Sophisticated Transportation Solutions Using Inexpensive and Effective Methods To Beat Peak Hour

 

 

m

Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat Informatie en Documentatie Postbus 20901 2500 X Oen Haag Tel. 070.3517086 / Fax. 070 3516430

Sophisticate Sophistica ted d transp ortation sol utions Using inexpensi inexpensive ve an d effective methods to beat pea k-hour congestion congestion

Transportation demand management policy document

August 1996

 

Policy docum e nt summ a ry Transport policy is geared prim arily to the challenge of a chieving the best pos possibl siblee comb ination o f prosp erity, acces accessibi sibilit lityy and quality o f life. The transportation dem and managem ent (TDM) approach i s a too l for achieving this objective by influencing com mu ting p atterns. As ssuch uch it is a welcome addition addition t o projects for building new infrastructure and optim izing utilization of th e capacity we alrea already dy have. Besi Besides des being relatively inexpensive, T D M also also places rresponsibilities esponsibilitiesclos closee to where they belong namely, compan ies, which d o after aall1 generate the commu ter traffic. T The he key to succ succes esss lies lies in cha nging mob ility p atterns and the types of transport that employees choose. Cove rnme nt see sees its own task task prima rily aass tha t of creating a framew ork fo r innovative soluti solutions ons and ffacilit acilitating ating their introduction. introduction. Gove rnmen t's invita tion to com panies and institutions is lou d and cl clear ear.. The message mess age is for the m t o accept the challenge n ot just just o f recognizing their responsibi respons ibilit lityy for the problem o f traffic congestion b ut als alsoo taki ng effecti effective ve a ction to solve it. In so doin g they wil1 wil1 be contributing to th e prevention of further damage to th e economy and society society as as a whole. From the outset, the path chosen by government has has been one o f inspiring and motivating. The substance substance of the TD M approach consist consistss in joint action between th e public and private sectors. Activit Activities ies du rin g the strategy's early yea years rs have been directed mainly at gathe ring expertis expertisee and experi experience, ence, developing o ther types of transport as alternatives to single-occupant car travel as wel1 as enhancing cooperation between govern men t and business business nationally nationally an d regionall regionally. y. Nume rous pilo t projects are receiving receiving support. These range from bicycle leasing to car-pooli car-pooling, ng, from trad trade-pres e-presss inform ation to companie companiess providin g advi advice ce to employees willin g to move closer closer to wo rk. Some compani companies es no w also have hardand-fast rules on T D M matters. A vital compo nent of government's effort to communicate with business business is consul consultancy tancy,, the aim being to respond to actual needs as they arise during this phase of T D M strat strategy. egy. Resultss on the scal Result scalee desired wil1 wil1 no t be for thco min g immediately. The target scenarioo described in the Second Transport Structure Plan (SVV 11 requires scenari adjustme nt to the opp ortunities as they actually are. The num ber of compan ies operating employer tr ip reduction programs iiss increasing steadi steadily, ly, although their effectiveness effecti veness remains insufficient. Aro und 14 of companies have such a program . Tri Trials als show, however, that T D M measures measures do have the potential t o be effective, enabling firms t o reduce car kilometres effective, kilometres by an average of 1 4 % . Moreo ver, the scal scalee and im pact o f these programs can be expected .to gr ow as more and m ore firms firms em ulate the increasing numb er of e xamples they see. see. Efforts t o develop these programmes need t o b e stepped up . While result Efforts resultss certainly are bein g achieved, the scale is far from sufficient. The challenge we face is is to do a great deal more, and th at requi requires res the cooperation o f business. business. If the additional effo rt needed iiss made, th at oug ht to be possible. possible. Centra l gover nmen t wil1 l1 be providing 37 million guilders up t o the year 2000. Already, promo tion points have been set up and tr transport ansport cons consultant ultantss hired for supplying busin bus ines esse sess with the suppo rt they ne ed to implem ent their own T D M str strategi ategies. es. Other than this, there iiss little more that go vernm ent can can do within its present volunta rist approach. The bal1 is n ow firmly in the busi business ness comm unity's court. Companies no w havedo to dem they, too , bly canhave play to their their part in imp rovinesg of acc accessi bility ity.. If they not, onstrate gov ernmthat ent wil1 wi l1 proba introduce measur measures a essibil mo re compulsory nature . This avenue is already being exp lored. 2

 

h e challenge 1.1 The economy i s growing.

This increases mobility and, with it, car traffic. The n prosperity and create jobs are therefore leading to u see this in the gro wing congestion on o ur roads, especially especially durin and in the heavil heavilyy urbanized Randstad Randstad region in the west of the tim e for change. By virtue o f the very economic acti companies can influence traffic flow s directly. Ensuri Ensurinn responsibilities responsibilit ies in this respect poses poses a major challenge which transportation transportation dernand management (TDM ) w appropriate response. 1.2 TD M off to an optimistic s tart.

