A trade union bargaining guide for greener, healthier and fairer travel

What is sustainable travel?

Wales' definition of sustainable is embedded in legislation: in the Wellbeing of Future Generations Act. The provisions of this Act mean that in Wales, sustainable travel is travel that benefits, or does the least harm to: our environment, prosperity, health, levels of equality, social cohesion and culture.

There is a widely accepted hierarchy of sustainable travel with the most sustainable modes at the top and the least sustainable at the bottom.

The element at the top of the hierarchy, homeworking, has increased significantly as a result of the major changes wrought in our society, particularly in the world of work, by the Covid pandemic. At the 2021 Census, 25.6% of the Welsh workforce worked mainly from home, compared to 5.3% at the 2011 Census.  However, amongst those still travelling to work the car is by far and away the dominant mode of transport in Wales. 56.5% of the Welsh workforce travel to work by car, compared with 44.5% in England. If we exclude those working from home, then the percentage of workers driving to their workplace increases to 75.9%.

The car dominates our transport system and will continue to do so. For many of our members it is an essential tool for their daily lives. Moving to a more sustainable travel system does not mean getting rid of the car but trying to mitigate some of the damage caused by our over reliance on this one mode of transport. This guide is about how to enable members to have the ability to choose other, more sustainable modes.

What are the key issues when considering the sustainability of travel?

The environment

Climate Change. In Wales, transport accounts for 15% of climate changing emissions.
Cars account for over half of those emissions. Air pollution from transport also contributes to nature loss and impacts negatively on ecosystems

Health

Trade unionists have long known that health owes much to the environment we live and work in. Trade unionists led the fight for clean air in the workplace. However, the quality of the air we breathe outside the workplace, in our towns and cities is a growing cause for concern.

According to Public Health Wales, each year around 1000 - 1,400 avoidable deaths in Wales are due to air pollution, both in the form of NO2 and particulate matter. South Wales has the UK's fourth worst levels of air pollution according to the latest figures. The primary source of both NO2, and particulate matter pollutants is vehicle emissions, especially those from diesel powered vehicles. Additionally, tyres and brakes produce harmful particles. Helping to reduce the number of car journeys will therefore have a positive impact on your members' health.

Our increasing reliance on the car as a means of getting about has also contributed to a serious rise in physical inactivity. Wales has the lowest physical activity levels in Britain, resulting in obesity and a whole range of illnesses that are estimated to cost the Welsh NHS £35 million each year to treat. Encouraging your members to switch from driving to active travel for short journeys or a combination of active travel and public transport for longer journeys can provide significant health benefits, both physical and mental.

Equalities

The car’s domination of our transport system over the past seven decades has resulted in our communities being designed around the assumption that services and employment will be accessed by car. Yet nearly a fifth of households in Wales, often families on low incomes, don’t have access to a car. Many young people find affording a car particularly difficult because of the high cost of insurance. Given how many workplaces can only be accessed by car, this can make starting or restarting a career even more problematic.

Women are less likely to have access to a car in Wales. A report by Chwarae Teg, Working Women’s Journeys, found that whilst 80% of men aged 17 or over in Wales have a full driving licence, that figure drops to 67% for women. Economically inactive women are the group least likely to have access to a car, making it more difficult for them to gain employment.

The negative impacts of high levels of car use have a greater impact on less well-off people, even though poorer people are less likely to own a car. Statistics show that poorer people are far more likely to be injured in collisions with cars: ‘Children in more deprived wards are four times more likely to be hit by a car compared with the least deprived wards’.

The air quality problems caused by road traffic also tend to be worse in poorer areas:

“On the one hand, people in the least deprived communities are more likely to have a car than those in the most deprived areas. On the other, the impact of pollution (particularly NO2) is felt more in deprived areas, which tend to be located closer to main highways, have a higher proportion of “imported” traffic (from less deprived areas), and have a higher proportion of people with chronic illness which makes them more vulnerable to air pollution exposure.”

Source: Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, Moving forwards: healthy travel for all in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, 2017

High levels of car ownership are also a key factor in the decline of bus services; services which are disproportionately important to less well-off people.

People with disabilities will often find travel to work challenging.  It is vitally important that the needs of current and future workers with disabilities are fully taken into account when designing travel facilities.

