PTP-Cycle Planning Guide - European Commission · 2018-12-20 · PTP projects can be delivered in a range of settings; this guide focuses on workplaces, universities and residential

PTP-Cycle Planning Guide

Version: 2.0

Date: 31.03.16

Author: Sustrans (UK)

Advice on planning a PTP project

Sustrans (UK) ptpcycle-europe.eu

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Table of contents

Introduction ....................................................................................... 3

Scoping .............................................................................................. 4

Background ............................................................................................................ 4

Project responsibilities ........................................................................................... 4

Project scale .......................................................................................................... 5

Project area ............................................................................................................ 6

Points of contact .................................................................................................... 7

Fieldwork staffing ................................................................................................... 9

Project costs .........................................................................................................10

Outputs and outcomes ..........................................................................................10

Timing ...................................................................................................................11

Pre-fieldwork ................................................................................... 12

Database ...............................................................................................................12

Reporting ..............................................................................................................13

Project communications ........................................................................................14

Social Media .........................................................................................................14

Information package .............................................................................................14

Websites and apps ...............................................................................................15

Incentives ..............................................................................................................16

Fieldwork ......................................................................................... 17

Project office .........................................................................................................17

Staffing ..................................................................................................................17

In the field events ..................................................................................................18

Champions ............................................................................................................18

Monitoring and evaluation .............................................................. 19

Lessons learnt ................................................................................. 22


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Introduction

This guide aims to give a basic overview of the processes involved in planning a Personalised Travel

Planning (PTP) project in a workplace, university or household setting. It is designed to be used with the

PTP-Cycle Implementation Checklist and PTP-Cycle Implementation Template, available on the website:

www.ptpcycle-europe.eu

http://www.ptpcycle-europe.eu/


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Scoping

Background

Background information gathered at the very start of the project will influence later aspects of project

design such as where the project will be delivered, what size the project will be and when the project will

be carried out. Areas to consider include:

What local policy objectives is the project expected to meet?

Which audiences might carry the highest propensity for travel behaviour change?

What funding is available?

What are your project timescales? Are there any other initiatives to co-ordinate with e.g.

roadworks?

Where is good sustainable transport infrastructure located?

Where is there high quality information on using sustainable transport options?

Project responsibilities

Before your project begins, it is helpful to record who will lead on different tasks required for project

setup and delivery. This will help with accountability and progress monitoring.

The implementation template has a table showing common project activities which you can adapt to suit

your own project.


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Project scale

To ascertain project scale, you need to consider:

How many people you will ‘attempt’ to contact? (Target population)

How many of these people you will actually contact, to offer travel advice to? (Contact rate)

How many of the people contacted will want to take part? (Interested rate)

There are two ways of doing this:

Top-down approach – choosing the number of participants (the target population) and agreeing a

fixed number of them to contact (contact rate).

For example:

In a workplace of 500 people you might decide it is realistic to contact 70% of the staff during the

project, which would mean talking to 350 people. Of those people it is unlikely that all of them will

want to take part in the project. Setting a participation target shows you how many travel advice

conversations you are aiming to have. In this example we can aim for 70% interested rate;

meaning we will deliver 245 personal travel plans during the project.

Bottom-up approach – deciding the number of travel advice conversations you will have and

working out how many people you need to contact to achieve this. From here you can work out

how many people should be in your ‘target population’.

For example:

Your target is to deliver 800 travel advice conversations with students in a university. Assuming

65% of the students you speak to will be interested in accepting travel advice you will need to

contact 1,231students. (800/0.65 = 1,231).


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Project area

PTP projects can be delivered in a range of settings; this guide focuses on workplaces, universities and

residential projects but the principals can be used to plan a PTP project in any setting and on any scale.

Carefully selecting your project area can help to maximise your project’s results.

General factors to consider for all settings:

The availability of safe cycling and walking routes in the local area

Existing activities that PTP could link to, e.g. led-walks or rides, cycle training

A good selection of information materials on sustainable transport options, e.g. maps, timetables

and guidance leaflets

High levels of short car journeys (under 5 miles)

Landscape that is favourable to cycling and walking

Other factors that may be important to project objectives:

Potential to reduce problems of traffic congestion

High levels of car ownership

Low levels of active travel and physical activity

Issues around poor air quality

Workplace-specific factors:

Buy in from the workplace management – this is very important for gaining access to staff and

having support for the project activities. More advice on this can be found in the PTP-Cycle

Methodology, also available on the website.