In 1 989 , various objectives were specified in the Second Transp W ithi n six six years aall1 companies, institutions institutions and g ov more than fif ty peopl peoplee were to have their ow n em The docum ent required the number o f car kilometres kilometres that these organi contribute to com muter flows to fall fall b y 20 , o n t 6 drop in car traffic traffic in the mo rning peak-hour. While the docum ent's authors authors derived their figures fro m expe rience in the Un ited St State atess - a country where where bo th circumstances and attitudes differ greatly from those in the Netherlands - here t oo the strategy's succ succes esss wil wil11 depend o n sp urring com panies in t0 taki ng e ffective action. 1.3 Traffi c-jam mem oranda crystal clear. clear.

These Accessibility Accessibility Progres Progresss Reports were presented to th e L ower H ouse of the Dutc h Parliament Parliament in 19 94 and 1 995. The message message is that we are ssimply imply unable to expand the road netw ork sufficiently sufficiently t o accommodate car traffic at ititss projected gro wth rates. rates. Not tha t unbridled unbridled expans expansion ion of the infrastructure is even an option for technical, environrne ntal and social reasons. Alternatives are required if impen ding gridlock is to be prevented, notab ly in the Randstad Randstad.. The reports'

3

 

conclusion is underscored by a Mcl<insey & Company investigation investigation entitl entitled ed Utilizing besides besides buildin g commissioned commissioned by the Ministry of Transport, Transport, Publi Publicc Worlts and Wate r Mana gem ent. McKinsey' McKinsey'ss prime recommendation for reducing congestion congest ion is to influence influence the way people choose ttheir heir m eans o f transport, transport, thereby effectin g a change change in mo bility patterns. 14

Managing

is

cheaperr than buil ding. cheape

Ne w infrastructure projects ar aree expensive. Using existing facilit facilities ies m ore effectively effect ively and creating creating the conditi conditions ons for employees to choose alternative alternative transport arrangements - is far cheaper. Civen th at half o f al1 comm ute r trips trips are by car, car, there is ample scope for this approach to br ing tangible bene fits. Mcl<insey & Company estimat estimatee that TD M is fifteen times times cheaper for government than building new infrastructure infrastructure would be. The co cost st of encouraging people to shift from single-occupant vehicl vehiclee (SOV) comm uting ranges ranges from four to sevent seventeen een guilders guilders for each hour tha t would otherwise have been lost throug h traffic congestion. This This compares extremely favourably wi th t he cost costss o f expanding the infrast infrastructure, ructure, which quickly ris risee to b etwee n si sixty xty and a hundred guilders guil ders per hour that w ould have been lost. lost. 1 . 5 Covernment's message message is directed mainly at employers.

Individual busin Individual business esses es aare re be ing asked to introduce those T D M strategi strategies es that are suitable suit able for the m. This can be done rapidly, rapidly, effect effectively ively and a t low cost cost.. In cooperation with other organizat organizations ions and go vernm ent agencie agenciess as wel1 as the business busi ness commu nity itself, the Transport Ministry is going a bout creat creating ing the broad support nec neces essa sary ry for T D M strategies strategies to succ succeed. eed. According t o the McKins ey rep ort referred to abo ve the result resultss aare re promising, since since changes in comm uting patterns patterns would yield yield a 20% decline in road congestion. 1 6

integrated approach makes policy effectiv e.

It is essential essential fo r transport is issue suess to be approached, investigated an d solved on an

integrated basis, especially especially in areas areas th at suffer badly fr om congestion. The selectiv selec tivee building o f ne w infrastruct infrastructure ure cannot be seen seen in isolatio isolationn fro m the need to improve use of the existing road network. Collaboration between th e authorities at regional and local level and busi business ness is needed for this integrated approach to be ar arrive rivedd a t. 1 7

Decisive action requires modernization.

As a relat relativel ivelyy new comp onen t of transport transport poli policy, cy, T D M needs further investigation, investi gation, experimentation experimentation and the development of expert expertise. ise. CarCar-pooling, pooling, cycling and public transport transport ar aree the most obvious alter alternati natives ves to SOV trips. While decision decision action action needs to be based on creat creative ive ways of encouraging employees to shift to alternatives tha t already exist, exist, types types o f transport as yet entirely novel may also have a role. This iiss the challenge - both for government and the business business community.

4

 

he invitation sheep ov er the dam and more wil1 follow. 2. 1 Get one sheep

This saying may This may not sound exactly flattering but it does have the virtue o f encapsulating he Transport Ministry's Minis try's enthusiastic respons respons initiative initi ative by nine captains captains o f Dutch industry. Acting jointly, the Transportation Demand Management Manag ement Recommendation Com body is intend intended ed to take the lead on TDM is issu sues es assume their responsibility and help reduce the s mass commuting. People generally change People change their behaviour when the particular objective really really is nec necess essar ary y Convinc Conv incing ing them t difference wil wil1 1 then be what finally final ly spurs spurs them into in to action. actio n. I Manageme nt Recommendation the Transportation Demand Management nationwide nationwi de busines business s meeting close close to the highly hi ghly central Oudenrijn Oud enrijn intersection -then undergoing reconstruction- n September 1994. attended by hundreds of company directors and promis pro mises es to promote TDM addressed. 2.2 Mass-membership organizations also addressed.

