About the Student Travel Plan
The University of Bristol is currently preparing a student travel plan in response to the growing pressures of single occupancy car usage amongst students and the effect they have on the local environment. The travel plan will also:
- Help to ensure that the University can provide excellent travel choices to its students and to help enhance the student experience whilst in attendance.
- Help the University to meet important social and health objectives as well as the objectives contained in the revised Environmental Policy.
- Help ensure the University meets planning conditions for the Math and Bio-Sciences and the University Precinct applications.
- Support the measures contained within the University’s Staff travel plan that was adopted in 1999.
The main objectives contained within this plan are:
- To understand and support students’ need to travel to and from Bristol and to and from the University and within the City of Bristol.
- To identify and seek the provision of appropriate and affordable methods of travel for students at the University avoiding when possible the need for private car travel.
- To provide and promote more sustainable approaches to living and working including travel.
- To reduce environmental impacts from students travel (local, national and global)
- To promote safe and responsible travel to students whilst at University
- To ensure that the Travel Plan is viable and sustainable both financially and environmentally.
- To develop and deliver the Student Travel Policy and Plan as a partnership between the University, the Students, the City Council and the relevant transport providers.
The above objectives will be addressed through specific actions contained in the plan.
A comprehensive student travel survey was conducted in 2008 to gain the detailed knowledge of student’s travel habits, to set targets, to ensure that the relevant measures are contained within the plan and to be able to monitor the effectiveness of the measures in future years. In 2008 the main modes of travel to the place of study from term time accommodation were; 75% by foot (walk/run), 11.4% by bicycle, 4.4% by bus and 4% by car (driver on their own).
The travel plan considers how all forms of transport can be influenced using a combination of measures, both physical and behavioural. Investigations into specific travel plan measures are currently taking place. These include (amongst others):
- Investigation into the centralisation of all University car parks
- The provision of a Student Bus service or the re-routing of the existing First bus services
- The provision of suitable cycle and motorcycle facilities
- Financial support to encourage cycling as a viable mode of travel.
- The promotion of sustainable modes of travel through specific transport events and literature
- The provision of a personalised journey planning service for students
- The promotion of eco-driving (efficient driving) with all Halls of Residence permit holders
Although the Travel Plan is still in a draft format it is important that work still takes place now to help aid sustainable travel for students. The following has taken place over the last few months.
- A Stoke Bishop Car Club pilot scheme has now been launched to try and reduce the need for students to bring their car to the University. See http://www.bristol.ac.uk/transportplan/transport/carclub/
- Additional cycle facilities have been provided on the Precinct for students and a number of additional sites have been identified.
- Cycle maintenance and security tagging events have taken place
- A new online cycle facility location map has been created (UoB only)
- A new UoB travel guide has been created
- The Green Impact Awards scheme has now been launched. This scheme offers a practical way of helping departments become greener, whilst celebrating the small steps that individuals are taking to reduce our collective environmental impacts. There are a number of sustainable travel criteria contained in this scheme. See http://www.bristol.ac.uk/transportplan/news/2008/034.html
The University Planning and Resources Committee (UPARC) will be responsible for determining matters of policy, such as the level of parking charges. The Student Policy and Plan Steering Group will represent a cross-section of the University community and will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Travel Plan. The day-to-day management of the plan and the administration of new initiatives will be through the Travel Plan Co-ordinator.
Monitoring will be undertaken to assess whether the objects and targets identified in this plan have been achieved.
This will take the form of:
- A comprehensive student travel survey every two years
- The monitoring of usage of cycle parking facilities
- The monitoring of usage of car parks
- The monitoring of car parking permits allocated
- The monitoring of car parking enforcement
- The request of provision of bus patronage data from the operators that serve the areas specified in the plan
- The University’s Transport Plan website will invite comments on travel issues.
- The University’s modal groups will be invited to comment on travel issues i.e. The University of Bristol Bike Users Group (TUB-BUG) and the Motorcycle Users Group (MUG).
It is proposed that a bi-annual review of the travel plan will take place alongside the bi-annual monitoring. The review will identify any priority initiatives for the next period and any revision of, or addition of, specific targets. The progress would then be reported back to the Steering group and then published for all students to view on the University website.
In order to further the aims of this Student Travel Plan, the University will continue to work closely with neighbouring Universities including the University of the West of England and The Environmental Association of Universities and Colleagues (EAUC) to ensure best practice is met and that sustainable travel is at the forefront of student’s (and associated staff) minds. It will also continue to work with public transport providers to encourage more sustainable methods of travel though an improved infrastructure and incentives.