About travel plans
A travel plan looks at how residents, employees or pupils are travelling. It measures and actions to encourage safe, healthy and sustainable travel options.
By reducing car travel, travel plans can improve health and wellbeing. It can also free up car parking space, and make a positive contribution to the community and the environment.
Every travel plan is different, but most successful plans follow a structured process in their development. It can also have a positive impact on air quality, traffic congestion, and health.
For advice, read our travel plan guidance.
Residential travel plans
Developers must create a travel plan in support of any planning application of more than 80 homes.
This is a package of actions which aims to promote greener, cleaner, and sustainable travel choices. It must include:
- clear outcomes and targets
- promotion and marketing strategies
- monitoring and management procedures
For advice, read our travel plan guidance.
Workplace travel plans
We encourage businesses to implement travel plans to promote greener, cleaner travel choices.
These include measures to enable staff to choose alternatives to single-occupancy car-use. Suggestions include:
- setting up a car-sharing scheme
- providing cycle facilities
- negotiating improved bus services
- offering attractive flexible-working practices
- restricting and/or charging for car parking
For a travel plan to be successful, it must suit the needs of your organisation. It must have the full backing of management and staff at all levels.
Benefits of a travel plan
A travel plan will incur some costs but the wider benefits include:
- reduced journey times and costs
- improved health and morale of the workforce
- enhanced environmental company image
- avoidance of future parking and congestion charging
- reduced demand for on-site parking
For advice, read our travel plan guidance.
School travel plans
We encourage schools to promote healthier and more environmentally-friendly forms of transport.
A school travel plan sets out ways to reduce the number of car trips made to and from school. It also improves safety on the school journey.
You can develop a school travel plan using the national school awards scheme Modeshift STARS.
A travel plan will:
- be a whole school initiative which involves children, staff, parents, governors and the wider community.
- aim to enable parents and children to choose to walk, cycle and use public transport with confidence
- address health, safety, environment, education, and other social issues.
- have clear, measurable aims, objectives and targets
For advice, read our travel plan guidance.