Travel plans: Driving modal change

Transport remains the UK’s largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, with the domestic transport sector accounting for 30% of all emissions in 2024 (Figure 1). One of the main reasons for this is the popularity of private vehicles as a means of travel, contributing approximately 61-67% of average mode share across England, depending on the region (Figure 2). This sustained reliance on private vehicles highlights the critical challenge facing efforts to decarbonise the transport sector and emphasises the need for a shift towards more sustainable travel behaviours. 

Changing the way people travel, also known as mode shift, is widely recognised as one of the most effective ways to reduce transport-related carbon emissions. However, changing people’s travel habits are a complex challenge that cannot be resolved by building infrastructure alone. This is where a well-designed travel plan, which prioritises the travel modes at the top of the transport hierarchy (Figure 3), becomes a powerful tool for stakeholders seeking to achieve broader sustainability targets, as well as building certifications such as BREEAM and Active/Mode Score. 

A travel plan is a live document which combines data-led insights and site user habits to design targeted interventions that influence everyday travel behaviour. In the context of a travel plan, site users are the people who travel to, from, and around a specific development, such as employees, residents, students, or visitors. The travel plan starts by establishing an understanding of how people currently travel, using surveys to identify trip purposes, general travel patterns, and the barriers preventing individuals from choosing more sustainable modes of transport. 

A Travel Plan Coordinator (TPC) plays a pivotal role in overseeing the implementation of the travel plan. Acting as a representative that connects site users to the developer or building operator, the TPC aims to reach agreements that achieve travel plan mode shift targets. For a travel plan to succeed, a series of monitoring stages (often conducted on an annual or biannual basis following occupation of the development) is critical. Through monitoring, the TPC can adapt and tailor the travel plan as site user travel patterns change and respond to challenges as they present themselves.  

Tailored measures can be introduced to encourage the mode shift change over time. These may include improved cycling facilities, discounted public transport vouchers, the promotion of car‑sharing schemes, personalised travel planning, and the promotion of national behaviour-change campaigns (such as cycle to work or school initiatives, bikeability training, and car share programmes). Collectively, these measures can help make sustainable travel options more attractive and convenient for site users. The TPC can inform stakeholders of what measures are required, and when, to achieve targets.

Travel plans remain a planning requirement for many large and medium-scale developments and are often a consideration for smaller developments to support sustainable travel. 

Influencing modal shift behaviour at the point of inception for a development can have long-term benefits for the local area and help to improve the desirability of the development project. In addition, mode shift away from private vehicles also brings significant health benefits for site users, as increased daily physical activity can help to reduce the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, and type‑2 diabetes. Furthermore, this mode shift also reduces air pollution, lowering the risk of respiratory illnesses and improving overall community wellbeing around the development. 

Working with our clients, we deliver bespoke travel plans, including acting as a TPC, covering all aspects of sustainable travel planning. As part of the travel plan, we produce specific and tailored travel marketing materials such as welcome packs and posters for distribution, we coordinate and organise site surveys and collate travel data for use in analysis reports and monitoring reports. By managing all aspects of travel planning, we can develop a mode shift strategy that fits a development's unique needs.  Drawing on our expertise in sustainability and zero carbon initiatives, we help clients achieve the development's visionary targets within the capacity of its limitations.

Mode shift is sustained when the alternative modes genuinely work for the needs of site users and meet the unique context of a site. This requires collaboration between employers, developers, local authorities, and transport operators from an early stage to ensure the delivery of safe walking and cycling routes, efficient public transport connections, and reliable active‑travel facilities. This approach is cemented in our offer to our clients and enables development projects to plan for, and deliver, modal shift accordingly.  

When the travel plan measures align with the needs of site users, travel plans become more than just regulatory requirements; they become catalysts for a long-term solution to travel behaviour and sustainability.