Rethinking commuting

Southampton Science Park has taken several major steps forward in assisting the employees of resident companies to consider alternative approaches to their daily commute.

An alternative transport event was held in the autumn; well attended by people keen to discover healthier, greener ways to start and finish their working days. In attendance were Liftshare, Love Your Bike and the Enterprise Car Club.

Building on the success of this event, the Science Park has entered into strategic partnerships which significantly broaden options for those looking to embrace alternative, more sustainable methods of transport.

• Around 40 people have already signed-up to the Science Park’s new car-share scheme, organised by Liftshare.
• Three hybrid vehicles will be available to hire onsite courtesy of the Enterprise Car Club which promotes the use of shared vehicles, bookable on-demand.
• Rolec’s Open EV Charge Network will also be coming to the Science Park, thanks to a successful grant application, quadrupling existing electric car charge points for all to use.

Dr Robin Chave, Chief Executive at Southampton Science Park, commented: “We know that our out-of-town location is a huge benefit to the businesses that choose to be based here in terms of staff wellbeing and retention, and we do also benefit from excellent transport links throughout the region and beyond. At the same time however, we recognise that our location and supporting public transport networks can present a challenge in reducing our extended carbon footprint.

“This is why we created an event to help people rethink their journeys here and we are actively working with them to cut the number of solo car trips taken. We’re excited about the partnerships that we’ve created and look forward to implementing our new schemes early in the new year. In doing so, we hope to play a bigger role in reducing pollution and congestion across the South’s busy roads, as well as lowering personal costs and stress for our commuters.”