Prosperity

Our economy depends on the free flow of goods, but our roads are often clogged up by single occupancy cars.  This congestion is currently estimated to cost Wales £2bn per annum. 

The employer’s agenda

Many employers in Wales, particularly in the public sector, are under pressure to take a more sustainable approach to travel.  To ensure that union negotiators are on the front foot in any discussions with management about a transition to greener travel, it is essential that members have a clear understanding of all the issues involved and the best options for them and their workplace.

Taking Action

The type of actions that can be taken will be dependent on the location and individual circumstances of each workplace.

Introduction

Workplaces in rural areas may have little public transport and, with workers often travelling longer distances, active travel may be a less attractive option. However, even in those situations there may be members who do live close enough to the workplace to walk or cycle.

Electric bikes, which are becoming increasing popular and affordable, make cycling longer distances much easier and can even ‘flatten out’ hills. There may also be public transport options or even car sharing.  At the very least, consideration should be given to providing charging facilities for electric cars.

It is also important to remember that even small changes can be helpful. Cycling or walking instead of driving just once or twice a week will still bring health and environmental benefits.

Engagement is key

Use the model travel survey (related documents) to find out how your members currently travel and what needs to change for them to be prepared to try an alternative mode. Encourage discussion about the issues in this guide and how they affect your members and their families. It will be much easier to make a case to management if you have a good understanding of your members views and know the types of changes they will support.

If you are successful in making changes let your members know about them. Make sure that any new facilities for sustainable travel such as bike stands, showers and lockers are prominently advertised so that people are encouraged to use them.

Try to have information on sustainable travel to work included in induction materials and welcome packs. It is often easier to change people's mode of travel when the journey itself changes, such as when starting at a new workplace. 

Workplace travel plans

The workplace travel plan should incorporate all the measures being put in place to encourage more sustainable travel choices. Successful travel plans need wide support to succeed. They need to be seen to be fair, be backed by concrete support for change from the company, and be clearly communicated, including listening and responding to concerns.

Introduction

A useful guide on how to write a travel plan is available on the TravelKnowHow Scotland website. The first step should be setting up a working party or steering group to make sure the travel plan gets the right input and support across the organisation. This could be a Joint Environment Committee or a standalone committee, but either way it would need to involve the facilities manager, personnel manager, union rep, fleet manager, communications manager and managers of any departments whose work generates business mileage.

Gathering the right data is vital to support this, such as:

• site audit
• staff discussion group
• local transport information
• relevant resources, such as car sharing databases
• staff travel survey
• business travel data
• mapping where staff live

Travel plans – bargaining checklist

1. Do your research (see the ‘Resources’ section further down the page) to make sure you’re not outmanoeuvred and can take the initiative on negotiations if necessary.
2. Raise awareness among members about the more beneficial kinds of Staff Travel Plan packages that can be achieved and the reasons why reducing car use is important.
3. Where there is a proposed change to one aspect of travel-related terms and conditions (for example, car parking fees), this is an opportunity to argue for a coherent, well-developed travel plan, rather than piecemeal measures introduced under the guise of ‘green’ policy.
4. Where employers are initiating a travel plan, seek to be closely involved throughout its development.
5. Make sure you get clear agreement on terms of reference at the start of travel plan negotiations, which assure staff that the aim is to produce a travel plan with benefits to workers as well as to employers and the environment.
6. Ensure equality impacts are considered. Consideration should be given to different protected characteristics alongside other equality and fairness considerations (eg impacts on lower-paid workers and people with caring responsibilities). Adjustments should be made where necessary.
7. Ensure employers understand that if they want to have a real impact on car use, the most effective measures will include financial incentives.
8. Make sure you get to see anonymous data resulting from management’s staff travel surveys.
9. Remember that this is a great opportunity to raise the union’s profile.

Key Dates for Sustainable Travel

Linking in with national events, when the media will be talking about travel, is a great way to raise the profile of your work. These are some of the most important dates:

Bike Week	Usually in June
Walk to School Week	Usually in May
National Walking Month	Usually May
Cycle to Work Day	Usually in August
World Bicycle Day	3 June
World Car Free Day	22 September

Promoting and enabling walking and cycling to work

A report by the World Health Organisation found that:

• walking for 30 minutes or cycling for 20 minutes on most days reduces mortality risk by at least 10%;
• active commuting is associated with about a 10% decrease in risk for cardiovascular disease and a 30% decrease in type 2 diabetes risk; and
• cancer-related mortality is 30% lower among bike commuters.

