Planning for Safe and Sustainable Journeys
WORDS BY BRAKE, THE ROAD SAFETY CHARITY
Making journeys both safe and sustainable has many benefits for drivers and the organisations they work for. It has been shown to improve driver health and wellbeing, while also helping organisations to reduce their operational and environmental costs.
An increasing number of organisations are making the move to electric vehicle fleets. In New Zealand, to the end of May 2025 there were around 83,000 fully electric light vehicles, and a further 37,700 plug-in hybrids. Battery Electric Vehicles( BEVs) make up 1.87 % of the light vehicle fleet.( Source Ministry of Transport / EVDB. nz)
However, working towards more sustainable journeys isn’ t just about switching to electric vehicles. Simple measures such as reducing the number of journeys travelled, cutting vehicle emissions and improving fuel efficiency can reap many benefits for organisations, while choosing more sustainable modes of transport wherever possible, including active and shared travel, is good for everyone’ s health and wellbeing.
A sustainable travel plan is a package of practical
measures designed to encourage people to make more environmentally-friendly mobility choices when travelling to, from, and during work.
A good sustainable travel plan will encourage cooperation and effective resource management, and will help drivers to make more sustainable journeys where possible, for example through:
• shared mobility solutions( e. g. car-sharing)
• discounted public transport( e. g. buses and trains)
• active travel routes( e. g. segregated cycle paths)
• eco-friendly driving techniques
• affordable, low-emission vehicles.
Sustainable travel plans are not‘ anti-car’, but a way of promoting safer, more sustainable alternatives to single-occupancy car travel where possible.
In addition to a sustainable travel plan, implementing journey management plans not only help to reduce emissions, but can also help
16 ISSUE 53 JUNE 2025 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU