MORE staff at a business park near Didcot are swapping their cars for greener ways of getting to work, a new survey has revealed.

The annual Milton Park travel survey has been completed and an analysis of responses has shown the single occupancy vehicle rate is continuing to decline, from 69 per cent in 2016 to 63 per cent this year.

Park managers say workers are increasingly switching to healthier, greener modes of travelling to and from work.

In terms of overall mode share, there has been a 2.5 per cent increase in cycling and car sharing is also on the up.

In total, 1,530 people responded to this year’s survey, from businesses across Milton Park, which is run by MEPC.

Of these, 393 answered ‘yes’ to the question: ‘have you changed the way you travel in the past 12 months?’ and 66 per cent – 250 of the 393 – had changed to 'more sustainable modes' such as cycling, car sharing or public transit use on some or all days of the week.

The main reasons for the change appears to be an increased awareness of the benefits of cycling and walking for health reasons, with seven per cent of respondents saying they were now cycling for the fitness benefits that it brings or in an effort to be ‘greener’.

Three per cent of respondents said they were now car sharing more often and 3.5 per cent have started using public transit options, many specifically stating that the new bus from Great Western Park had enabled them to stop driving the short distance to work.

Some respondents said that they had changed to less sustainable modes, either because of the poor reliability of local buses or because of concerns about cycling safety.

Veronica Reynolds, travel advisor for Milton Park, said: “Overall, I am delighted with the continued shift to more sustainable modes and the results indicate that our approach to encourage as many people as possible to make small changes, where they can easily do so, is successful in reducing the number of cars coming in and out of the business park.

“People’s concerns about cycle safety show that we still have some way to go to improve the cycling infrastructure in the area and we are working alongside local stakeholders to implement these as a priority.

“The cited ‘unreliability’ of local buses is largely a consequence of recent roadworks which have led to increased congestion, but it is something we are monitoring closely.”

Ms Reynolds added that with the continued growth in housing, including the Great Western Park estate, Milton Park was committed to ensuring that residents, both local and from further afield, were able to get to and from work in 'the most sustainable ways possible'.

The travel advisor said sustainable travel was ‘not just good for the planet and for our health, but also made economic sense’.

She added: “This will inevitably require us all to take a good look at how we travel and a recognition that if we are not part of the solution, then we are probably part of the problem.”

Last month MEPC announced that businesses Replimune and Evotec were the winners of the park’s annual car free day, held in June. Businesses were challenged to adopt greener forms of travel as part of their daily commute.

The winning companies were chosen based on the percentage of their overall workforce participating in the initiative.

Replimune, which develops next-generation treatments for cancer, claimed the top spot with 68 per cent, followed by drug delivery specialist Evotec in second place. Both winners were rewarded with a £500 donation to a charity of their choice, with Replimune opting for Cancer Research UK, while Evotec donated its winnings to Guide Dogs.

Car free travel day was the latest in a series of measures introduced at Milton Park in recent years to improve congestion and air pollution.

The measures have helped to increase carpooling and cycling to the park, reducing the overall number of vehicles travelling in and out of the park every day.

The car-free day saw a marked uplift in take up across the park compared to last year’s event. Commenting on car free day, Phillip Campbell, commercial director for MEPC at Milton Park, said earlier: “The goal of our green travel campaign is to encourage healthier working practices across the park.

“We hope this event has a ripple effect, prompting people to re-think the way they commute to and from work on a daily basis.

"A change of habit can make a huge difference, and through initiatives such as car free day we can maximise the benefits of green travel.”