| In
the UK both national and local government are looking for ways to
reduce traffic and to find alternative, more environmentally
sustainable ways to travel. This is vital if we are to tackle the
growing crisis of congestion and if we are to meet our targets for
reducing emissions.
At the same time the way we work is
changing rapidly. For a great many of the tasks we do, our
presence in a particular location is no longer essential. Using
computers, and advanced telecommunications, much of our work can be
conducted from almost anywhere.
All the same, most organisations and
individuals do not take advantage of this new "location
independence" of work. Instead they continue to undertake costly,
unproductive and environmentally damaging commuting and in-work car
travel. It is as if the new information and communication technologies
(ICT) did not exist.
The Transport White Paper (July
1998) does mention the potential for reducing the need to travel
through teleworking (see the box on the right). However, the paper
does not spell out the business advantages of teleworking. And no
specific measures are proposed to encourage the nation to work
"down the wire, rather than down the road". The emphasis in
public policy is to encourage the nation to switch their mode of
travel.
We need to go further, and question the
need to travel itself. Effective use of ICT makes it possible to
eliminate costly and unnecessary travelling altogether. This applies
to the activities of government as well as other employers.
This report, based on research
conducted by HOP Associates and supported by Symantec and Mitel, aims
to modernise public policy thinking on traffic reduction. It shows how
UK industry and organisations can improve their efficiency and
contribute to improving the environment, by effective use of the new
information and communications technologies.
Telecommuting 2000 also
challenges some of the key assumptions of the current government
agenda. It demonstrates that:
- changes in the world of work have
reduced the need for physical mobility
- by incentivising employers -
including government - to replace travel with use of ICT it is
possible to produce economic benefits and contribute to
environmental sustainability
- it is not necessary for workers to
abandon their homes and communities on a daily basis in order to
earn a living and sustain the national economy
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From the
UK Government's White Paper on Transport:
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}
Businesses may wish to
consider the extent to which teleworking can
reduce travel by allowing employees to work at
home or at a 'satellite' work centre closer to
home. This is relevant to green transport plans,
particularly when teleworking can substitute for
high-mileage driving patterns.
}
Where staff spend a
lot of time driving to clients, or places of
inspection, in the course of their work,
teleworking also has potential.
}
We support the use of
teleworking for reducing
travel … ~
White
Paper Chapter 5
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| "UK industry and
organisations can improve their efficiency and
contribute to improving the environment, by
effective use of the new information and
communications technologies" |
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