The appeal appeal for TD M strategies strategies to be implemented s not limited to individual companies comp anies.. Umbrella organizations are are also also being be ing encouraged to contribute contribu te actively. Bodie Bodies s prepared to listen include the employers' federations VNO/NCW and MK B, as wel1 wel1 as groups representi repre senting ng he h e interests of motoris m otorists ts and and the motor mo tor trade trad e such such as as the ANWB and BOVAG/RAI. Thes These e bodies recognize that, that , iiff the th e optimum combination of economic development, environmental sustainability and an efficient effic ient transport transp ort sector sector i s to be achieved, then they t oo have a role to PlaY.

 

2.3 Good exampl es are trendsetters .

This i s why, in 19 91, ever everyy govern men t depa rtmen t was instructed instructed by the Cabinet to prepare a employer trip reduction plan aimed a t reducing car us use for com mu ting and busin business ess travel. The Ministe r of the Interior Interior was given the job of coord inating tthis his initi initiative. ative. By the end o f 19 95, every every departm ent and three Hig h Councils of State had drawn u p its ow n employer trip reduction program as as required. However, individual ministries are still finding actual implementation difficult. The number of single occupant vehicles has fallen for al1 departm ents, with five departments reporting that their staff aare re driving 20 fewer car kilometres. 2.4 There are so many reasons to act.

Business is subject to certain social constraints, wit h comp anies required t o take responsibilityy for the detrimenta l effects of their activities. responsibilit activities. This is is the principle that underlies public-nuisance and environmental legislation. Companies also bear a degree of respons responsibil ibility ity for th e detrimental eff effects ects of tra ffic flows, since they help cau cause se them. W hile the gove rnme nt regards thi thiss as a decisive decisive argum ent for a pplying T D M strat strategies, egies, many individual entrepreneurs entrepreneurs have yet to recognize that they have any responsibility at all all.. For this reas reason on the M inistry o f Transport, Transport, Public Public Works and W ater M anag eme nt is expr expressl esslyy highlighting Imo ck-on benefits for firms that introdu ce TD M, notab ly regarding possible possible savi savings ngs bo th for them and their employees (lower costs costs for pro vidi ng pa rkin g facilit facilities, ies, for instance). Neither wil1 a location's accessibility accessibility be any the worse - indeed, it may even improve. company may then even be spurredd in t0 introducin g a who le ra ft of environmental measures, spurre measures, thus imp roving ititss image to the outside wor ld. 2.5 Cuttin g back on com pany parking facilities. facilities.

This is a highly e ffective way of red ucing car use. In a docum ent entitled Location Policy for Busi Businesc nesces es and Faciliti Facilities, es, central g ove rnm ent lays do wn standards for company parking facilities. A priorit priority-based y-based distinction distinction is drawn between wh at 6

 

are termed termed A and 6 locatio ns. Plac Placing ing i t s faith in coope governm ent is encouragin g compani companies es to adapt their e xisting ar arrang rangee work towards these standards as a way of implementing effective effective TDM strategies. Reducing unnecessa unnecessary ry parkin g spac spacee and bein g parsím onious abou allocating it s key to this. 2.6 Provid ing easible alternatives.

The Transp ort Min istry ha hass chos chosen en to start b y mo tivating companies to take action voluntari tha t a ctually work is crucial to su succ ccess ess,, the m in about the principal ccontenders ontenders su such ch aass tar-p ooli Moreo ver, incentive premiums and other financi increase employees' readiness to give give up commuting in shown a l i s t of possibl possiblee facilities and activities (see Table 1). 2.7 Advent of new patte patterns rns of working.

Telecom muting s one highly effective way of reducing peo people' ple's need need t comm ute, with t w o days' teleworking a we week ek cutting a perso person' n'ss commu requireme nt by 40 . Thi Thiss new way of working coupled wit h the more flexi working hours now being wi widely dely introduced - helps employees to avoid peak-hou r traffic Anothe r highly effective option open to companie companiess is to shift their ope ning and clo sing ttimes imes to o utside peak periods The sa same me appli applies es to reducing the workin g week from five to four day days. s. It s al also so a simple simple ma tter to provide financial incentives incentives for people prepared to move closer closer to where they work. The cl closer oser their new home, the lar larger ger the prem ium. Requiring people who commute in SOVs aione t o pay for parking s a further important ;,RQ$sjbitity suggested t companies. Ministerie v n Verkeer en Waterstaat I

b . . .

informatie en Documentatie Postbus 20901

e n Haag 070.3517086 / Fax. 070-3516430

2500 X

Tel

Table

1

List o f possible facilities and activities

call-a -car schemes

7

 

e vel velopi opi n g in ia iative tivess 3.1 Central government's role

is

t o encourage.

This This makes it vital t o gear acti activiti vities es t o d iffering regional requirements requirements and respond to these. A differentiated approach als0 sti stimulates mulates those directly involved. Acc ordingly t he options chosen wil1 wil1 vary fro m one area t o another although, in its role as coordinator, th e Transport Mi nis try does ensure tha t an ongoin g, acti active ve exchange of inform ation is taking place between the different regions. regi ons. The use to which the acqui acquired red experti expertise se and experience experience can be pu t is therefore optimized. 3.2 Development in the regions.

