1.0 FOREWORD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION CURRENT TRENDS IN TRAVEL FUTURE TRENDS IN TRAVEL...

Transcription

1 Sustainable Travel Plan

2 Contents Page Number 1.0 FOREWORD EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION CURRENT TRENDS IN TRAVEL FUTURE TRENDS IN TRAVEL TRAVEL TARGETS IMPLEMENTATION AND MONITORING... 8 CONTACT Eyes on your saddle I have pedalled I have crossed I have journeyed Beyond myself An extract from A Bicycle Designed in the Cell by Luis Veiga Leitao 2

3 1.0 Foreword Almost 15 years have passed since the Oxford Transport Strategy (OTS) was adopted by the City and County Councils in 1993 with the wholehearted support of the University. Since then the OTS and subsequent transport plans have helped Oxford to meet the challenge of coping with planned growth in population and employment without increasing congestion and environmental degradation. The University remains a key advocate of the vision that Oxford should continue to grow and prosper as long as the increased demand for travel is not met by car based travel alone. The University s commitment to this vision is clear for all to see through the development of our estate with little or no car parking provision, the wealth of local initiatives we support to promote walking, cycling and public transport use and the results of recent travel surveys which indicate that between 1997 and 2007 the percentage of our staff that usually travel to work by car has halved. The Sustainable Travel Plan for the period reaffirms our commitment to reducing traffic and parking in the city centre and at the same time introduces new targets aimed at reducing the carbon dioxide emissions generated by business travel. 2.0 Executive summary The first University of Oxford staff travel plan was launched in 2003 with the aim of reducing traffic and parking in the city centre. Since then the percentage of staff usually travelling to and from work by private car has dropped from 28 in 2002 to 23 in The University remains committed to discouraging unnecessary use of private motor transport and encouraging walking, cycling and public transport as suitable alternatives and has adopted a target to further reduce the percentage of staff usually travelling to and from work by car from 23 in 2007 to 18 in The University is now launching its Sustainable Travel Plan for the period containing a package of measures aimed at reducing the impact of travel on the environment and increasing a number of benefits to our staff. 3

4 3.0 Introduction The University of Oxford Travel Policy is to increase the percentage of staff walking, cycling and using public transport to get to work and for business travel, and to encourage alternative methods to private motor vehicle and air travel for business purposes, where practical. This Sustainable Travel Plan covers a five-year period between 2008 and 2012 and has the following objectives: i. to improve the choice of transport options and facilities available to staff travelling to and from the University, and between its sites ii. to discourage the unnecessary use of private motor vehicles by staff travelling to and from the University, and between its sites iii. to implement travel initiatives that reduce transport related carbon dioxide emissions iv. to improve the health and fitness of staff through the promotion of walking and cycling The travel plan is dynamic and will develop with time and in accordance with the changing circumstances of the University and the environment in which it operates. 4.0 Current trends in travel The University estate has grown by approximately 12 over the last five years with staff and student numbers rising by approximately 13 and 11 respectively. There has also been some relocation of staff between new and existing sites, most notably Begbroke Science Park, Osney Mead, Old Road Campus and the Radcliffe Infirmary. Despite a trend for staff to live further away from their place of work, 60 of staff lived within the four central Oxford district postcodes of OX1, OX2, OX3 and OX4 in 2002 compared to 54 in 2007, the most recent staff travel survey reassuringly indicates that the targets in the first travel plan have successfully helped the University to achieve its aim of reducing traffic and parking in the city centre. 4

5 Table 1.0 Mode of travel staff usually use to travel to and from work. Travel mode usually used to travel to and 1997 survey results 2002 survey results 2007 survey results from work Cycle Car driver Bus and coach Walk Park & Ride Train Car passenger Motorbike Total Response rate for survey: ; ; The percentage of staff usually travelling to and from work by private car has continued to drop from 46 in 1997 to 28 in 2002 and 23 in This has been accompanied by a corresponding increase in the use of more sustainable travel modes such as the Park & Ride and the train. The percentage of staff that always use the same mode to travel to and from work has stayed the same over the last five years at approximately 30. Interestingly, the travel pattern for the remaining two thirds of staff that sometimes travel to and from work in other ways to their usual mode has also remained almost identical as shown in Table 2.0 below. 5

