Evidence base for university sustainable transport planning

The University of Tasmania is one of Tasmania’s largest employers and as a growing institution it is a significant trip generator in the state. One of the first barriers to informing the University’s sustainable transport strategy was the lack of transport indicators for the university, and limited useful travel behaviour data in Tasmania generally. We lacked information on the transport mode share of students and staff, we knew little about university business related travel, and we were unclear about carpooling and vehicle fleet practices. We needed solid baseline information about university-wide travel practices and the development of a periodical survey for assisting ongoing planning. This presented an opportunity to develop a student research project as part of the university’s Academic Operations Sustainability Integration Program.

This paper outlines the key findings of the first University of Tasmania Travel Behaviour Survey 2013 in which almost 4000 students and staff participated, and It discusses the implications of these findings for university planning and the wider Tasmanian community. Conducted via online quantitative surveys as a Master of Environmental Planning student research project, the results of the survey provide great insight into university staff and student travel behaviour. For example, the results show that in inner urban areas active modes of transport are significant compared to the Tasmanian population at large, but that there are issues with accessibility to university facilities in some regions. These kind of results flag areas of particular planning achievement future opportunities, and priorities for both university and government planners.