November 01, 2006 - COMMUTE SMART DAY
Don’t be in the dark, commute smart
Today (November 1) is National Commute Smart Day.
The clocks have gone back and many commuters are now facing the prospect of travelling both to and from work in the dark during the coming winter months. This on top of the huge amount of time commuters already spend travelling will drive many to further despondency and depression.
The aim of Commute Smart Day is to highlight the issues of commuting in the winter and to encourage employers to adopt smarter working practices, such as flexible working times, staggered journeys and part home working, to enable their employees to mitigate some of this dejection.
Phil Flaxton, chief executive of Work Wise UK, which is behind Commute Smart Day, said: “UK workers spend on average 47 working days a year commuting – almost one additional working day per week – and this is on top of the UK having one of the longest working weeks in Europe. The additional burden of having to commute in the dark could be the ‘straw that breaks the camel’s back’.
“There is another way. If employers will allow a level of smarter working they may well see an improvement in staff wellbeing, and even an increase in productivity.”
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: "Sensible employers already know that they will get the best from their staff if they adopt flexible approaches to working. By signing up to Commute Smart Day, employers will not only be helping their staff stay safe, they will also be doing their bit to protect the environment and will be giving their staff greater control over their working lives by offering them more choice over the hours they work."
The benefits of smarter working are not only for the staff themselves, it will also have a beneficial knock-on effect of reducing traffic congestion and public transport over-crowding by extending the rush hour, reducing peak demand.
Smarter working is expected to help limit the increase in deaths and injuries which occur on our roads during the winter months. According to latest Government statistics - ‘Road Casualties Great Britain 2005’ - the number of road users killed in November rose to 319 from 287 in October - an increase of 11%. This surge in casualty rates between October and November, which occurs every year, is widely attributed to road users and pedestrians struggling to adapt to the darker evenings. Accidents peak in the evening rush hour - car users are at most risk of being killed and injured between 4 and 6 pm than at any other time during the week.
Edmund King, executive director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Losing an hour when the clocks go back can lead to lost concentration and worse, lost lives, as commuters struggle to adjust to travelling in the dark. We hope that on National Commute Smart Day, employers will encourage their staff to adjust their start and finish times so that they can stay off the roads during the danger hours of 4 to 6pm.”
Kevin Clinton, RoSPA head of road safety, said: “The clocks going back signal an increase in road accidents. Deteriorating weather conditions combined with dark evenings mean bad news for road users and pedestrians. We support National Commute Smart Day as it aims to reduce the need to travel, ultimately cutting down on death and injury on our roads at this particularly dangerous time of the year.”
Further details about Work Wise UK can be found on the website (www.workwiseuk.org). There is also a dedicated pressroom available through the website or directly at www.pressrooms.net/workwiseuk.
----- Ends -----
Notes to editors:
- A number of spokespersons are available on Commute Smart Day:
Phil Flaxton, chief executive, Work Wise UK
Edmund King, executive director, RAC Foundation
Paul Sellers, senior policy officer, TUC
David Lennan, chairman, Work Wise UK
Sheila Rainger, campaign manager, RAC Foundation
Rose McArthur, director, Association for Commuter Transport
- Work Wise UK is being organised by the IT Forum Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation.
- A number of cartoons are also available: please go to the here to download in print quality, or contact the press office below.
- Further information about Work Wise UK can be found on the website www.workwiseuk.org.
- A dedicated electronic news room has been established for journalists to obtain further information, to download print-quality materials, and to register for media updates about Work Wise UK. This can be accessed either through the main website or directly at www.pressrooms.net/workwiseuk.
- Supporters of the Work Wise UK campaign include the CBI, TUC, the British Chambers of Commerce, BT, Scope, the RAC Foundation, Technology Means Business and Henley Management College.
For further information, please contact:
Work Wise UK:
Michael Hardware, Chelgate PR, on 020 7939 7939, 07775 925 274 or meh@chelgate.com.
Roy Turner, Chelgate PR, on 020 7939 7939, 07970 522232 or rt@chelgate.com