswich.

Kate Mackay | Mott MacDonald

Kate Mackay leads the Australia Transport Planning practice for Mott MacDonald. Based in Brisbane, Queensland, she has over 20 years’ experience in strategic transport planning and market research. Kate has a track record in delivering innovative and creative solutions to transport planning and policy issues – driven by data, based on technical analysis, and complemented by an in-depth understanding of how and why people travel. She has a reputation for designing highly effective quantitative and qualitive research – achieving high response rates and delivering robust data. Kate is a respected advisor on Workplace Travel Plans. She has authored numerous guidance documents including the first guidance for UK Government in 2000, guidance for the NSW Premier’s Council of Active Living, and guidance for Dunedin City Council. She designed, planed and delivered Australia’s most successful and longest running Workplace Travel Plan for Optus in Sydney. Previously, Kate ran her own transport planning consultancy and prior to that worked with Steer Davies Gleave (now Steer) in London and South Africa. She has an MSc in Transport from Imperial College London and a BA Hons degree in Geography.