Travel Survey Shows The Road Ahead

Date posted: 2 June 2011

People commuting to the University are driving less and walking more than three years ago, according to the latest travel survey.

The 2010 survey attracted 1,696 responses from staff and students at the Derby and Buxton campuses. The last Derby travel survey was in 2007 and in Buxton, 2004.

An online questionnaire asked respondents questions including the distance they travelled, how they got to University and how aware they were of University initiatives to promote more environmentally friendly modes of transport, such as cycling or buses.

Although driving in alone remained the most popular method of commuting for both staff and students at Derby sites, and for staff at the Buxton campus, proportionally this number had fallen since the last surveys at both locations.

In 2007 in Derby 54.3% of staff and 43.7% of students were sole occupant car users, compared with 47% and 29.5% respectively in 2010. In the 2004 Buxton travel survey this figure was almost 89% but down to 45.4% by 2010.

In Derby, bus use, walking and cycling are all being used more as a means of getting to sites by staff and students than they were in 2007.

Walking's significant rise among Derby students over the period - from 16% (in 2007) to 24% - is thought to be the result of the University closing outlying sites and increasing student parking charges. In a similar pattern at Buxton, the number of students walking in almost doubled from 18.7% (in 2004) to 35.4% (latest survey).

In terms of travel distances, a quarter of Derby staff responding to the 2010 survey lived within two miles of their University site, 40% within four miles and 13.9% travelled over 20 miles. The number of full-time Derby students living within four miles of their University site rose from 42.2% in 2007 to 52.4% in 2010, reflecting greater provision of Halls of Residence accommodation.

The 2010 survey revealed greater general acceptance of the need for staff parking charges, introduced at Derby's Kedleston Road site in 2003 amid some controversy.

Unibuses were more highly rated in 2010 than 2007. Passengers felt the quality, cleanliness, time keeping and frequency of buses had noticeably improved.

Among the ideas the 2010 travel survey's respondents suggested to further reduce car usage were onsite bike servicing, subsidised parking permits and charging points for the owners of electric cars, and showers for Buxton cyclists.

James Brown - University Transport and Travel Manager, and survey organiser - said: "The 2010 survey shows significant progress towards more sustainable means of travel.

"People are making an effort to use more environmentally friendly methods of transport. There is also greater awareness of University initiatives such as staff pool cars, Unibus subsidies and the re-investment of parking permit charges into travel projects.

"The survey has shown people are more willing to change travel behaviour. For example, there is a lot of potential for increased car sharing at the University."

The regular surveys are run to get a better picture of people's journeys to work or study, so that more environmentally friendly means of transport can be encouraged.