Throu ghout the Netherl Netherlands, ands, respon responsibi sibilit lityy fo r p rom oting initiatives initiatives lies lies wi th th e regional managements managements of the Depa rtmen t of Public Public Worlt Worlts. s. This has has provided provided the ba basi siss for cooperation w ith gove rnme nt at regional and local leve level,l, as wel1 as w it h busine bus inesses sses in the respective areas. areas. A key indicato r o f ho w successful these activit acti vities ies are pro ving s the ex tent to w hich local chambers of commerce have been prepared prepared to g et involved. Of the th irty such bodies bodies in the Netherlands, twelve are in the urban Randstad region. Al Al1 twelve are ma king active efforts efforts to stimulate TD M strategi strategies. es. Chambers of commerce elsewhere elsewhere in the country, too, are displaying displaying an ac active tive comm itmen t. The four chambers in Noord -Braba nt province are are even go ing so far as to coordinate public- and private-sector efforts at provincial level, level, setting setting up a support unit fo r th e local Transportat Transportation ion Man agem ent Associations Associations (VCCs). 33

Getting around the table.

Senior managers in the Transportation Deman d Managem ent R ecomm endation Cornmittee have opted for a gradual process process tha t wil1 wil1 become self-sustaining, self-sustaining, In 1995, buoyed by the suc succe cess ss of their Oudenrijn moto rway meeting, they organized organized six regional round tables attended by board mem bers of larg e com pan ies as as wel1 as as representatives rom provincial and local governm ent. This proved to be a good opportunityy for people opportunit people to meet, exchan exchange ge views views and get dow n t o work ing together. together. The Transpo Transportat rtation ion D emand Man agem ent Recomm endation Com mittee also offers a highly inspirational discussi discussion on arena for staff responsible for implem enting their their companies' internal TD M strat strategies egies this i s the Nationwide Employee Transportation Transportation Coordina tors' Forum (LM V). Special sessio sessions ns facilitated by the Tra Transpo nsport rt Ministry Ministry wer weree held both in 1994 and 1995, wit h the tradition being continued continued in 199 6.

8

 

Reliable e info rmation 3.4 Reliabl

s

crucial.

Any desir desired ed cchange hange in behaviour can only be br oug ht about o n the b useable usea ble information . Accordingly, a manual has been prepared especi especiall allyy companies compani es and institutions. Thi Thiss publication, entitled Trans portation deman manage ment, a new challe challenge nge for busin businesses esses , is intended to help mana manager gerss to consider the issues, set objecti objectives ves and work out then opt for. Moreover, the Ministry of Transpo Managem ent aallso contributes to the trade ourna people involved in transportation transportation demand manag keeps kee ps them up to date with the latest opinions aand nd 3.5 New types of transportforthcoming.

A programme of expansion needs to cover a broad sp spec ec Transport Ministry is therefore encouraging innovative tran as sup por porting ting pi pilot lot schemes. The pr privat ivatee sect sector, or, Bicyclee leas Bicycl leasing ing hhas as been quic k to carve out a plac Same aappli pplies es to new types of compa ny parkin g f requirement-matching systems for car-poolers. been introduced . Wh ateve r els elsee may be true, one fact is incontrovertible reduc ing ccars ars'' physical availability wi wil1 l1 inevitab inevitab ly cut road com mutin g. 3 6

American systems look viable.

After considering US experience with van pooling, the Dutch government has produced a report concluding tha t the idea s al als0 s0 worth try ing in the Netherlands. Since this is a segment that public-transport operato operators rs are are either unable or u nwilling to ser serve, ve, there would app appear ear to be a gap in the m arket. Further to the report, pilo t sch scheme emess ar aree to comm ence in autumn 1996. Quality and a clear market identity wil1 wil1 be centr central, al, w hich al als0 s0 dovetails with a perceived need to revamp the image of minibus tr transport. ansport. The US guara nteed ri ride de home for staff in spec special ial cir circumstance cumstancess if they ar aree taken ill, say, say, or they have to make their way hom e at unsocial unsocial hours after working overtime - also seems to have been well received by Dutch employers. Companies and institu tions are themsel themselves ves adop ting this highly in novat ive idea, most notably the Rij Rijnst nstate ate hospital in Arnhem. 3.7 Business community promises to wi re u p .

Ma king working hour hourss more flexible iiss one way of reducing traffic traffic congesti congestion on because beca use stagge doe doess workMinistry . Eve Evenn more effective, how and ever, is not at all. ring is whytimes travelling Jhis ravel the Transport has been initiating stimulating activiti activities es with regard not only to flexible working hour hourss but alssoo telecommuting. A t present there ar aree around 80,000 teleworkers in the Netherlands. A few year yearss ago the D utch organiza tion for applied Scientifi Scientificc resea researc rchh (TNO) estimated the potential a t around 1.3 million staff. Although no t al1 these people wil1 l 1 take the actual ste stepp o f s hiftin g to a largely telecomm unications-based relationship wit h the ir companies, nevert neverthele heless ss a figure of 400,000 i s regarded regar ded as realis realistic tic for the fu future ture . Th Thee soci social al partners ssay ay they ar aree ready to introduc e telecom muting arrange ments as well aass more flexible wor king hours. The Council of Central Em ployer ployers' s' Organizations (RCO) s prepared to stimulate these initiatives, initiatives, and hhas as confirmed this in an agreement wi th the Min istry of Transport,, Pub Transport Publilicc W orks and W ater M anagemen t. The establishment establishment of the Dutch Teleworking For Forum um is anoth er encou raging sign. sign. The Transport Ministry sees its own role here as limited to improving the over overall all conditions including more attractive tax arrangements - for such initiatives. 9