See also the Cycling UK website for the health benefits of cycling and Living Streets’ website for walking.

Listed below are some of the practical steps that can be taken to make walking and cycling a more attractive option.

Raising awareness

Many members will be unaware of the most convenient walking and cycling routes between their workplace and home or public transport stops. Similarly, people accustomed to travelling by car may not be aware of how little time it can take to walk to local destinations.

Many local authorities produce walking and cycling maps that can be pinned on noticeboards. Simple notices giving walking and cycling times from the workplace to key destinations can be very effective.

Infrastructure

People’s readiness to walk and particularly cycle will be greatly influenced by the availability of safe routes.

Having to share roadspace with heavy, fast moving traffic is a major disincentive.

Wales’ Active Travel Act requires local authorities to develop plans for networks of safe and convenient walking and cycling routes. These plans, known as Active Travel Network Maps, have to be updated every three years and should map routes to most workplaces, at least in urban areas.

Contact your local council for more information on how you can have your say on the Active Travel Network Map. 

Cycle parking

One of the most important considerations for people thinking about cycling to work is the availability of secure, weatherproof parking for their bike.

Ideally, a bike pump and some basic tools should also be available for loan in the cycle storage area. It is worth remembering that six bikes can be parked in the space taken by one car.

Changing facilities

People will find it easier to make longer journeys by bike if there are changing facilities and, ideally, showers available at the workplace.

Cyclists and walkers will also appreciate somewhere to store their wet weather clothing.

Help to buy a bike

To make the purchase of a bike and accessories more affordable, employers can give staff access to the UK Government’s Cycle to Work scheme.

This is a salary sacrifice scheme that allows employees to make savings of between 31 percent and 41 percent on the purchase of a bike and equipment such as locks and helmets.

Companies may administer the scheme themselves or use an external specialist company, such as cyclescheme.co.uk, evanscycles.com or halfords.co.uk.

Training

Many people who would like to start cycling, lack confidence, particularly if the journey to work involves using busy roads.

British Cycling has a series of videos to help people negotiate their cycle ride to work.

Some Welsh local authorities, for example Cardiff, offer cycle training for adults, contact your local authority for more information.

There is also a network of centres that specialise in providing cycle training for people with a disability including: Bikeability in Swansea and Pedal Power in Cardiff.

Bicycle User Group

This can be simply a group of people in a workplace who have an interest in cycling and want to help encourage others to give it a try.

This type of peer support can be very effective in convincing new staff take up the activity. All the group will require from the employer is a space to meet and a noticeboard where they can advertise their activities.

More ambitious BUGs may:

• Recommend traffic-free or quiet routes to and from work
• Provide tips on repairs and maintenance
• Help novice cyclists by acting as 'bike buddies' on their journey to and from work
• Order and supply leaflets/maps etc
• Meet with management to talk about cycling
• Organise rides, events, presentations etc

Workplace Walking Groups

Could be established on a similar basis to the Bicycle User Groups.

Walking Champions

Living Streets’ Walking Works programme provides training for walking champions in the workplace who encourage and inform colleagues on how to walk to work.

Accreditation

To give organisations a goal to aim for, Cycling UK has created a Cycle Friendly Employer accreditation scheme.

The process starts with a self-evaluation using the free online tool. Cycling UK would welcome enquiries from TU reps who are interested in finding out more about the scheme before engaging with the employer.

There is also a useful short guide to overcoming some of the barriers to cycling to work on the Cycling UK website.

Combining with public transport

Linking active travel with public transport can make it an even more effective alternative to car journeys.

You cannot take non-folding bikes on buses in Wales nor on many rush-hour trains. However, you can usually take folding bikes.

Another alternative is to have a second bike, preferably an older, not very valuable bike, locked to a bike rack in the station; using it just for the journey from the station to work and back.

Transport for Wales are developing plans to improve walking and cycling access at all Welsh stations.

