In 2020 thought it was time to ask
"What if everyone could walk to work?"
What would that mean for our communities, our environment, and our way of working.
People in the UK spend an average of 251 hours a year commuting.
That’s the equivalent of watching the Titanic 72 times.
In 2020 we asked how you feel about commuting, and the response was quite something.
From the first 5,000,000 commuting miles logged, we learned the following:
85% of people want to work closer to home.
People want to work closer to home, this is the very clear and obvious take.
People value being there at bedtimes and breakfast for their families, being able to spend more time with friends and on hobbies.
Commuting takes a fortnight off us.
On average people spend 307 hours per year commuting, which is 12.8 full 24-hour days.
There’s also the financial factor. Our survey respondents calculated a cost of £2,890 per year on average spent commuting.
Public transport isn’t good enough.
91% of rail users want to work closer to home, and the overall Net Promoter Score for public transport was -97.
26% of public transport users strongly dislike their commute, rating it 1/5.
WHAT IF EVERYONE COULD WALK TO WORK?
As the world was looking to return to post-Covid normality, we asked what if everyone could walk to work?
What if we didn’t just jump back in our cars?
What would that mean for us all?
Flex work is still evolving.
Whether you commute five days a week, WFH on Mondays and Fridays, or use your local shared workspace, there’s still a lot of dust to settle on the future of work debate.
Our core belief is that it’s the relationships that matter most. Those that we make through work, through where we choose to work, and those out of work that we can give more time to.
If you’re a remote worker meeting entrepreneurs in your community you find new talent pools to work with and learn from. If the rest of your team are 50 miles away then you find a local way to connect with other professionals.
Most importantly, you can play a full role in your community - whether that’s with your family, friends, or at a deeper level.
Who we are.
TownSq operates coworking spaces and business support programmes across the UK, supporting thousands of businesses each year through our activities.
We’re working alongside local councils, Levelling up programmes and UK Government to bring coworking and support to people looking to start, grow and accelerate their business.