 

3.8 TDM must be tailored to requirements.

Compa nies and their circumstances are are too varied for a single, standard standard ap proach to be suit suitabl able. e. Identifying commo n features features is desirable, however, and the appropriate research i s being conducted. A logi logica1 ca1 metho d is to divide target groups into segments that each require require their ow n approach. On e such segment is hospitals hospit als with their specialized specialized transport requirements, requirements, for which the ministry ministry has produced a separate separate brochure. Even Even more im portan t than segmentation, however, i s class classifi ificati cation on o f companies according to their attitudes attitudes and possibilities. possibilit ies. Here, too , special characteristics characteristics may play a role. For instance, companies lookin g to relocate relocate receiv receivee particular particular attention, an d a metho d tha t enables these companies to factor in the mo bility a spect has also been devised. Civen the importance o f tailoring approaches to local requirement requirements, s, extensive investigations investi gations are are conducted conducted o n the basi basiss o f a ser series ies of quick scans o f each company's needs and possibilities. The results results can then be used as as a basis fo r targeted advice and suppo rt. 3 9

Clearing Clea ring away ta taxx impediments.

The tax authorities can ado pt a stickstick-and-carrot and-carrot approach to reducing the strains strains on the road netwo rk and wider environment. The Cree ning interdepart interdepartmental mental working group is investi investigating gating th e possibilit possibilities, ies, wi th solutions solutions in th e realm o f T D M co nstituting nstituting a vital vital p art of the respons response. e. A key consideration is that n o one wh o drives to work alone should suffer suffer disadvantage disadvantage by s witching to alternative transport. The provision of incentives i s the o bvious response. Accordingly, measures measur es introduced by the authorities authorities include favourable tax arrangement arrangementss taking effect in 1995 - for bicyc bicycle le commuters. 3 10

From attitude to behaviour.

The vast majority of companies accept accept their o wn responsibili responsibility ty to society society for transport problem s. As soon aass concrete concrete action on their pa rt i s suggested, howe ver, they score less e ss positively o n attitud e (table 2 .

Table 2 Company attitudes towards TDM Atti tud es: agreem ent expressed expressed

Civen the traffic and environmental problems in our area it s necessary for my company to operate a T D M strategy. Source: Beleidsmonitor Vervoersmanagement 1994,1995

10

 

Jan. 94

21.0

Jan.

9

21 .O

utcomes 41

Indiv idu al com panies fe fee1 littl e pain .

This may explain explain the reluctance reluctance to implemen whole feels it is being strangulated by the da mu nity as a whol e also also articulates a litany of contrastt to this, however, 93 % of individual contras the accessibility of their location. It is this ten experienced experie nced individually and collectivel collectivelyy t hat behaviour. 4.2 A t present, com panies indulge largely in lip-servic e.

The target scenario for al1 companies employing more t an employer trip reduction program in plac achieved. achieve d. Judging by their acts acts rather than words, companies willing t o take voluntary action action to tackle tackle the traffic proble problems ms t partially responsible responsible for. The Transport Transport M i n mere 14 of target companies operate an employer trip reduction prog ra reported by the ministry's in-house in-house publica men t, in 1995 ). Since Since large companies sco sco is 2 2 % , a total of around 1.5 million people.

___

l l l l ~

l l

J

An opinio n survey the employers' organizations organizations VNO and NCW conducted amo ng their members paints a similar similar picture. While very large companies (> 500) score better 46 have an employer trip reduction program - this applies appli es to les esss than 1 0 % of busin business esses es emp loying fr om f ift y to a hundred people. In practice practice the actual number o f programs i s increasing al1 the time, although doubts are expressed as to whether they are as effective as they might be. Objective m easurement should therefore be preferred to opin ion surveys. an n effective to oi. 4.3 TDM is a

This is evident fr om a Transport Transport Min istry initiative initiative e ntitled BusinessBusiness-orient oriented ed Pil Pilot. ot. During the course course of 1991 contract contractss were concluded with forty-one companie companies, s, the ministr ministry's y's role being to help them reduce reduce the number o f car car kilometres their their staff were driving. Seven Seven of the companies have dropped o ut bu t the rest are are persevering persever ing w it h the program me, devising their ow n transport schemes and arriv ing at, on average, a 14 reduction in car kilometres. kilometres. At 7 the average for the bigger companies has has been rather lower. 4 4

Inspiring examples work.

