Loughborough University Travel Planning

Transcription

1 Document Ti tle Client Name Loughborough University Travel Planning Loughborough University Travel Plan Executive Summary December 2015

2 Loughborough University Travel Planning Project no: B Document title: Revision: DRAFT Date: 23 December 2015 Client name: Loughborough University Client no: Client Reference Project manager: James Goldman Author: Stelios Rodoulis File name: Document4 Level 6, 30 Flinders Street Adelaide SA 5000 Australia T F Copyright 2016 Please select a legal entity from the Change Document Details option on the Jacobs ribbon. The concepts and information contained in this document are the property of Jacobs. Use or copying of this document in whole or in part without the written permission of Jacobs constitutes an infringement of copyright. Limitation: This report has been prepared on behalf of, and for the exclusive use of Jacobs Client, and is subject to, and issued in accordance with, the provisions of the contract between Jacobs and the Client. Jacobs accepts no liability or responsibility whatsoever for, or in respect of, any use of, or reliance upon, this report by any third party. Document history and status Revision Date Description By Review Approved 0 23/12/15 DRAFT SR JC JG Document No. i

3 Executive Summary Introduction Loughborough University has commissioned Jacobs to review the Travel Plan and provide new targets and actions for taking the Travel Plan forward. The new Travel Plan will cover the period. The new Travel Plan is a document intended to provide guidelines for travel-related actions at the University over the next five years. The list of actions may need to be adjusted during the course of the Travel Plan, as the Travel Plan reacts and adapts to any changes that may occur over the period. The Travel Plan provides the framework for supporting sustainable travel, setting targets and providing guidance on how best to reach the targets. This Travel Plan is based on the results of staff and student travel surveys conducted in autumn 2015 and early 2016 respectively. The surveys provide a strong evidence base for this Travel Plan and ensure that the targets and actions within the plan are achievable and realistic. Separate reports discuss the findings of the travel surveys in detail with key findings summarised within the Travel Plan. Staff survey findings At the closing of the staff survey, the total number of responses was With 2879 members of staff this gives an overall staff response rate of 44.7%. Over half of staff (54%) currently travel to the University by car, without any passengers. A further 8% drive with passengers (e.g. family members) and 2% are car passengers, resulting in a total of 64% of staff travelling to the University by car. Just over a quarter of all staff (26%) travel most regularly by sustainable active modes, with 15% walking to campus and 11% cycling. In addition, approximately 4% of staff currently travel by bus or coach and a further 3% travelling by train; therefore the total public transport modal share is approximately 7%. Approximately 30% of all staff report living within 2 miles of their place of work (which is ideal for walking to work) with 12% travelling less than 1 mile and 18% travelling between 1 and 2 miles. A further 19% of staff live between 2.1 and 5 miles from work. This means that a total of approximately 50% of staff travel 5 miles or less, which is ideal distance for cycling or walking from work. Just over a third of all staff (34%) live more than 10 miles from the University, and 15% travel between 5 and 10 miles. Almost 40% of respondents stated that they would not consider walking for all or part of their journey to the University. However, 18.2% of staff stated that they always or usually walk, with an additional 14.3% walking some of the time and 5.8% stating that they do not walk currently but might in the future. These latter 20% are potential targets for walking measures and promotions. Almost 90% of staff living with 1 mile of the University either always, usually or sometimes walk to campus, with a further 4% stating that they do not currently walk but might in the future. Walking is less frequent amongst those living with 1 and 2 mile but almost 70% of staff still stated that they currently walk, either always, usually or sometimes. The most commonly cited barrier for walking to work, was that staff did not live within walking distance. Similar to walking, 45.1% stated that they would not consider cycling for all or part of their journey to the University; 4.9% of staff stated that they always cycle and 7.7% usually cycle and 11% sometimes cycle. An encouraging 17.5% stated that they do not cycle currently but might in the future. 37% of staff living within 5 miles of the University stated that they cycle in some capacity, with occasional cyclists outnumbering those that always cycle; 25% of staff living within 5 miles are also willing to consider cycling in the future. These results indicate that there is scope for increasing the number of overall cyclists as well as the frequency of cycling, primarily those living within 5 miles. Just over 51% of staff stated that they would not consider using public transport; however, this proportion has decreased from 60% as shown in the 2013 survey. Overall, a greater proportion of respondents stated that they would not consider using public transport than would not consider walking or cycling, indicating that it is not a convenient option for a majority of staff. Only 7.5% of staff stated that they always or usually use public