Promoting and enabling public transport

Journeys by public transport produce significantly lower carbon emissions than single occupancy cars. This difference will increase as Wales moves towards its target of a zero-emissions bus fleet by 2028.

Public transport users also obtain some health benefits from the physical activity needed to walk or cycle to and from the bus stop or train station. The costs of public transport costs can compare well with commuting by car.

Many trade unions have negotiated with employers to secure fare subsidies along with salary advances for the purchase of season tickets.

Buses

Bus services have been in long term decline in Wales; the Covid pandemic has accelerated this decline.

In 2018-19 there were 91 million passenger journeys by bus, following the pandemic that number had fallen to 52.3 million (2019-20). However they are still the most important form of public transport, providing almost three times as many passenger journeys as Wales’ rail services.

A frequent barrier to people shifting to bus travel is a lack of information on available routes and fares.

Traveline Cymru is an organisation established by Welsh Government and transport operators to provide information on public transport in Wales. They provide a range of services for organisations wishing to make greater use of public transport. They also offer a training service for organisations who would like to raise awareness of how to use Traveline Cymru. They would welcome approaches from green reps. Email marketing@traveline.cymru for more information.

If there isn’t a convenient local bus route to your workplace but you believe you can demonstrate demand for one, it may be worth contacting your local council who are responsible for keeping routes under review.
 

Trains

Since the Beeching cuts in the 1960s only a few areas of Wales have access to local train services. However, in South East Wales the new Metro project is expected to see a major increase in rail travel.

Almost all services that begin and end in Wales are operated by Transport for Wales, which is owned by the Welsh Government. They have committed to replacing many of the existing diesel trains with electric or battery powered models and have pledged to procure 100% of their electricity from zero-carbon sources, with 50% of this generated in Wales.

For more information on the development of rail services and advice on multi-journey discounts and timetables, visit the TfW website here.

More information on plans the South Wales Metro can be found here.

Reducing the impact of car use

There are ways of mitigating the negative environmental impact of the car without moving to a different mode.

Electric powered vehicles

Electric powered cars give rise to significantly fewer emissions than petrol or diesel versions and have less of an impact on air quality. There are various government schemes to promote electric vehicles in preparation for the ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars planned for 2035. The UK Government’s EV chargepoint grant provides funding of up to 75% towards the cost of installing electric vehicle smart chargepoints at domestic properties.   

There is also support for installing electric vehicle charge points in workplaces through the Workplace Charging Scheme. However electric cars do no nothing for Wales congestion problems and have none of the health benefits of active travel. Even with government grants they are also more expensive than conventional cars putting them beyond the reach of many members. 

There are also ethical concerns about the supply chain for electric vehicles which need to be addressed. International trade unions and the ILO have raised concerns over workers’ and human rights abuses in the mining of materials for batteries. 

Another way of reducing carbon and also congestion is to cut the number of cars travelling to the workplace by lift sharing. More information on how this can work can be found on the shared transport organisation CoMoUK’s website. CoMoUK also have information on using car clubs and car hire that can reduce pressure on parking facilities.

Car use

Unions report that the most contentious elements of travel plans are normally where employers have large uncontrolled car parking that staff use. The criteria for access to car parking should be based on job requirements and transport needs – not seniority.

Employers should provide an appeals process for individuals who believe they are particularly disadvantaged by any scheme of car parking charges and restrictions.

Workers issued with permits might include people who:

• have a mobility problem
• need to use a car in the course of their work (but consider whether a car-pool could be an alternative)
• are car sharing
• work out of hours
• have no realistic alternative, eg no bus route and too far to walk
• have responsibilities as carers (eg dropping off children) that cannot be met using available public transport

Charges can be made more acceptable by:

• making it clear that parking revenue will be used to pay for improving other travel options
• setting parking fees on a sliding scale so that higher earners pay more
• offering a travel allowance or redeemable vouchers; staff can then choose whether to spend the allowance on parking or save money by using other forms of transport
• offering staff a compensatory one-off income adjustment at the introduction of charges

Workers should expect, and be offered, a combination of financial, and other incentives to use alternatives to sole car use BEFORE they are presented with additional costs such as parking fees.

