The City is exploring solutions to help more Londoners choose cheaper, less stressful, greener commutes, and wants to hear from local employees and employers.
“Most Londoners drive alone to work, but there are often barriers preventing them from using other options,” says Jay Stanford, Director, Environment, Fleet and Solid Waste. “We want to know how or if commuters can be supported by removing barriers and exploring different programs and incentives. This project is part of an overall strategy to address commuter choices.”
The City is exploring whether a Transportation Management Association (TMA) – a collaborative approach that helps local employers pool their resources and needs to support options other than single-occupant commuting – would be a good fit for London.
By connecting employers, employees, and government agencies, a TMA can provide a variety of services that encourage more efficient use of transportation and parking resources – things like carpooling, incentives for choosing options like transit, cycling and walking, and working from home.
“On a smaller scale, many employers and employees are already encouraging and participating in these types of initiatives,” says Stanford. “By pooling resources, TMAs – which exist in many Canadian cities – can expand on the types of activities individual businesses can implement on their own.”
The City is particularly interested in feedback from Londoners who run businesses or work in London’s most concentrated employment areas. That includes Downtown, as well as the industrial parks south of the 401, along the Oxford Street East corridor (Highbury Avenue to London International Airport), and along the Veterans Memorial Parkway corridor (Huron Street to 401).
However, Stanford stresses that all Londoners’ feedback will be valuable as the City works to develop sustainable transportation solutions that align with the development of its Climate Emergency Action Plan. The plan proposes a target of net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
Londoners can take the online survey before March 16, 2020, by visiting https://getinvolved.london.ca/commutingsurvey.