Pioneering employers are just the business in cutting car travel

Press release issued: 26 January 2010



Carla Shaw (Anglia Ruskin University) being presented with her award

Carla Shaw (Anglia Ruskin University) being presented with her award

Pioneering employers who have made tremendous efforts to do their bit to reduce car travel and congestion on Cambridgeshire's roads have been rewarded at a special ceremony. The 40 awards recognised the efforts of organisations, such as Anglia Ruskin University who have worked hard to reduce the percentage of staff driving alone to work to just 12%.

The fifth annual Travel Plan Awards were made jointly by Cambridgeshire Travel for Work Partnership and Peterborough City Council's Travelchoice team to employers for their pioneering, environmentally-friendly commuter initiatives.

All the organisations receiving an award are at various stages towards completing effective workplace travel plans. These plans include measures such as setting up flexible working arrangements, promoting car sharing and cycle journey sharing using the website, CamShare and providing cycling breakfasts during Bike Week.

The awards ranged from the 'Certificate of Commitment', where a company's senior management have committed to developing a travel plan, to the 'Travel Plan Excellence Award', which rewards companies with successful travel plans embedded into the culture of the organisation.

Awards were presented by Shaun Spiers, Chief Executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE). CPRE has a remit to campaign for a beautiful and living countryside and has been a member of the Cambridgeshire Travel for Work Partnership steering group for nearly a decade.


Shaun said:

"The value for money of these travel plan schemes is huge. You can, and have, achieved an awful lot with very little money."


Cambridgeshire County Councillor Tony Orgee, Cabinet member for Economy and the Environment, opened the event at the SmartLIFE Centre in Cambridge with a talk on the wider benefits of sustainable travel and specifically how travel for work initiatives are extremely important in reducing the county's carbon footprint.


Mark Webb, Travel for Work Development Manager, based at Cambridgeshire County Council, said:

"Anyone who travels the roads of Cambridgeshire in school holiday time knows how clear the roads seem when those people who are normally driving to work are on holiday. A small change in our travel habits can make a big difference and we should rightly praise those organisations who are helping their employees find alternative ways of travelling.

From our work with over 80 employment sites, employing around 60,000 commuters, we know that effective workplace travel plans offer very real benefits for employers and their commuting staff. Healthy staff are more productive and there is less pressure on company car parks. Commuters benefit from improved physical and mental health along with healthier bank balances!"


To find out more about the awards and the services, tools and support available from Travel for Work please contact the Travel for Work Partnership on 01223 715696 or email Travel for Work. You could also visit Travel for Work's informative website.
Bookmark this page with: