Cutting Unnecessary Journeys Could Boost Economy Says IME Report

Thursday, January 7, 2016 - 15:16
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The Institution Of Mechanical Engineers have concluded that we need a joint effort from the Government and private sector to reduce peak-time travel. Their research suggests that the current approach the Governments current policy is “fixated on the idea that idea that public transport is always better than private” and doesn’t go far enough to getting to the route of the issue; reducing the need to travel.

The report suggests options for legislation surrounding more flexible working environments to reduce the need to travel at peak times. Laptops, smart phones, and skype meetings can all help to reduce the need to make journeys at all and certainly allow for great flexibility with the time that we are making journeys.

The report doesn’t just focus on reducing the demands on our roads but also encourages improvement to infrastructure stating, “The UK’s transport networks have evolved largely to cater for passenger journeys. The essential movement of the goods those people want and need to live, work and play has been treated as an afterthought. Good infrastructure for freight transport is essential for the UK’s long-term competitiveness, survival and growth.”

The institution urges and rethink of the full system, urging the Government to take the lead and assist the private sector to play their part: “Government must show leadership and introduce policies that reduce demand on the transport network by encouraging car sharing, local commercial network collaboration by companies and more flexible working hours.”

The full report can be found here:
http://www.imeche.org/docs/default-source/position-statements-transport/integrated-transport-policy-statement.pdf?sfvrsn=0

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