Travelling for Work
Whether you’re making deliveries, visiting patients or transporting equipment when travelling for work, cars have become a bit of a default over the last twenty years - traffic jams and parking hunts included.
Of course, some jobs demand specialist goods and gear that are tricky to transport without one, which is why Oxford’s future traffic filters will give priority to people driving in the course of their work. Non-car vehicles such as vans or light commercial vehicles, mopeds, motorbikes, and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) will all be able to travel through the filters at any time, while community health and care workers, and people who use a personal or business car as a goods vehicle, can all apply for a pass that will let them drive their car through the filters while driving for work.
However, there are so many easy, healthy and affordable ways to do your work without automatically jumping behind a steering wheel; ones that might even save you time and win you some peace of mind in the process. Already, lots of people - from health workers to Deliveroo riders and posties - have made the switch to alternative forms of transport, particularly as e-bikes and cargo bikes have made it even easier to transport your hefty or fragile tools around the city.
Oxford’s Pedal & Post and Velocity Cycle Couriers, for example, between them transport everything from medical samples for hospitals to parcels for colleges and business to business deliveries. All of this takes vans off the roads and allows packages to be delivered in the most efficient and agile way, without ever having to worry about getting stuck in traffic.
Many small business owners have already made the switch away from cars as well and found it’s made their journeys faster, more convenient and more reliable, because they’re never stuck in traffic or forced to drive around looking for parking. SAMS started as a window cleaning business in 2022 carried out entirely by bike; until they were able to buy their first ‘all-singing, all-dancing E-trike’ later that year. As Sam puts it, ‘My legs danced with happiness!’ as he was able to haul up to 300kg of equipment - including gutter clearance kit and high level inspection cameras - all over the city without breaking a sweat. These Champions of Sustainable Property Services found the e-trike so successful that they’ve now expanded to a fleet of two and can be found pedalling across the city in all weathers.
And it’s not just cycling that can save you time. Travelling for work by train or coach can give you the chance to catch up on emails, talk things through, or just relax.
Sometimes just careful scheduling can be the key to trading time spent in a car for time spent on a bike. After taking up the Oxford Car Free Challenge earlier this year, maternity tobacco adviser Kate discovered that instead of driving five days a week to make home visits, she could cut down to just two and make her other trips by bike. “Although I did have to use my car for work I took the time to plan my schedule a lot more,” she explains. “I’d properly look at where everybody lived and ensure I was going to one area and getting as many people in as possible a day as opposed to as and when.” Kate’s planning saved hours’ worth of time; giving her more exercise, and a better sense of her community into the bargain. As she puts it: “I’ve lived here for six years, and I’m getting to appreciate Oxford again, because I’m cycling through it all of the time instead of sitting in a car going on the ring roads, avoiding the centre... it's just better for the environment and better for me."
Tips for getting started:
Don’t need to carry things all the time? Think about whether you can clump together journeys where you carry things, to free up some of your days for walking, cycling or taking the bus or train.
Need to carry things for your job? There are a lot of great options for carrying loads both big and small on cycles. These range from rucksacks or messenger bags, to handlebar bags or baskets, to cargo racks or panniers, to trailers or cargo bikes. Read here for a fairly comprehensive article on your options for carrying stuff on a cycle. And if your employer participates in the Cycle to Work scheme, you can also purchase this kind of equipment through the scheme.
Need to carry larger loads? A cargo bike might be a good fit for you. Pop into Warlands or Electric Bike Sales in Oxford for an introduction. Want to try out a cargo bike before committing? Oxford Cargo Bike offers affordable rental rates for their electric cargo bike, with a rental only costing £1 per hour. Electric cargo bikes are also available to hire from Bainton Bikes for £53 per day. They'll even refund your rental fee if you decide to buy the bike.
Related stories:
If you have experience in using active travel, buses or trains in and around Oxford in the course of your work, and can offer tips, ideas or feedback of help to others, let us know.
Updated September 2024
