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 Post subject: Green Transport Week ?
PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:44 
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First I have heard of it.... :lol:

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Britain's Top Companies Get Greener as Staff Get on Their Bikes: Results of Green Transport Week Survey
LONDON, June 6 -- Britain's leading companies have improved their green credentials, according to a survey by the Environmental Transport Association (ETA), the ethical alternative breakdown service. This announcement marks the 12th annual Green Transport Week created by the ETA to highlight real alternatives to the car for every day journeys.
National Grid Transco, British Land and Legal and General are among the best performers in a survey of 45 of the FSTE 100 companies which measured the "greenness" of their environmental and transport policies.
The overall results show that 73 per cent of the respondents scored over 50 points out of a possible 100, compared with 65 per cent when the survey was last conducted eight years ago. Two-thirds of respondents say that reducing transport's environmental impact is part of their company's core business strategy.
Innovative schemes to reduce the use of cars and encourage staff to use public transport or use cycles have underpinned the improvement. British Airways, British Land and Prudential encourage employees to use bikes by paying a cycle mileage allowance for business travel.
Andrew Davis, director of the ETA said: "This is good news and the type of scheme the ETA encourages other companies to consider. The FTSE companies could take a lead from companies such as Pfizer, the largest supplier of medicines to the NHS. It offers a flat payment of GBP5 per day for all staff who use a "green" form of transport to get to work, at its headquarters in Surrey, either walking, bus, car share (only applies to passengers) or cycling. Pfizer are actually giving staff a financial incentive to leave their cars at home.
"Two-thirds of respondents now provide alternative transport schemes for staff, such as dedicated bus services or car-sharing. Disappointingly, however, most companies who responded are not making more effort to restrict the allocation of company cars or free parking."
22 per cent of respondents, including Cadbury Schweppes and Reed Elsevier, offer interest-free loans for cycles. Others, such as Friends Provident, offer discounts on cycles while B&Q also provides free cycle safety training.




The sting in the tail...
Quote:
Disappointingly, however, most companies who responded are not making more effort to restrict the allocation of company cars or free parking


Make motoring more difficult, looks like they have shown their true colours... :x

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 11:52 
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Location: Near Telford, UK / Barcelona, Spain
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.. British Airways, British Land and Prudential encourage employees to use bikes by paying a cycle mileage allowance for business travel.


Oh yeah... I can just see it... Enter stage left, Board of Directors of BA arriving for a "business" meeting at the Treasury... In their capes and souwesters, covered in sh*t and road-grime... :twisted:

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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:06 
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Location: West Midlands
Our company is doing it - sort of.

When the "new" offices were opened (well leased), with a wide choice of potential locations they selected one with 125 parking spaces and 750 desks! On-site parking allocation is of-course like gold dust, and the selection policy can be crazy with some that could walk having spaces and others from 40 miles away not having one. If you don't have an on-site space, then you can use the town long-term pay and display at £2-60 per day (refunded), but have to either walk the extra mile or take a bus which only runs between 7 - 10am and 4 -7pm.

Lots of BS about green policy, encouraging public transport/walking/cycling etc, but the real truth is that it is all about money: lease was cheap (who wants offices with no parking), and I expect that public car park use is offset against business rates.

The down side of it is that being an IT company, significant numbers have laptops + briefcase, and walking is a real pain in the back (literally), so don't work later than the busses are running. The same applies to multiple change public transport (e.g. 20 minute walk from train station to office), problems with crowded trains, plus security concerns with expensive equipment.

I drive in from 27 miles away and the average each-way journey time is over an hour; used to be 23 miles and took 40 mins average. So we are all delighted about the extra 3 hours 20 taken out of our free time each week without compensation. It has also destroyed many options for lunch time activity, for example I used to take in my golf clubs and go down to a range 2 or 3 times a week, but now I can't because it takes 40 minutes just to get to my car and back, then leave the car park and have to get a new ticket on return (not compensated).

End result? Well I am much greener - I invested in broadband (off-set against my petrol - not paid for by company) and do most of my work from home when the project allows. I have only been into the office 4 times this year.


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 Post subject:
PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:11 
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Rewolf wrote:
I have only been into the office 4 times this year.

Not so easy if you are a nurse like my wife. At the Hospital they have just started to charge for parking taking her entire wage increase this year back in parking charges. Some of the staff have taken to parking on the nearby housing estate....nice one NHS!

As for me...If the company cannot provide parking for me they obviously don't want me. No problem, time to move on... :wink:

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PostPosted: Mon Jun 06, 2005 12:31 
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Location: West Midlands
Final Salary Pension, and a higher than average salary. Have started thinking about elsewhere, but hard to find an equivalent financial package.


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