Smarter Commuting all next week

22 October 2008

Commute Smart Week starts on Sunday October 26. It will focus, against a background of economic turmoil, on the major benefits to business and employees of smarter working and commuting.

Starting the day after the clocks go back, the week will also highlight a number of ways of avoiding the misery of travelling to and from work in the dark.Trying alternative ways of commuting, such as cycling or walking, can also help reduce congestion and public transport overcrowding, and at the same time significantly improve health and wellbeing.

Smarter working practices, such as working from home and staggering work starting and finishing times, can help reduce the number of journeys or avoid peak travel congestion.The knock-on effect of reducing overall traffic congestion and public transport overcrowding by extending the rush hour and reducing peak demand through smarter working and commuting will make the daily journey to work more bearable for those workers who have no choice when and how to travel.

National Commute Smart Week this year will have five themes, one for each weekday:
· Flexible working and travel plans
· Walking (get off a stop or station early and walk)
· Cycling (why spend hours in the gym?)
· Health benefits of smarter working and commuting
· Road congestion and road safety (including car sharing)
Smarter working and commuting may also help mitigate the significant increase in deaths and injuries that occur on our roads during the winter.

A number of spokespersons will be available from Work Wise UK and from organisations which successfully practise smarter working, both national and regional.

Work Wise UK will be publishing a series of tips and guidance on working smarter. Further details about Work Wise UK can be found on the website (www.workwiseuk.org).