Abstract

n important challenge to achieving sustainable university campuses is ensuring that the academic community makes sustainable transport choices. The objective of this study was to investigate the daily commuting patterns, identify the potential for change, and determine the factors and criteria affecting the transport decisions of academic communities of two universities located in Gdansk, Poland. This paper summarizes the results of trip generation measurements and a comprehensive online survey of 3678 respondents, including the universities&rsquo staff and students. Analysis of survey results revealed clear differences between students and university staff in terms of travel patterns and factors that influence their choices. Staff usually (57%) choose the car for daily commutes with students opting for public transport (59%). The choice of travel mode in particular groups is determined mostly by car availability, trip origin location, and accessibility. The choices also depend on transport user individual requirements such as trip quality, costs, or ecology. With approximately 1400 trips daily per 1000 students, the universities are large traffic generators. Thus, how the staff and students behave determines the effect the universities have on the urban transport system. Understanding the behaviour can help to estimate whether it can be changed and how. Document type: Article

Abstract

Universities have the extraordinary ability to generate awareness regarding all aspects of sustainability in communities. To be successful, they must first adopt and model sustainable concepts within their own campuses. Transportation is one of the most affective sectors on the level of sustainability on university campuses. In recent decades, numerous universities around the world have begun encouraging usage of active modes of transportation through various strategies. This research has a multi-faceted approach to researching proven strategies, sampling local conditions, and making context-driven recommendations. The literature review outlines the most effective strategies related to Transportation Demand Management (TDM) for promoting usage of active modes of transportation inside university campuses. After that, the condition of existing facilities and strategies as well as commuters&rsquo propensities related to active modes of transportation in the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) campus are evaluated using both qualitative and quantitative methods. The results include a set of recommendations and a framework for administrating, implementing, and enhancing a sustainable transportation system thereby increasing the commuter&rsquo s use of sustainable active modes of transportation to, from, and within the university campus. Document type: Article