How do you commute to the Office?

Benefits of ditching the car for your next trip to the office or meeting.

In 2016 62% of people drove to work as their preferred mode of transport, with only 4.7% working from home, but by August 2021 the trend had shifted with 53.1% continuing to drive and 21% choosing working from home. Australia’s journey to work | Australian Bureau of Statistics (abs.gov.au)

On census day 2021 out of the 6,397,539 cars on the daily commute to work, less than 7.4% of people joined them as a passenger.?When we dig a little deeper into these people on their daily journey, things start to become clearer for an opportunity of change.

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According to The Real Australian Commute Report 2022, Inner City workers across Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane spend approximately 43 mins per day traveling just 18km.?With the urban spread continuing, we are spending a lot more time commuting, on average 54 minutes per day and roughly 169 hours per year. This is certainly time that most of us could put to better use.

The commute is back – and the cost of commuting is high | Real Insurance

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It isn't just lost time we spend commuting that needs to be considered, once you take into account the rising cost of fuel, parking and lost productivity, the biggest impact is on our planet.?For this average drive to the office, we are also emitting 4.76Kg CO2E.?With recent data representing workers are heading to the office 2-3 days per week, this is a massive 571Kg of CO2 emissions per year, which if we were to visualise it would fill an Olympic swimming pool over 2.5 times.?To counter the impact through carbon capture and storage, we must grow 29 new trees per year per person.

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I would like to suggest a few simple challenges to you, where possible

1. Carpool. When planning to attend a company social event it is much more common practice that we work out a designated driver.?With less days spent in the office people are often aligning the days they go to the office with their peers so they can maximise their productivity, networking and social engagement.?So next time you are heading to the office maybe check in with the 71% of people who are currently driving on their own and help split the cost burden of travel while making a positive impact on the planet.
2. One of the most efficient means of travel is via train, while still having CO2 emissions for your journey, will still reduce your impact on the GHG by 70%.?The other great benefit of public transport is being able to maintain your productivity while on the move.?With IT mobility empowering Hybrid work you can connect from anywhere, arriving at your destination without the stress of driving and having completed your work so you can focus on your work life balance.
3. On those beautiful summer and crisp winter days why not tick off your daily fitness while listening to your favourite podcast and either walk or cycle to the office.?

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I get told I take my walking and train travel to meetings a bit too far, to the point I have never driven into the Sydney CBD for a meeting despite having at least 2 trips per week.

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My challenge to you is to have a chat to your colleagues and see if you can change just one day on how your travel and make a big difference.

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#sustainability #wellbeing #productivity