Update: Transport News

Long-distance commuting is still the norm in spite of progress in flexible working
David Woods, 25 August 2010

According to research from Regus, 20% of commuters travel for longer than 90 minutes every day on their way to work.

Although the average commute length is 25 minutes, one in ten commuters travel more than an hour to and from the place of work. Cars are by far the most popular form of commuter transport (64%).

For 66% of UK workers those long commutes are spent stuck in a car while the public transport system is the best option for another 19%. Only 9% of workers are close enough to their place of work to be able to cycle or walk.

In the USA car use is much more wide-spread (85%) shortly followed by South Africa (83%) High density and excellent transport infrastructure make Japan the country least reliant on driving to get to work (23%). Cycling in to work was as unpopular as car pooling (2%) on a global level with only the Netherlands significantly bucking this trend (8%).

Mark Dixon, CEO, Regus, said: "As traffic congestion in cities increases it is disappointing to see that too many workers are still jamming the roads in the rush hour when they could be spending their time more enjoyably or more productively elsewhere.

"To tackle the damaging effects of commuting on staff health and morale, savvy businesses are introducing more flexibility in their working practices and are seeking workplace solutions that allow their staff to work closer to home. Remote working and flexi-time can provide a much needed break in the weekly commuting routine and also translate into office space and maintenance savings."

Further pain commuters are forced to face is in the cost of travel. While on average 7% of commuters globally spend 10% or more of their salary on commuting, this peaked in car-reliant Mexico where 13% of respondents spend more than 10% of their salary to fund their commute.

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'Britons waste 4.6 million hours-a-day commuting'
Metro UKMETRO NEWS REPORTER - 9th November, 2009

Working Britons waste a massive 4.6 million hours-a-day commuting to their place of employment, according to new survey.

Nearly two thirds of UK employees wish to reduce their time spent travelling to and from work with being stuck in traffic and delays to public transport given as the biggest frustrations.

And a report carried out as part of National Commute Smart Week claims 46 per cent of commuters say their bosses refuse to be flexible to allow them to reduce their travel time.

British workers believe they could significantly reduce the 26 million hours they spend commuting every day by working from home, varying start and finish times and using technology to enable remote working.

The survey of 2,000 adults found that 62 per cent of commuters wanted to reduce the time they spent travelling to and from work with 42 per cent claiming the biggest waste of their time was caused by being stuck in traffic while 38 per cent complained of public transport issues.

The report suggested that so-called 'smart commuting' could have a positive impact on the British workforce, helping them to become fitter, healthier and more relaxed.

More than a third of commuters said they would spend more time with their family if they could reduce their travel time to work while 31 per cent said they would take more exercise and 22 per cent said they would make healthier meals.

Commute Smart Week is a national initiative, organised by Work Wise UK, aimed at encouraging workers to reduce or even eliminate their daily commute to improve health, wellbeing and productivity.

Work Wise UK's CEO Phil Flaxton said: "Commute Smart week is all about looking at ways UK workers can improve their work-life balance by reducing the strain and stress caused by commuting."

And internet psychologist Graham Jones said smart commuting could have a positive impact on businesses and profits.

He said: “Bosses who insist that people all go to work at the same time and stick to a set routine are actually weakening their business.

"That's because people generally don't like being told how to run their life; they feel their boss is controlling them and therefore are actually less motivated."

He added: "Using the Internet, for instance, to gain increased flexibility means that motivation levels in office staff could rise as people feel more in control of their own destiny."

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Unsociable hours and commuting turn Britain into nation of snackers
By Maxine Frith, Social Affairs Correspondent
Friday, 14 January 2005

Britain is a nation of snack-eaters, spending more on crisps and chocolate than any other country in Europe, a survey shows. An average of £204 per person is spent on snacks every year, research by the market analyst Datamonitor found.

Britain is a nation of snack-eaters, spending more on crisps and chocolate than any other country in Europe, a survey shows. An average of £204 per person is spent on snacks every year, research by the market analyst Datamonitor found.

Spaniards spend just £55 a year, the French, £146 and Italians, £115. The total snacks market in Britain is now worth £12.3m a year.

Analysts blamed the rise of snacking on unsociable working hours, changing shift patterns and the number of journeys people make each day. Britons recorded the highest number of journeys per day in Europe last year. The average adult made 6.4 trips a day, compared to a European daily average of 4.5.

Danielle Rebelo, a consumer markets analyst at Datamonitor, said: "Stress levels are often higher while people are commuting, and transport problems and cramped conditions during the rush-hour mean consumers are seeking comfort from eating and drinking on the move.

"Driving generates most of the on-the-move consumption because consumers are more likely to eat and drink when a car journey includes a stop at a petrol station, since they then have the opportunity for impulse purchases."

Sales of crisps, nuts and other "bagged snacks" amount to £1.77bn a year. Cake sales rose by 5 per cent in 2004, to £800m a year and Britons now spend an average of £45 per annum on chocolate.

The rise of snacking has been blamed for increasing rates of obesity, particularly among children.

With increasing numbers of people now "desk-fasting" - eating the first meal of the day at work - sales of cereal bars rose 31 per cent last year. But the news is not all bad. The Datamonitor report also identifies the rise of "healthy" snacks, such as rice crackers and products marketed under the Atkins Diet label. Fewer than one in four people believes eating between regular meals is intrinsically unhealthy.

Ms Rebelo said: "Consumers desire healthy, convenient products that provide guilt-free satisfaction. They are becoming more health-conscious and this influences product choice."

Latest additions to the market include doner kebab and balti curry-flavoured crisps. Over the Christmas period, sales of pies and sandwiches are said to have jumped 5 per cent.