Green travel

The LSA supports green travel. Green travel is any form of transport that causes less damage to the environment and community than driving.

The main recognised forms of green travel are walking, cycling and using public transport. Other green alternatives include car sharing, tuning up your car, or driving a car that runs off cleaner fuel than petrol or diesel.

Employee travel and the LSA Protocol

The scope of the LSA’s carbon footprint protocol includes data on business travel, which can be obtained through analysis of internal information. This data can be analysed to ascertain whether more sustainable modes of travel can be used, or travel can preferably be reduced, for example by increased use of tele- or video-conferencing.

The LSA Protocol does not include employee commuting, because the data is very difficult both to gather and to verify. However, we do encourage firms to look at how their employees travel, so that they can consider how to support them in finding more sustainable alternatives, ideally through a travel plan.

Travel Plans

A Travel Plan is a term used to describe a co-ordinated package of strategies and measures aimed at promoting sustainable transport to, from and within a particular site. The plan is a dynamic process that evolves, should be reviewed and revised over time.

A travel survey is the ideal starting point for firms wanting to implement a travel plan. It can help to build up a picture of your staff, how they travel and how you can support them, eg by promoting flexible working or by providing more cycle racks. We have developed an employee travel survey, based on samples of surveys which LSA members have used, and we hope you will find this a useful tool in helping to get a sense of how your employees travel and how you might work with them to explore greener options.