One Car Less
Click on the relevant reports, resources and publications for more information.
| Program/Project | One Car Less |
| Period/Length | One Year |
| Aim | One Car Less was a staff health active travel program which encouraged staff to make a pledge to leave their car at home at least one work day per week and to use active methods of travel. By increasing levels of active transport, OCL aimed to increase physical activity levels of NCAHS employees and reduce car use. |
| Year | 2008-2009 |
| Target Group | Staff working at North Coast Health Service |
| Reach | Potentially 8000, 205 participated |
| Locations | Northern NSW |
| Partners | Cycling NSW (Northern Rivers Car Pooling – six local councils, Southern Cross University and Northern Rivers TAFE). |
| Funding | Nil |
| Contact | NNSWLHD-HealthPromotion@health.nsw.gov.au |
| Full Report | One Car Less Staff Active Travel Project Report (2010) |
| Resources | |
| More Information | See below |
| Publications | North Coast Area Health Service-Staff Travel to Work Survey Report (2008) |
What strategies were used?
- Local champions offered incentives (coffee mugs), possibility of monetary savings (from fewer r car trips) and concern over climate change were used to encourage staff to sign pledge to leave car at home at least one day a week
- Increased awareness of public transport options To increase the number or people who use active transport to work
- Local champions worked toward improving end of journey facilities for active facilities for people who walk, cycle, use public transport and car pool to work
- Provision of cycling proficiency courses for staff who want to increase confidence in cycling
What were the program outcomes?
- 205 Staff from 26 sites across the NCAHS signed a pledge to leave their car at home at least one work day per week.
- A survey of mode of transport to work for staff was undertaken in 2008 (pre-program) and 2009 (post program). In both 2008 and 2009, 77.3% of all trips to work reported on the week preceding the survey were solo car trips. There was a slight decrease in the numbers who car pool (one or more passengers other than the driver) from 12% in 2008 to 10.6% in 2009. The results for all other modes of transport were small with walking being the next highest at just over 4% in 2009. This was a slight increase from 3.5% in 2008. Similarly, there was a 1.1% increase in cycling, though neither change was statistically significant.
- Twelve cycling proficiency training courses were run for NCAHS staff with 49 staff participating.
- Partly as a spin off from the program, a local (Northern Rivers) car-pool website was established by NCAHS in collaboration with six local councils, Southern Cross University and Northern Rivers TAFE. A $54,000 grant from the Ministry of Transport was obtained and the website was launched in August 2009. Over 250 people had signed up to the website by February, 2010. The website has now been adopted y other localities across Australia.