For al al1 the regional difference differencess this is an im portan t thread tha t runs throu gh today'ss entire approach to T DM . The aim today' aim is to identi fy the various circumstances

 

and problems in order to prom ote solutio solutions. ns. Un til 1991 the Holec man ufacturin g company in Ridderlkerk, Ridderlkerk, near Rotterdam, Rotterdam, was n ot served by any form of public transport.. Follow ing the in troduc tion of TD M, however, a peak-hour bus serv transport servic icee from Rotterdam's Zuidplein metro station was introduced. This initiative proved so successf successful ul tha t i t has since since been expand ed int 0 a regular service. Hospitals in Utre cht, Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam are also Hospitals also using TD M strategi strategies es to tackle their pa rking problems. Arnhem's Rijnstate Rijnstate hospit hospital al even wo n the 1995 Transportat Transpor tation ion Demand Ma nage men t Award for setting setting a particularl particularlyy inspiri inspiring ng example. The city city of Rotterdam, too, is Ike Ikeen en to show that T D M should be part o f a large municipality's personnel policy (Rotterdam employs 20,000 people). 4.5 Companies join forces.

Business Busin esses es in Ro tterdam's p ort area sha share re a prob lem. They employ several tens of thousands of people in an area virtually devoid of public transport. Four companies have now integrat integrated ed their o wn staff staff transport operations operations and invited other firmc t o use the service service as as well. Six have taken up th e o ffer. The pro ject is also also receiving ac activ tivee support from the M inistry o f Transport, Transport, Public Works and Wa ter M ana gem en t as w wel el11 as Stichting Europoort/Bo tlek Belangen, a fou nda tion set up to promo te the po rt ar area' ea'ss interests. The res ulting Botlek bus line serves serves an area from Maassluis to Nieuwe rkerk aan de IJssel in the north t o a line stretching stret ching from Rockanje Rockanje to Goeree Overflakkee, south o f the por t area area proper. The prospects for this join t, private-sector bus servi service ce aare re goo d. It is currently able to transport around 3,000 commuters, but capacity could potentially be doubled . The service service also also helps the companies invo lved to achieve costs costs ssavings. avings. 4 6

A f ly ing start for

TDM

This is no more than one would expect for an international airport like Schiphol along with efficient business-management practices. The private and public sectors sect ors have joined forces, with actual poli policy cy implemented by a founda tion em plo ying paid staff. Car-poolers are allotted par king facilit facilities ies closer to w here they wo rk, with the program also rrequiring equiring KLM staf stafff t o pay to garage their their car cars. s. Those prepared to leave the car at home are given a free bicycle. Thes Thesee policies mean people living in th e vicini vicinity ty of Schiphol hav havee a better chance of a job there. Despite great Despite greater er variations variations in wo rking hours the number of car-p car-poolers oolers among Schiphol's staff has double d t o 3,000 since since 1993 . The number of people com mu ting to wo rk by bicycl bicyclee hhas as also also doubled, wit h the intro duction of paid parking parki ng inducing inducing 10 % of K L M personnel to su rrender their pa rkin g ppass asses. es. 4 7

Big names, big num bers.

Large companie Large companiess in Zuid-Holland provi province nce are achievi achieving ng notew orthy resul results. ts. in 1992 , insurance insurance giant Nationale Nederlanden included TD M aspect aspectss in the employmen t terms terms o f some 7,000 staff - tw o yea years rs later later the n umber o f car kilometres kilometres had fallen fallen by clos closee on 1 2 % . She Shellll Nederland Nederland introduced TD M in 1991 . By 199 4 tthis his had reduced car kilometres by almost a quart quarter, er, wit h 4,000 staff responding positively. Over the Same period the Zuid-Holland provincial authority - employing 1,500 people - achieved a 30 reduction. Heineken started its Peak-hour bus service service between Leiden railway station and its location at de Grote en Barre Barre Polder, Polder, wi th H eineken and bus company ZW N each bearing 50 % of the costs. costs. A year later, 75 o f capacity was was be ing utilized and the service had been incorporated int0 the regul regular ar netw ork. In 19 92 the Transportatio Transportationn Man agem ent Associat Association ion (VCC) for the Rijnmond area commenced activi activitities es with nine member companies. companies. That number has sinc sincee grow n to e ighty-thre e firms who, between them, employ 45,000 people. 12

 

4.8 Parking policies yield results.

Almo st alw ays, parking m easures easures wil1 wil1 be an integral pa rt of T co as the experience shows. The Utrec ht insurance company wi th its traditi traditional onal poli policy cy o f always complying facilities faciliti es by introd ucing rationing, w ith t he bes t sp spac aces es going t o c and other T D M mea measur sures es have have reduced si Amsterdam 's Vrije Universiteit introduced its staff staff.. The amou nt is bein g rai raised sed gradually, Wi th m any staf stafff responding responding by switchi switching ng to o university believes believes itw il l be able able toscrap plans to Until the end of 1993, staff at clothing company were able to park withou t difficul difficulty. ty. Now , t h authority. The com pany purchases purchases the 240fro m the user userss The upsho t hhas as been a shift to car-pooling car-pooling a In The H ague, Siemens is reducing the pres premises premi ses by o fferin g p ublic-tran sport seas seasoo t o give up their parking space. space. The initiative initiative is working. Gouda company Compaxo n ow combats combats parking collect employees The coaches have a set route and the service service IS free; 30 the company's staff use it, with a further further 2 5 % opting to lease a bicy cle 49

Learning by doing.

