More Flex in the City: A case study from Brisbane of spreading the load in the office and on the road

The views expressed in this paper are those of authors and do not necessarily represent those of the Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads or the Queensland Government. Special thanks to Jeff Eaton, Will Abbott and Chung Leung of the Modelling Data and Analysis Centre of the Department of Transport and Main Roads for assistance in data extraction and creation of some of the figures used in this paper. Abstract Congestion is a major problem facing large cities across the world. Flexible workplaces are a newly emerging approach to managing congestion from within the voluntary travel behaviour change segment of the travel demand management spectrum. Flexible workplaces incorporate long standing traditional flexible work hours options into a more holistic workplace approach to achieving both transport outcomes (such as peak commuter spreading) and organisational outcomes (such as increased worker satisfaction or productivity). The Flexible Workplace Program - Brisbane Central Pilot undertaken in Brisbane, Australia, during 2009 demonstrated the benefits of this more holistic approach. During the one-month Pilot, amongst almost 900 Brisbane Central Business District (CBD) workers across 20 private and public sector organisations, shifts of more than 30% out of the morning and afternoon peak travel were recorded. Around 80% of participants reported an enhanced work life-balance and, depending on the choice of flexible work arrangement, up to 70% of participants reported productivity increases.