Communal areas where an information stand can be kept

Roadworks that could disrupt travel to work

Availability of facilities for walkers and cyclists e.g. showers, lockers, bike parking

Possibility to improve facilities for walkers and cyclists e.g. grants to install bike parking


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University-specific factors:

Buy-in from the university senior management team – this is very important for gaining access to

the students and having support for the project activities. More advice on this can be found in the

PTP-Cycle Methodology, also available on the website.

Communal areas where an information stand can be kept

Roadworks that could disrupt travel to lectures

Availability of facilities for walkers and cyclists e.g. showers, lockers, bike parking

Possibility to improve facilities for walkers and cyclists e.g. grants to install bike parking

Buy-in from lecturers – possibility of linking the benefits of active travel with lectures.

Residential-specific factors:

Cultural acceptance of knocking on doors to conduct travel advice conversations

Congestion problems

Availability of local facilities to reduce the need for long car journeys e.g. shops, schools, doctors

Good public transport links/network

Points of contact

PTP relies on multiple points of contact to strengthen the project’s message to the participant. These fall

into four categories and can be planned in advance.

Awareness-raising

This is general promotion of the project to the target audience before and during the project. This can be

done in many ways:

Posters and leaflets

Information stands

Staff meetings or guest lectures

Social media campaigns / advertising

Announcement emails / postcards sent direct to the target population


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Travel advice

The travel advice conversation is the main part of a PTP project. If the participant is more aware of the

project through the promotional activities they are more likely to take part.

The conversation can take place by:

booking in an appointment with a PTP team member

knocking on someone’s door

speaking to someone at an event

having a drop-in hub where people can come to you

Information delivery

Once the travel advice conversation has happened and the participant has made an information order,

you can deliver the information in several ways:

If you have the information available digitally you can email it. Bear in mind that not everyone

has access to the internet.

You can post the packs – this might be expensive.

Delivering the packs in person can be cheaper and offers another face-to-face contact which is

valuable.

Evaluation

Monitoring and evaluation is covered later on in this document but at this stage start thinking about:

What surveys will be carried out (baseline and follow-up) and when; also whether follow-up

surveys present an extra opportunity for giving travel advice.


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Fieldwork staffing

Once you know the project scale and contact method, you can decide on the number of different

fieldwork staff to recruit. Some projects can be run by one person taking on a number of roles, but larger

projects will need more staff working on specific roles. Below are some things to consider when

planning your fieldwork staffing:

Travel advisors

In workplaces and universities travel advisors can usually speak to a large number of people where the

target audience is densely located. Awareness-raising beforehand might also mean it is more likely that

staff and students will pro-actively approach an advisor.

In a residential project the travel advisors might spend a lot of time travelling around an area, knocking

on doors and not getting answers. Households may also be reluctant to engage with someone directly

on their doorstep. In summary, different contact rates will affect the staff resource required.

Delivery staff

The number of delivery staff will depend amongst other things on the delivery method and terrain. Email

or postal delivery can be done by office-based staff, whereas personal deliveries can be done by travel

advisors or dedicated delivery staff.

Office staff

The office staff can take on data entry, collation of information packs, emailing surveys etc. The size of

the project will dictate how many staff you need in the office.

Other staff

Other staff you might need for the project include:

Office manager

Events staff

Survey staff


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Project costs

The cost of delivering PTP will vary according to certain fixed and variable costs. Below is a list of

common cost areas to account for:

Project management staff time

Incentives

Field office overheads and equipment

Quantities of information materials

Field staff recruitment, training and deployment

Event expenses e.g. room hire, refreshments

Contingency – unforeseen circumstances and extra costs

Outputs and outcomes

A product of scoping activities will be to set out a series of intended outputs and outcomes for the

project. For example:

Outputs

Number of people contacted and participating

Number of staff employed

Quantities of information materials and other services requested

Case studies

Outcomes

Changes in trips per person per year (relative changes in travel behaviour)

Mode share percentage

Car kilometres reduced and carbon reduction

Time spent travelling actively

Changes in public transport patronage


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Timing

Following scoping activities you can establish a timeplan for project delivery including pre-fieldwork,

fieldwork and evaluation. There is an example Gantt in the implementation template.

Pre-fieldwork – assembling the resources needed to deliver the project

Fieldwork – the actual delivery of PTP and engagement with participants

Evaluation – collecting baseline and follow-up data

It is often good to consider when the actual PTP fieldwork should take place and work back from there.

The best time to conduct PTP fieldwork is between April and September. This period takes advantage of

better weather which is a big factor in people deciding to cycle or walk more. Other factors such as

holidays, roadworks and elections might also influence your decision.

Fieldwork duration will depend largely on the number of staff you have and the contact rate involved.

Related aspects to consider include staff training, delivery of information packs, Champion recruitment

and running additional events/activities.