UCU green rep’s campaign for sustainable travel at Cardiff University and PCS reps and members winning support for cycling to work

Cardiff University

Paul Rock has been the UCU Environmental Representative at Cardiff University for seven years. One of his first actions when he took on the role was to conduct a survey of members. This gave him the data he needed to demonstrate the type of changes his members would support, significantly strengthening his bargaining position.

Travel issues made up a significant part of the concerns raised by members and they have been a constant priority for Paul. He has a place on the university’s Environmental Management Steering Group and its Climate Emergency Task and Finish Group. He strongly believes in the importance of working with other trade unions and the students’ union to secure the best deal for his members.

Thanks to their efforts the university now provides a range of measures supporting greener travel including: free use of Ovo Bikes (a Cardiff scheme similar to Santander bikes in London); an interest free loan scheme for the purchase of public transport season tickets; and a new Cycle to Work scheme under which bike purchase is subsidised by the government through the tax system.

Paul is currently campaigning for more secure covered bike parking on university estate and is pushing the university to move to a greater use of trains rather than planes for attending international conferences. One of his thorniest problems is the allocation of limited car parking spaces. He is campaigning for a fairer, needs based points system and for charges to be strictly proportional to income.

Welsh Government

Stephen Gray is the PCS Environmental Representative at Welsh Government’s offices in Cathays Park, Cardiff. However, whilst he holds the job title he is very clear that he relies on a team of members who help him carry out the work.

Working together, the team has pushed hard to improve facilities for cyclists at Welsh Government. And they’ve secured some key improvements. Particularly in improved cycle storage, access to the Cycle to Work subsidised bike purchase scheme and free use of the Ovo Bike cycle hire scheme.

Like lots of PCS members, they are keen supporters of the Bicycle User Group and have worked in partnership with the group and Sustrans to promote cycling to work during Bike Week. They have introduced a weekly monitoring system for cyclists and their monitoring shows a level of cycling to work that is over twice the average for Wales.

The team see their work on sustainable travel as an important way of promoting the union. Their plans for future improvement include securing staff discounts on Cardiff Bus fares and more and better changing facilities for cyclists.

Work related travel - Action plan

Step 1: Research

• Conduct a travel survey to find out how your members currently choose to travel and why.
• Find out about the available sustainable travel options, see the suggestions in this guide. What might work in your workplace?

Step 2: Engage

• Discuss your research findings with your members. Find out the type of changes they will support.
• Encourage wider discussion. Bring in external experts like Traveline Cymru.
• Talk to other unions and other members of any relevant committees in your workplace.

Step 3: Plan

• Pull together your ideas for what should be in a travel plan.
• You don’t have to be too ambitious at the first attempt, small changes can be helpful as long as they benefit your members.

Step 4: Negotiate

• Ensure you have a clear basis for negotiation with management and an understanding that the aim is to produce a travel plan with benefits to workers as well as to employers and the environment.

Step 5: Consolidate

• When you secure improvements, make sure your members know about them, and that their union made them happen.
• Consider putting in place, with support from management, a programme of events to coincide with key national sustainable travel dates.
  • For example, give a free cup of coffee to everybody who arrives by bike during cycle to work week.
• Get accreditation. Have your changes formally recognised by, for example, working with Cycling UK to have your workplace declared “Cycle Friendly”

Sources of further information

CoMoUK

CoMoUK: an organisation that promotes shared transport including lift shares and car and bike sharing.

Cycling UK

Cycling UK: A cycling organisation whose website contains lots of useful information on the health and environmental benefits of two wheeled travel.

Living Streets

Living Streets: An organisation that promotes the benefits of walking.  They also offer a workplace travel planning service.

Sustrans Cymru

Sustrans Cymru: The charity that aims to make it easier for people to walk and cycle.  Their website is a great source of information and advice on all walking and cycling matters.

Transport for Wales

Transport for Wales: Information on timetables and fares for train services in Wales.

Traveline Cymru

Traveline Cymru: Information on public transport timetables and fares.  The site also has a cycle route planner.

Welsh Cycling

Welsh Cycling: A Wales based organisation ‘providing support to all cyclists, however they ride.’

Welsh Local Authorities

Welsh Local Authorities: local authorities have a key role in transport in Wales and are an important source of advice and information.  Click here to find the website of your council.