Occasionally it proves nece necessa ssary ry to d o more t o overcome people's people's inertia inertia abo ut switc hing to new transport modes. In Sept September ember 1994, Limb urg province started i t s first car-pooling scheme. People are introduced to it - free of charge - via their companies. The The fact th at th e initiati initiative ve is being prolonged is a sign of its success. Almost f ift y firms are involved involved and around 275 employees have used the fo ur available cars. Of the forty-t hree teams tha t st started arted off the project, five have dropped dropp ed out and the rest ar aree continuing t o p ool their their ow n cars. cars. 4 10

States General sets the tren d.

The States States General th e t w o houses houses of the Dutc h parliament parliament - has encouraged wh a t is now exemplary commu ting behaviour behaviour among its staff. Central Central to its approach i s the levying of an annual annual pa rking char charge ge of 1,800 guilders for singleoccupant car drivers drivers while a llowing car-po car-pooler olerss to park free. A token charge i s made fo r public-tr public-transport ansport season season tickets. tickets. Further incentives incentives are are on offe r n ot just for car-p car-pooler oolerss b ut also also for bicycle commuters. Moreover, staff w ork ing irregular hours are are guaranteed a taxi hom e whe n neces necessar sary. y. While 3 3 % of staff used to drive to work alone, that figure ha hass dropped to a mere 6 . Cycle use use is is up fro m 16 t o 2 2 % , public-tr public-transport ansport us usee from 42 t o 68 .

13

 

5 Implementation 5.1 T D M has come of age.

Ideal scenarios scenarios have been ada pted; des irabili irability ty has given way to feasibili feasibility ty as policy-makers have travelled travelled a learning curve. curve. Everyone involved n ow takes a more realistic realistic view bo th of the opportunities opportunities and limitations. While th e potential fo r g r o wth is clear clearly ly th there, ere, th e pace at whic h change can be introduced should no t be over overestimat estimated. ed. This is a long-term p roces; those those alte alterna rnati tives ves found to be convincing need to be applied applied mo re widel widely. y. Accordi Accordingly, ngly, the approach adopted to date needs to be devel developed oped furt her over the com ing ye years. ars. 5 2

M onit or ing of T D M .

The Transport Transport M inistr inistry's y's recent recently ly develope developedd mo nito ring system system is being introduced in the Randstad as a m atter of priori priority. ty. The idea is to scrutinize scrutinize activities and their effects objective ly and on the basis basis of hard facts. Compa nies in the regions involved involved and em ployin g more than fifty people aare re to be ent entered ered in a database. This This wil1 wil1 cover such criteria aass the num ber o f em ployees, the ty pe of travel advice advice provided, wh at measures measures are are planned a nd whe ther evaluations evaluations have been carried carried out. In short, short, every company in the programm e wil wil11 have have its o w n system sys tem indicating both w hat i s feasi feasible ble and desirable. desirable. T D M advisers advisers and consultants wil1 use these systems when managing their relationship with a company. Furthermore, data wil1 wil1 be coll collated ated o n a regional basis in order order to fashion fashi on an effective management tool. 5 3

Regions to spearhead spearhead im plem entatio n.

The role of regional and local gove rnme nt is to b e beef beefed ed up. While cooperation betw een the various various tiers of gove rnme nt wil wil11 al always ways be essential, essential, circu circumstances mstances wi th regard to initiat initiatives, ives, competencies, responsibiliti responsibilities es and resources wil wil11 remain remain fluid . Provincial and local authorities wil1 spearhead implemen tation, actively approaching companies and institutions institutions w ith T D M initi initiatives. atives. These lower tiers have reached agreements with central central gov ernm ent under which th e require requiredd functions and responsibi responsibilit lities ies wil wil11 devolve devolve t o th em smoothly. smoothly. T D M wi wil1 l1 be the key to developm ent in traffic and tr transport ansport planning. 5.4 Ciains need t o be secured.

Functions cannot be transferr Functions transferred ed fro m one day to t he ne xt no t al al1 regional and local authorities env isage th e same timetable. No r ar aree they al1 in the same state readinesss t o take o n the new responsibiliti responsibilities. es. Moreover, in some ca case sess the la w of readines is unclear as as to precisely precisely wh at duties duties can be devolved do wn to lower tier tierss of administration. The regional managements of the Department of Publi Publicc W orks wi wil1 l1 need to ensure th at T D M activities, activities, n ow implemented on a n increasingl increasinglyy large-scal large -scale, e, do no t start to tail of f again du ring the period whe n responsibi responsibilit lities ies are be ing transferred. The Transportation Demand Management Recommendation Committee regards its job o f wh ippin g up enthusiasm enthusiasm for change aass lar largely gely done. The comm itmen t of the business business com mun ity remains crucial. crucial. A recent ini initiati tiative ve by employers' federa federati tions ons VN O, NCW and MI<B s highly encouraging in this respect. They, together with the Du tch moto ring organiz organizati ation on ANWB, are are looking to come up wi th an effective way of tackling problems of accessib accessibili ility. ty. Two rnembers of the Recomm endation Comm ittee are parti participating cipating in these act activit ivities ies and brin ging their experience experience to bear on them. Central government, to o, wil1 wil1 ret retain ain a role in future, remaining the d riving force with regard regard to regulating, communicating, innov ating, developi developing ng expertise expertise and I

 

14

mo nitorin g. Anothe r area of central government's brief wi wil1 l1 additional addit ional m omen tum when particular particularly ly serious serious traffic probl and other ar areas eas of congestion congestion need to be tackled urgently.