As a guide, it is worth allowing at least 3-4 months for preparations ahead of fieldwork.


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Pre-fieldwork

Database

You will need to have a database that is capable of storing and managing information on all aspects of

fieldwork delivery so you can track progress and performance of the operation.

Some essential and suggested criteria are shown below:

Criteria Importance

Participant contact details Essential

The number of contact attempts made Desirable

Whether the person wanted to participate or not Essential

The person’s current travel behaviour Essential

The person’s concerns about travel in the area Desirable

Delivery details (e.g. how was the information pack sent) Desirable

Individual staff performance (e.g. contact rate) Desirable

Stock details (what materials were ordered, stock levels) Essential


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Reporting

The database should be able to produce a range of reports to keep track of fieldwork progress.

Some suggested ones are shown below:

Report Importance

Contact rate: contacts made overall and in particular areas/weeks of fieldwork.

Keep track against your target. Essential

Response category: the proportion of those interested or not interested in taking

part. Essential

Staff contact success: the number and percentage of successful contacts

achieved by each team member, and the type of response category (interested/not

interested).

Desirable

Contact attempts: the number of attempts made to reach contact. Desirable

Orders: a running total of every item offered on the order form. Desirable

Delivery speed: the number of days from order to delivery for each batch. Desirable

Delivery type: totals for the type of delivery (e.g. in person, letterbox, left with

neighbour, postal, refused). Desirable

Comments: qualitative feedback on local transport issues. Desirable


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Project communications

This can cover awareness raising activities aimed at the general population, the direct communications

sent to potential project participants, and the actual information package you have to offer the project

participants.

Project promotion

Awareness raising activities should be carried out in the run up to project fieldwork. This will improve

project participation. This promotion can be done for example through press releases, posters and

events.

It is useful to put together a communications plan and distribute this to those involved in the project.

Press releases for the beginning and end of fieldwork are useful to gain local interest and publicise

project results.

Project announcement

Direct contact with potential participants inviting them to take part in the project is a great way to give

them more information about the project. It can also get them thinking about how they could change

their travel behaviour before the travel advisor talks to them. This can be done for example by email,

letter or postcard. By notifying potential participants in advance you have a chance to explain the project

and grab peoples’ interest. If awareness raising activities have been carried out, the announcement will

help to pull all the promotion together.

Social Media

Social media is a great way to promote the project. You can create profiles for your project and link to

existing profiles. By creating project-specific profiles you can give advice, promote events or run

competitions. By linking to established project partner profiles you can promote the project to their

followers, expanding the reach of your own message.

Information package

To support the travel advice conversation you will need a high quality information package. This

package will contain local information that will help the participant overcome their barriers to using more

sustainable modes of transport.

Conduct an audit of all the available materials and activities. Then decide on which ones to include, and

identify any gaps including how these might be filled. You will need to assign responsibility for designing

and printing any new materials.


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Materials should aim to highlight the ease with which a car journey can be replaced by a walking, cycling

or public transport journey. The more options and information available, the more effective this will be.

Repetition should be avoided though.

The selected materials are brought together in one place and presented in an order form to make

selection easier for project participants. Use categories to help break the information offer down.

Suggested materials

As mentioned, the information pack should contain a range of information that caters for a wide variety of

modes, abilities and barrier/solutions.

Suggested items for inclusion

Walking and cycling maps

Information on the benefits of active travel

Public transport timetables

Information on useful websites and apps

Journey planning tools

Cycle training classes

Car sharing initiatives

Accessibility advice

Bike maintenance classes

Led-walk and ride schedules

Websites and apps

There are many websites and phone apps that can help people to plan journeys, track their activity and

health, and monitor the carbon they are saving. Before the project starts, do some research into what

relevant apps and websites are available to people in your project area. These can be demonstrated to

participants through the travel advice conversation and at events.


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Incentives

Incentives can be used to help engage someone in a travel advice conversation, or to encourage

behaviour change itself.

Examples include:

Pedometers

Cycle computers

High-visibility clothing

Bike helmets

Bike lights

Slap bands

Badges

Umbrellas

Train or bus ‘taster tickets’

Bike seat covers

You could also run a competition to encourage participation, e.g. a prize draw.

Prizes/awards include:

Bicycle

Tablet computer

Vouchers

Cycling / walking equipment


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Fieldwork

Project office

Having a project office can provide a presence in the target area, a hub for fieldwork staff to work from, a

place for the marketing materials to be stored in and a drop-in centre for project participants.

It might be an existing facility belonging to a partner (if working in a single workplace or university), or it

might be a short-term rented space (e.g. community centre, church, leisure centre, etc). Either way, it is

sensible to have something located as centrally as possible so that fieldwork logistics and access to the

target audience is efficient.

