Slovenia's development strategy, like many sectoral strategies, emphasises "SUSTAINABILITY" as a desired goal. Sustainable mobility is also included in this framework. The implementation of this sustainable mobility is reflected in the construction of roads (hot topics are: Ljubljana bypass, third development axis, etc.) - which is not very sustainable. And on the other hand, various investments in public transport - which is a real step.

But in the course of my studies and thinking about my future work and very likely commuting to bigger cities (standing in crowds, wasting time driving, etc.) I came up with an idea:

The fact is that the reason for the congestion of the roads in the bigger cities (Ljubljana) at peak times is the distribution of the workplaces. Workers (usually each in their own car) drive to them every day. I AM OF THE OPINION THAT THE NUMBER OF JOURNEYS REQUIRED CAN BE GREATLY REDUCED.

 
HOW WOULD THIS BE POSSIBLE?

- By encouraging work from home or in "co-working" spaces, which are found in many smaller regional and local centres today.

- Maybe, because in many workplaces all you need is a computer and the internet... More of that in the future...

- SLOVENIA HAS THE POTENTIAL FOR IT: the number of registered tele-workers is very low...

I realise that this decision is largely up to employers. Nevertheless, the State can take measures to encourage this. I have also read some studies in which the majority of employers who have decided to promote this see many advantages and do not regret their decision. Japan has even identified the promotion of working from home as a measure to reduce traffic problems. Studies also cite other positive aspects of working from home in terms of people's satisfaction (self-organisation of time, more time for family and leisure activities, etc.), and of course the environment (we are not sufficiently aware of the fact that more than 50% of greenhouse gases come from our vehicles), among other things, it could help to keep the countryside vital (it's not the only solution for young people with an education to move to Ljubljana, etc.)....

It's not about people doing all their work from home. But just if the civil servants who work in the various civil service jobs (all of which are concentrated in Ljubljana) did their work from home two days a week... 100 fewer cars at a specific time on those days could make a big difference. There would be no need for a new bypass...

So I propose this as an addition to the promotion of JPP.

And don't get me wrong: I am also aware of the drawbacks of this kind of work... This matter should be approached thoughtfully.

SOURCE: www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/report/2017/working-anytime-anywh...

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