East Lothian Council

As part of their efforts to achieve net zero by 2045, East Lothian Council has implemented a range of initiatives to reduce emissions from commuting and business travel. 

‍Data-driven approach to workplace travel planning 

The council, working with CalCommuter  and supported by Travelknowhow Scotland,  have worked together to develop a much more data -driven approach to travel planning within the workplace. 

CalCommuter is an intelligent commute survey platform that helps organisations understand, reduce, and report their commuting and homeworking emissions. Developed with support from Innovate UK and piloted with East Lothian Council,  CalCommuter calculates the cost, time, and emissions of employees’ current commutes and compares them with viable sustainable alternatives.

In collaboration with CalCommuter, Travelknowhow Scotland have supported East Lothian Council in its aim to take a more personalised approach to travel engagement - focusing not just on the policies, but on the people they’re designed for.

By working together to better understand the individual needs, the council have been able to take these initiatives and really target them where the information needs to go. Tailoring its messages to those that it will benefit most, based on what the survey data has highlighted

Turning Initiatives into Everyday Habits

Travelknowhow Scotland and East Lothian Council focused on bringing greater visibility and clarity to travel initiatives and viable transport alternatives that are available. This included:

• Highlighting commuting options based on individual needs
• Promoting walking, cycling and public transport support / incentives
• Making travel choices feel more accessible and relevant to daily routines

The result? A more targeted approach that provides the workforce with a clearer understanding of their travel options and the impact of their choices, as well how the council can support them to make more sustainable decisions.

Richard Kerr, Active Travel Officer at East Lothian Council

“Working with Travelknowhow Scotland has been a brilliant process to be involved in from start to finish. It has given the Active Travel team at East Lothian Council a sounding board to test ideas, interrogate information and work collaboratively with somebody who's got a little bit of an outsider's perspective on what we are doing and what we might be able to do better. Just bringing in that external expertise has been very helpful for us to get a really good travel plan in place for the next five years”

‍