Staffing

Having worked out the fieldwork staff resource required, you will need to plan the recruitment, training

and management of those staff. Depending on project scale, you may have a whole team or just one

person.

Things to consider for recruitment:

When will you need staff to start?

Where will you advertise for staff?

What skills do you expect the staff to have?

When will the interviews take place?

Thing to consider for training:

When will training be?

Will you give additional training throughout the project?

What will be covered in the training?

What training resources will you require, e.g. manuals?

Things to consider for staff management:

Who will line manage staff?

How will you schedule/co-ordinate staff?

When will you hold staff meetings?


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In the field events

Offering travel advice at events in different settings is a great way to widen the reach of the project. For

example, events can be used to deliver travel advice conversations, promote the project generally or

‘reward’ people who are already using sustainable transport. As well as designing new/specific events,

see if you can latch onto existing ones where you’d be able to access your target audience.

Example events include:

Bike or walk ‘breakfast’, rewarding those that walk or cycle to work with a croissant and coffee

Travel advice stand at a local community event

Bike maintenance session in a university, workplace or community space

Journey planning at a sports event

Having activities at events can create real interest and increase participation, e.g. a bike try-out session,

walking challenge, bike simulator, interactive mapping or even a pedal-powered smoothie drink maker.

Champions

Champions are people who are really passionate about your project. They might already be using

sustainable transport or be keen to get started. They can be identified in a workplace, university or

community setting.

Champions can support the project in a number of ways. They can promote the project through their own

communication channels, help out at events, offer travel advice and provide a legacy once the project is

finished.

Think about how you could recruit Champions, what you would expect them to do for the project and

what you can offer them in return for their time and energy.

There is more information about involving Champions in the ‘Champions Resource Pack’ on the PTP-

Cycle website.


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Monitoring and evaluation

Below are some aspects to consider when planning the monitoring and evaluation of your project.

What outcomes do you want to record?

In the scoping stage of this guide you set out your outcomes. These will inform what you want to

measure and what questions you need to ask to get this information.

Of particular importance is measuring how people travel in order to calculate modal split and shift. This

can be done for example by measuring someone’s journeys throughout the week:

How many times a week do you use the following travel modes?

Mode Never 1 2 3 4 5 5+

Walking

Cycling

Tram or bus

Train

Car (as passenger)

Car (as driver)


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Or by measuring frequency of specific journeys:

How many times a week do you travel to work using the following modes?

Mode Never 1 2 3 4 5 5+

Walking

Cycling

Tram or bus

Train

Car (as passenger)

Car (as driver)

Other questions you might include

For example, attitude towards sustainable transport:

Which of these statements do you most agree with?

Currently I use a car for the majority of trips. I am happy with my travel habits and don`t see a reason for changing them.

Currently I use a car for the majority of trips. I would be happy to reduce car use, but that is impossible due to my current situation.

Currently I use a car for the majority of trips. I have been thinking about reducing my car use, but I don`t know how to do it.

Currently I often use a car, but sometimes I travel differently (public transport, cycling, etc). I am planning to reduce car use in the future.

Although I have access to car, I usually use other means of transport.

I don`t own a car and I don´t have access to a car, so I can`t reduce my car use anymore.


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Bike ownership:

Do you have a bicycle and which one?

Type Yes / No

Sport bike (road or mountain)

City bike

I don`t have a bicycle or access to a bicycle

I am a member of a public bike rental system

I don`t use a bicycle

How many surveys will be completed?

What number of completed surveys will give you sufficiently robust data?

When do you want to carry out the surveys?

Think about whether to conduct a baseline survey before or during the PTP travel advice conversations.

For the follow-up and measuring behaviour change, you need to allow some time for participants to try

out and take up a new behaviour. It might take them several attempts. It is worth allowing 8-12 weeks

before carrying out a short-term follow-up survey. If you wish to measure the long-term effect of the

project you could carry out a survey one year later.

How many follow-ups and when you choose to do them will depend partly on funding and the timeframe

available.

How will the surveys be carried out?

Face-to-face, email, post.

Note – There is more information about designing and planning monitoring and evaluation activities in

the Standard Evaluation Framework that has been developed by the PTP-Cycle project (available on the

website).


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Lessons learnt

Throughout the project, make sure you record learning and share this with others to refine future

delivery.

Things to consider:

Success factors

Challenges

Overcoming challenges

Changes for the future

Documents

PTP-Cycle Planning Guide - European Commission · 2018-12-20 · PTP projects can be delivered in a range of settings; this guide focuses on workplaces, universities and residential