6 Table 2.0 Mode of travel for staff that sometimes travel to and from work in other ways to their usual mode. Travel mode sometimes used to travel to and from 2002 survey result 2007 survey result work Cycle Car driver Bus and coach Walk Park & Ride 3 5 Train 4 3 Car passenger 10 9 Motorbike 1 1 Total The bus is still the most frequently used alternative mode of travel followed by driving a car. Approximately one third of the staff that use the bus and a half of the staff that drive a car as their alternative mode of travel do so about once a week. The travel patterns for male and female staff have remained largely the same over the last five years with a higher percentage of male staff cycling to work and a higher percentage of female staff taking the bus. Table 3.0 below highlights some of these differences. 6

7 Table 3.0 Effect of gender on mode of travel staff usually use to travel to and from work. Travel mode usually used to travel to and from work Female staff Male staff 2002 survey 2007 survey 2002 survey 2007 survey Cycle Car driver Bus and coach Walk Park & Ride Train Car passenger Motorbike Total Future trends in travel As a major and responsible employer the University has taken a leading role in promoting sustainable travel locally. Recent trends indicated by the staff travel survey data show encouraging results. However, the pressure to reduce the University s dependence on the private car and cut emissions of greenhouse gases is likely to become even greater over the five-year period of this plan for the following reasons: higher fuel costs increased taxation and charging for less sustainable transport modes increased staff and student awareness of climate change implications of carbon emissions decreasing cost of electronic communication methods such as video-conferencing 6.0 Travel targets The University is committed to continue to take a leading role in managing its transport requirements sustainably and has adopted the following targets: 7

8 1. Reduce the percentage of staff that usually travel to and from work by car from 23 to 18, by Increase the percentage of staff that travel to and from work using alternative methods of travel (walking, cycling and public transport) by 5, by Monitor business air travel and develop an air travel reduction strategy, by December Implementation and monitoring The travel targets mentioned in the section above will be achieved through the implementation of a combination of new initiatives and existing travel initiatives, that have served the University well in recent years and are to be maintained and improved. The plan will be implemented with the use of the hypothecated budget obtained from parking charges which currently stands at about 80,000 a year. The University Environment Panel will review annually the progress towards the objectives and targets laid out in this plan and report their findings to the Buildings and Estates Sub-Committee (BESC). Details on existing staff travel initiatives are available at: Travel plan promotion Maintain and update the comprehensive University sustainable travel website Provide regular updates on travel initiatives and information Work in partnership with other local employers, local authorities and external bodies to help promote sustainable transport Walking and cycling initiatives Continue to provide departments with pool bicycles and equipment for use by staff at work Continue to improve pedestrian and cyclist access and facilities on university sites Buildings to be designed, where space allows, with 1 secure and conveniently located cycle parking space per 3 staff of Sheffield type or similar Provide showers for all new buildings and major refurbishments of 500m2 or more, on the following basis: 1 shower per 2,500m2 up to 10,000m2, and 1 shower per 4000m2 thereafter, as of December

9 Liaise with local cycle campaign groups Provide adult cycle training for staff Increase the number of staff bicycles serviced on-site by the mobile bicycle repair Bike Doctor scheme by 10 (equivalent to an extra 5 days of Bike Doctor service per annum), by December 2008 Enlist an additional 250 staff to the University Bicycle Salary Sacrifice Scheme, by December Bicycle Salary Sacrifice Scheme Public transport initiatives Expand staff take-up of the University Season Ticket Loan, Bus and Train Schemes, by 5 by December 2008 Increase the number of staff choosing the bus as an alternative to their usual travel mode; Increase the number of staff using the existing University and college minibus services by 5 by December 2008 Introduce an Oxford Bus Company key card (electronic smart card) pilot scheme for business travel by March 2008 Private and business motor transport initiatives Increase the number of staff registered on the car share scheme Oxshare by an additional 70 staff members, by December 2008 Reduce the effect of the car parking subsidy University Car Parking Working Group to review allocation of Departmental car parking spaces, with a view to reducing the number of operational spaces, by July 2008 Progressively to increase the proportion of University owned vehicles with lower carbon emissions Non travel initiatives Investigate systems for monitoring staff business air travel and develop an air travel reduction strategy, by December 2008 Install 5 new videoconferencing facilities for departmental use, by December 2008 Provide departments with 1 teleconferencing phone, and / or webcam equipment in order to increase facilities for virtual meetings, by December 2008 Promote the University Flexible Working Scheme, in particular teleworking and compressed hours (details available at 9

10 Contact Staff wishing to make comments and suggestions concerning travel and transport should contact the University Environment and Travel Officer, Tel: (2)88782; 10