In May 2004, a research report entitled ‘Smarter Choices’ was published in conjunction
with the new White Paper on the ‘The Future of Transport’. The study
looked at ten transport measures, including telework, teleconferencing and home
shopping. The study suggested that, within ten years, and within a supportive
context, a ‘high-intensity scenario’ of implementing these measures could reduce
national traffic levels by 11%, with greater effects in certain circumstances, including,
for example, a 21% reduction in urban peak traffic.
This paper concentrates on telework and teleconferencing. Taken together, these
represented about 37% of the potential national traffic reduction identified. The
study also showed that telework and teleconferencing were often associated with
other benefits, including financial savings for employers and a better work–life
balance for employees. Hence, increasing their use could have a range of positive
effects.
Some critics have argued that encouraging organisations to adopt telework or teleconferencing
leads to more dispersed lifestyles and business activities, thereby
increasing travel not reducing it. Whilst this is logically possible, current evidence
does not support this. Moreover, a key issue is the context in which these activities
are encouraged. For example, the effect of promoting them in a context where road
and air travel are priced to reflect environmental impacts is likely to be significantly
different to the effect of promoting them in a context of an expansion of cheap,
long-distance travel.
The Smarter Choices research suggests that, where employers are encouraged to
promote telework or teleconferencing as part of a package with explicit objectives
to reduce travel, significant traffic reductions can be achieved
