Residential Travel Plans

A residential Travel Plan is a package of measures designed to reduce the number and length of car trips generated by a residential development, while supporting more sustainable forms of travel and reducing the overall need to travel. An effective plan helps to tackle increasing congestion, rising pollution and improve accessibility.

The Government's Sustainable Communities Plan - a major programme for improving new and regenerated communities and housing across the country - acknowledges that Travel Plans are an important tool in delivering accessible communities. Communities need to be well connected with facilities to encourage safe walking and cycling, the provision of good public transport and easy access to high quality services. They should also help reduce pressure of additional traffic on surrounding roads, while creating more attractive and liveable neighbourhoods.

The Department for Transport has published a guide identifying issues for residential Travel Plans and providing examples of good practice. Making Residential Travel Plans Work: good practice guidelines for new development (October 2005) is linked below, together with the Department's Manual for Streets.  An information sheet on travel plans for residential developments is available to download.