Counting the Benefits –
Linking Health and Transport to Benefit Business
Presentation to ECOMMs
14th May 2009
Arlene Finn, Sustainable Travel Officer
Finola O’Driscoll, Transportation Planner
One Small Step Programme, Dublin Transportation Office
Presentation Outline
Irish context – modal shift needed/ DTO
TDM programmes
The Pedometer Challenge – practical
implementation
Lessons Learned
Modal shift needed in Ireland
No of trips
2000000
Baseline – 1.7m+ driving in 2020
1500000
Drivers post T21 investment in PT
Mobility
management
50:50 modal share
1000000
40:60 modal share
500000
1991
2007
1991- 2006: Distance to work doubled; number of journeys doubled, rush hour lengthening
2019
Where mobility management fits:
Infrastructure Provision
+
Travel Demand Management
Green-Schools
Ireland – school TPs
WTP programme/
network
Adamstown SDZ
Pilot Residential TP
Packages of incentives and deterrents
Smarter Travel - Ireland
Pedometer challenge
•Sept 2008 for 1 month
•Joint initiative of Irish Heart
Foundation, One Small Step
& partner organisations
•1700 people in 16
companies registered
• 9% increase in people
walking to work
”
Pedometer challenge
”
Pedometer challenge
•363 teams registered, over 240 logged
steps
•Teams not reaching 10K steps per day –
still logging steps (still involved!)
•Team Captains’ Evaluation – 9% modal
shift in favour of walking (from 34% to 43%)
•Mostly female involvement (78% of Team
Captains responding)
”
Pedometer challenge
Barriers to Physical Activity (and therefore walking/
cycling for commute):
•Lack of self confidence
•Lack of self-management skills
”
•Lack of social support
•Lack of family support
Pedometer Challenge addresses these – fun, no
specialist equipment, support from workplace, no fear of
injury, convenient as it’s part of commute/ lunchtime
Pedometer challenge
Team Captains’ Evaluation:
•85% - challenge made them aware of how
much/ little activity they do
•99% intending to exercise once the
challenge was over
Challenge = ideal primer initiative for health
& mobility management professionals
”
Pedometer challenge
Team Captains’ Reason for Participating in the Challenge
”
Pedometer challenge
Comments from the winning
team:
“an excellent idea, being part of
a team was a great motivator”
“it was nice to be part of an
activity common to the wider
organisation”
“The challenge generated a very
positive team spirit”
”
Pedometer challenge
Coordinators Evaluation:
•80% would do it again
•60% - challenge encouraged staff to
walk for commute
•Management supportive (&
participating)
•Comment that challenge lead to
person buying a bike
Pedometer challenge
Lessons:
•Pedometers
•Coordination of initiative
•Step logs
•Male involvement
”
Pedometer challenge
• Very successful partnership
between health charity, business
and transport body.
•Drew organisations in
•Raised money for IHF
•Increased interest in Mobility
Management from Irish
organisations
”
Contact
Arlene Finn - Sustainable Travel Officer
Finola O’Driscoll - Transportation Planner
The Dublin Transportation Office
Floor 3, Block 6/7 Irish Life Centre
Lower Abbey Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
Tel +353 1 879 8300
www.onesmallstep.ie