The Smart Commuting program is a behaviour change program which aims to increase the number and frequency of employees choosing to travel to work by Active Transport.
The program engages with workplaces to break down the barriers to more people cycling and walking to and from work more often.
Whether as individuals, community members, road users or employees, we all have a responsibility to be responsive and alert to the issues facing society today - in particular climate change and health. Cycling and Walking have a positive impact on both these issues. The Smart Commuting program provides guidance and support to workplaces in developing and expanding their cycling culture and equips employees with the ability to ride or walk safely to work.
Anyone within your organisation can be a part of the Smart Commuting behaviour change program, regardless of whether the promotion of active travel is on your agenda.
The 'end result' of the smart commuting program are threefold, they are:
- Decrease in the amount of greenhouse emissions and number of cars on the road by increasing number and frequency of trips to and from work using a bicycle or walking
- Improve the health and well being of employees by enhancing physical activity opportunities
- Alleviate congestion on roads at morning and afternoon peak times
The Smart Commuting program incorporates the model of event based behaviour change coupled with the principles of community based social marketing. Having events regularly, such as Ride to Work Day, encourages people to contemplate, prepare for and trial the ride-to-work experience, then to maintain that behaviour after the event. Throughout the year Smart Commuting program engages with workplaces to break down the barriers to more employees cycling to and from work. This method requires examination of the barriers to a particular behaviour, development of approaches to overcome the barriers, small pilots to test the approaches and a continuous improvement cycle of evaluation, adaptation and redesign backed by rigorous collection of data.