As we reach the third anniversary of the first lockdown, when many of us first experienced regular homeworking, Markides Associates now have an established routine of hybrid working, with most staff in-office two or three days per week.
We recognise the importance of maintaining face-to-face contact with colleagues and clients, both in terms of working and social interaction, but also appreciate the benefits of not having to commute so regularly, and it seems we’re far from alone in this approach.
Results of an 'Opinions and Lifestyle Survey' undertaken in early 2022 presented by the Office for National Statistics, found that, when government guidance to work from home was lifted, more than 8 in 10 workers who had been obligated to work from home during lockdown said they planned to hybrid work in future.
Additional findings from early 2022 included:
- Indications that car travel was still not back to pre-pandemic levels - working from home was playing a critical part in reducing traffic levels;
- Evidence of falls in car ownership, with a significant increase in the number of households reducing from owning two cars to one; and
- Public transport experiencing a greater impact than travel by car, in particular rail travel since office-based commuters and business travel have been most likely to switch to virtual or hybrid working.
Referencing London in particular, transport use timeseries data shows that in July 2022, London bus use was 85% of the levels of pre-pandemic use and underground use 70%. Less recent data from the 2021 National Travel Survey (shown below) highlighted a dramatic fall in commuting miles per person per year in London, from approximately 1,300 miles in 2019 to around 700-800 miles per person in 2020 and 2021. Nearly 500 miles fewer, mainly as a result of the lockdowns.
Markides Associates’ Experience
Being based in Central London, many MA staff travel to the office by train and have noticed how patronage levels on a Monday and Friday are much lower compared to levels Tuesday to Thursday. I myself have also noticed that Thursday seems to have become the new Friday, as I cycle past office workers spilling out on to the street having an after-work drink on a Thursday evening.
To help understand the wider implications of homeworking from a transport consultant’s perspective, Markides Associates have recently undertaken a staff travel survey. It focussed on the changing commuting habits of those staff who commuted daily until March 2020, comparing against the travel patterns associated with our new hybrid working arrangement.
The aims of the survey were not only to quantify the obvious savings in time spent commuting, but also to understand some of the wider effects such as:
- The impact upon the level of weekly active travel undertaken;
- Effects on the level of linked trip-making as part of commuting trips; and
- The knock-on effect of personal travel patterns throughout the week.
Staff Travel Survey – Pre and Post-Pandemic Travel Patterns
Focussing on those staff currently employed by MA, the chart below provides an illustration of our overall modal split, based upon distance travelled by each mode to and from the office. Predominantly, staff travel by public transport, but there are also relatively high levels of active travel compared to Census data. Analysis based on the Census-based methodology of the mode with the longest distance yields an even higher public transport share of 93%.
For those staff employed by MA at the start of the pandemic and still undertaking the same journey to the office, albeit on a less frequent basis, analysis has been undertaken to identify reductions in commuting kilometres. In a typical week, the total commuting kilometre reductions travelled by mode have been calculated as follows:
- Walking – 75km
- Cycling – 33km
- Public Transport – 1,416km
- Car – 44km
There are 2 obvious conclusions from this analysis:
- There has been a marked reduction in active travel which forms part of daily commuting and
- Also a reduction in vehicle-based travel which has implications for emissions savings - primarily the reduction has resulted from less travel by public transport as not many staff drove to work to begin with.
The reductions in car and public transport kilometres travelled have been reviewed in line with the Government’s latest ‘Greenhouse gas reporting: conversion factors 2022’, to derive total weekly CO2 emissions savings, these having been calculated as:
- Public Transport – 50.3kg
- Car – 7.5kg
However, it is important to note that public transport-based emissions savings can only be considered as personal savings, given that public transport services still operate whether our staff travel to work or not. Nevertheless, across the country, there are likely to be public transport-based emissions savings, which will have arisen as a result of some reductions in services due to falls in commuting demand as a result of the pandemic. One such instance of this has been at a residential development for which we act as the Travel Plan Coordinator, where a London commuter coach service that served the development has been axed, in addition to a reduction in service frequency of a local bus service. The downside to this is it has likely resulted in increased car mileage amongst residents, and more single-occupancy trips.
How Healthy?
Staff were questioned whether the reduction in the level of walking and cycling they undertake as part of their daily commute has led them to undertake additional physical activity at other times of the week. A considerable number of staff reported that the time savings made from commuting less had allowed them to undertake more walking and cycling as a leisure activity during the week, with some of these habits being a legacy from activities adopted during the pandemic. However, the overall consensus is that the increased level of active travel in leisure time has not been enough to compensate for the reduction in active travel as part of a daily commute.
Subsequently, staff were also questioned whether their changing commuting patterns had led to a change in other travel habits at other times of the day or week. Some of the key findings from this questioning were:
- “I used to link trips such as shopping as part of commute, but now shop more locally.”
- “I now undertake less shopping linked to work trips, having got used to online shopping during the lockdowns.”
So, what has this exercise shown us?
Our own observations are in keeping with many of the patterns which have been recorded at the national level, in particular the reduced amount of commuting and business travel, which have implications for time and emissions savings, as well as public transport service levels. However, the findings are wider and more nuanced than this.
Working in Central London, active travel, in particular walking, is likely to form a considerable part of most people’s commute, as they walk to, from and within public transport interchanges. These distances add up and the removal of this regular weekday morning and evening activity requires substituting at other times of the day and week if overall active travel distances are to be maintained. However, most people don't make up the difference and for some, the passive exercise of commuting made up a notable proportion of their weekly movement.
Additionally, the removal of linked-trip making (e.g., shopping) as part of commuting trips can lead to additional trip-making at other times of the day or week, with these potentially undertaken by car as opposed to being public transport/walking based.
Interested in Undertaking your own Staff Travel Survey?
The research has been a useful exercise to understand some of the wider implications of the pandemic on both commuting and non-commuting travel patterns.
Markides Associates have undertaken and analysed many staff travel surveys as part of our work in understanding various organisations’ existing commuting patterns and the mode split of their employees. This has allowed us to understand the baseline travel situation of an organisation who might be looking to expand their premises or staffing. We have also collected such information as part of developing Travel Plans to help inform potential demand for initiatives such as car-sharing or providing shuttle bus connections.
Gathering such information is useful in terms of preparing Transport Statements/Assessments and Travel Plans as part of planning applications and discharging planning conditions, including BREEAM.
Contact us today if you would like us to assist in understanding your organisation’s existing travel habits, whether it be to inform development aspirations, initiatives you may be looking to introduce such as a car share database, or simply for the purposes of knowing more.