Building new infrastructure

That

is

is

expensive and take

wh y the Progr Progress ess Me mo ran dum calls for incr

o f 37 millio n guilders guilders for the 1996-99 period . These funds wil wil11 areas are as of congestion, primarily the Randstad.

56

Transport consultants assist companies.

Some of the additional funds referred referred to above wil1 wil1 be used to finance the deployme nt of transport consultan consultants. ts. Var Variou iouss tie tiers rs of governm ent, working wit h the business business comm unity, have set up prom otion poin ts . The These se inform, advis advisee and support companies and institutions, institutions, spurring them int0 takin g action. action. The work of these promotion points - and the fact that th ey are temporary bodies exemplifies exemplif ies the government's transport philosophy of encouraging people to ac t voluntarily. Fo llowi ng this start-u p period of investigation, organizational integration, experimentation and netw orkin g, the business business com mun ity wil1 wil1 then be expected t o actually deliver. Currently there are eighteen eighteen transport consultants consultants operating ou t of nine promotion points. points. Their Their job is to work with compan companies ies and suggest suggest TD M strategies strate gies e.g. cycling or pa rking scheme schemes, s, or sy systems stems for matching car-pooling requirements - and identi fy ways to implement these. The pro mot ion units cost 300,000 guilders per full-time employee, These costs are accounted for by wage b i k , office equipment, communications and targeted activiti activities. es. The rest of th e governme nt's a dditiona l bu dget has been earmarked for spec special ial projects such as as T D M a t hospitals and m onito ring activities. activities. Simil Similar ar initiati initiatives ves by third parties parties al also so receive financial support. 15

 

5.7 Ac t i v e support for companies.

T D M s on the agenda. We have aals lsoo demonstrated th at it works, with companies that have introduced T D M strat strategies egies achieving result results. s. Their example has has no w t o be reproduc reproduced ed o n a large scale, scale, and we are are keen to see broad swathes of industry setting up their their o w n programs. W ith its additional budget of 37 milli million on guilders guilders to cover the period u ntil the year 2000, centr central al go vernm ent is certainl certa inlyy p laying its part - business is re ceiv ing aall1 th e s upp ort t needs from this quarter quar ter.. W ith governmen t having demonstrat demonstrated ed its com mitm ent, therefore, i t is no w u p to companies themselves to rise rise to the challe challenge. nge. Central governm ent hopes that , o n current fund ing levels levels,, 80 of firms firms w ith more than 500 employees, 50 with 100-500 and 3 0 % wi th 50-100 wil1 wil1 move to active transportation transportati on demand m anagement and achieve concret concretee resul results ts wi th it. If resul results ts were t o fall appreciab appreciably ly short o f these project projections, ions, thou gh, the approach would have to be ch changed. anged. It wou ld t hen be time for Iess carrot and more stick. 58

Legislation if the voluntary approach fails.

The approach adopted by the Minis try o f Transport, Transport, Publi Publicc Works and W ater Man agem ent has bee beenn geared consist consistently ently to allowin g companies companies and institutions institut ions t o op t to shoulder their responsibilit responsibilities ies volun tarily. We are keen to perseveree wi th this approach. In the undesi persever undesirable rable event of it failing, however, the onus would be on government to rethir rethirik ik thi thiss strategy. strategy. Mo re detai detailed led investigation of the desirability and feasibility of compulsory measures would then be required. required. Dov etailing rrequir equirements ements w ith environmental laws wou ld be one possibi possibilit lity. y. That w ould necessitate necessitate legi legislati slative ve changes, sin since ce compulsory compulsory T D M w ould be irreconcilable with the principles underlying environmental law as it stands. The option of introdu cing a specifi specificc body o f transport legislat legislation ion is no w al also so being explored. The key to government thinking is effec effectiven tiveness. ess. separate separate T D M act th at wo uld regulate matters matters related t o parking, single-occupant ccar ar tr transport ansport an d the appropriate tax treatm ent forms the m ain tthrust hrust o f investi investigati gations ons d uring this exploratory phase phase.. Government hopes that t ighten ing the present regulatory fram ewo rk o r devising new legi legislati slation on wi wil1 l1 prove unnecessary. unnecessary. We take th e view that sheèK setfsetf-inte interest rest shoul shouldd be sufficient sufficient t o m otivate th e busine business ss com mun ity int0 making a succes succes of T DM.

 

............................

Ministerie van Verkeer en Waterstaat Informatie en Documentatie Postbus 20901 2 5 0 3 EX Deii Haag Tel 070 3517086/Fax 070 3516430

olophon Realisation: Realisati on: Hand Hands s Communicat Communications, ions, Utrecht Photographs: Photog raphs: ANP Foto, Amsterdam Design '88, Utrecht Printing: Brouw Brouwer er Utrecht B.V.