4 transport, while 14.3% sometimes use public transport and 9.7% do not currently travel by public transport but might in the future. The predominant mode of travel across campus is walking, accounting for 76% of the mode share. Almost twothirds of staff either never travel off-campus or do so less than once a month. Only 4% of staff stated that they travel on business more than once a week, with 4% travelling on average once per week and 19% travelling between once per week and once per month. Taking the train is the most commonly stated mode of undertaking off-campus business travel, with 37% of staff citing this as their main mode. The full report and results of the staff travel survey undertaken in 2015 can be found in a separate report. In addition, Section 2.2 in this report provides a summary of the findings. Aims and objectives The University s travel planning priorities have changed over time; the primary aim of the 2005 Travel Plan was to reduce the number of single occupancy car journeys to the University, whereas in the 2010 Travel Plan increasing emphasis was placed on encouraging active travel (walking and cycling) and reducing the environmental impact of necessary vehicle travel. Since the document was written, the University has made strides in supporting, enabling and promoting sustainable travel to, from and within the University. The general scope of the 2015 Travel Plan, however, remains the same with some additional targets. The University will actively continue to persuade staff, students and visitors to change their travel habits in favour of more sustainable modes, such as walking and cycling. The overall aim of this Travel Plan is to ensure that Loughborough University is an accessible University for staff, students and visitors without negatively impacting on the surrounding area. The University will continue to actively persuade staff, students and visitors to change their travel habits, especially single occupancy vehicle use, in favour of more active travel modes (walking and cycling). The Travel Plan s overarching objectives are as follows: To provide an alternative to single-occupancy vehicle use for as many staff and students as possible. To ensure that any restrictions placed on travelling onto the University campus by car is matched with action to support travel by other modes, especially active modes such as walking and cycling. To promote active travel (walking, running and cycling) as a means of travelling to campus and across campus. To improve the road network to reduce congestion and provide a safe environment for pedestrians and cyclists. To reduce the carbon footprint of transport to, from and within the University. These objectives have been at the heart of determining the targets within this travel plan, and all further actions regarding travel at the University should be checked in terms of these objectives. Targets Targets are the measurable goals by which progress will be assessed. Targets are set based on general travel plan good practice and depend on the results of the travel surveys. The targets are SMART i.e. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-related. Targets can either be qualitative ( action targets) or quantitative ( aim targets). The targets are based on the results of the travel survey and build directly on the over-arching travel plan aims and objectives. Both aim and action targets have been set. Aim targets are focused on achieving mode shift or increasing awareness levels, and action targets focus on the introduction of new or improved facilities, incentives and campaigns. Mode shift targets have been set at challenging yet achievable levels, demonstrating that the University is dedicated to encouraging and promoting sustainable travel to staff, students and visitors. The table below provides a summary of the 2015 Modal headline targets for staff.

5 Mode Target Target value Car Staff driving to work alone by car 47% Walking Staff who walk to work 22% Cycling Staff who cycle to work 17% Public Transport Public transport (rail and bus) users 9% Car Sharing Staff who share (driver or passenger, including family members) 25% Business Travel Staff driving alone as their main mode of off-campus business travel 30% In addition to the primary targets above, the table below shows the key secondary targets for each mode. Mode Target Target value Car Reduce proportion of staff arriving in peak time 40% Reduce proportion of staff departing in peak time 35% Walking Sometimes walk to work 17% Cycling Sometimes cycle to work 17% Public Transport Sometimes use Public transport (rail and bus) 17% A package of recommended actions to help achieve these targets has also been proposed and is included in full within the full Travel Plan; Chapter 5 in the Travel Plan sets out the targets, indicators and accompanying actions for the travel plan in detail and Table 7.1 in the same report provides a summary of targets against the 2015 baseline. The actions focus on improving cycling and walking infrastructure on campus to support walking and cycling to, from and within the campus, as well as supporting the University s Car Parking Management Scheme. The scheme is instrumental in encouraging staff and students to re-think how they travel. Along with promoting any infrastructure improvements made on campus, a marketing and awareness scheme will help highlight the availability of more sustainable travel options and will illustrate the possible health and financial benefits of these modes. Improving accessibility by non-single-occupancy vehicles will help the University remain accessible as it grows, helping to minimise any possible pressures on car parking that may arise in response to this growth. Conclusion The Loughborough University Travel Plan 2016 provides targets for achieving higher levels of sustainable travel to and from the University, amongst staff and students. The plan has been updated in response to new development on campus and has taken into account the priorities of the campus and the long-term vision for the University. The plan sets out actions for achieving these targets over a 5-year timescale, in conjunction with other changes and improvements at the University. The headline mode shift targets are for a reduction in the proportion of staff driving alone as their main mode of travel, with increases in the proportion of staff car sharing, walking and cycling. The plan sets out actions for achieving these targets over a 5-year timescale, in conjunction with other changes and improvements at the University.