University of Leicester
Travel Plan
Prepared by: Approved by:
Dr Sandra Lee
Status: Draft Issue no: 1 Date: 4/5/2010 travel plan v1.doc
Contents
Travel Plan Summary 5
1 Introduction 10
1.1 Background 10
1.2 The need for a University Travel Plan 12
1.3 Legal Requirements/Guidance 13
1.4 Plan structure 14
2 Key findings from background research 15
2.1 Key findings and recommendations 15
3 Aims, objectives and targets 18
3.1 Aims 18
3.2 Objectives 18
3.3 Baseline travel trends 18
3.4 Targets 18
4 Implementation strategy 22
4.1 Management structure 22
4.2 Travel plan management 23
4.3. STIG Sub-groups 24
4.4 Sustainable Travel Officer 24
4.5 Financial considerations 25
4.6 User groups 25
4.7 Methodology 25
5 Communication and awareness strategy 26
5.1 Introduction 26
5.2 Communication and awareness strategy 26
5.3 External partners 29 6 Measures 31 6.1 The package 31 6.3 Action plan 37 7 Monitoring programme 43 7.1 Monitoring timetable 43 7.2 Methodology 43 7.3 Review 44
8 Satellite Site Specific Plans 45
Nixon Court and Freemens Commmon South Campus
Glenfield Hospital Vaughan College
Leicester Royal Infimary Leicester General Hospital North Campus
Knighton and Stoneygate Oadby
4
Appendices
Appendix 1 - Maps
Appendix 2 – Current travel situation
Appendix 3 – Staff and student survey report executive summaries Appendix 4 – University of Leicester Travel Policy
Appendix 5 – Initial Equality Impact Assessment
Appendix 6 – Sustainable Travel Implementation Group membership and terms of reference Appendix 7 – Environmental Management Service Level Agreement
Appendix 8 - Social Marketing Benchmarking Criteria Appendix 9 – External contact details
Appendix 10 – Essential Car Users Policy Appendix 11 – Cycling England Audit
Tables
Table 2.1: Mode of travel used to travel to UoL sites 16
Table 3.1: Modal shift targets - staff 20
Table 3.2: Modal shift targets - students 20
Table 6.1: Action plan of measures 36
Table 6.1: Action plan of measures 37
Table 7.1: Monitoring timetable 43
Figures
Figure 4.1: Management Structure 22
Figure 5.1: Communication strategy 26
Figure 6.1: Staff arrivals and departure (to the nearest half hour) 32
5
Travel Plan Summary
The University of Leicester‟s first Travel Plan is being developed by the Sustainable Travel Implementation Group in consultation with staff, students, Leicester City Council and a range of other stakeholders. Implementation of the Plan will begin in August 2010 and will be continuously monitored and improved with annual target setting over the next five years. We anticipate that the Travel Plan will have a significant impact on the University‟s environment to the benefit of students, staff and visitors.
What is a Travel Plan?
A Travel Plan is a strategy for managing all travel and transport within an organisation. It seeks to maximise access to a site by sustainable modes of transport. A Travel Plan needs to be tailored to the characteristics of the site location, the organisation and its operations. It includes both physical and behavioural measures to increase travel choice and reduce reliance on single
occupancy vehicles (SOV). It is not intended to be anti-car user, rather it aims to promote a range of alternative travel options.
Why does the University of Leicester need a Travel Plan?
COMPLIANCE - The Travel Plan is a requirement for planning purposes. We will not receive planning permission for future building developments (or be allowed to open the Percy Gee Building) without a Travel Plan that is acceptable to the relevant local authorities. We are required to reduce single occupancy car use to our site by a minimum of 15% by 2015.
PLANNING FOR GROWTH – The University is in the midst of a long term, multi-million pound development plan to accommodate growth in student numbers, expansion of degree course provision and increased research activity. The development of a Travel Plan for the University is integral to the 2008 Development Framework Plan for the estate as a means of tackling existing car parking problems and the transport challenges and opportunities that will arise with the University‟s growth.
SUSTAINABILITY - The University‟s Environmental Sustainability Policy (last revised in February 2009) commits the University to: „Agree a travel policy and implement measures to encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport as principal means of commuting to university for work, study and for travel by staff on University'.
What are we doing now?
Whilst this is a new Travel Plan, a lot of work has already been undertaken to promote sustainable travel options.
Current initiatives include:
Car share database – Leicestershare.com Increased bus services
Up to date travel website Bicycle Users Group Walk maps
Contractors‟ permit scheme Off-site car parking
Ongoing programme of increased cycle storage
Cycle coding scheme and discounted D-locks for staff and students
Where are we starting from?
Our Campuses are already very busy with thousands of staff, students, visitors and contractors visiting each day. The current ratio of permits to spaces is over 2:1 on Main Campus and is unsustainable. An equitable, effective solution must be found to ensure efficient use of our limited car parks. Leicester City Council will not approve the creation
6
of additional parking on the campus as part of their own sustainable travel programme; we must manage with what we have.
Our business travel has a high environmental and cost impact that can be reduced through effective management.
Whilst cycle parking is well distributed across our sites, most is not covered or lockable. Staff have told us that they want better cycling facilities, car sharing assistance and cheaper public transport tickets; whilst students also want to feel safer on walking and cycling routes.
The response rate to the staff survey was 70%, which is extraordinarily high for a survey of this type. The student survey response rate at 8% was above target. As a result of this high response, the University is creating a Travel Plan that will meet the needs of the users of the site and facilitate a real change in travel behaviours.
Environmental Impact
We estimate that staff commuting to work annually emit 3849 tonnes of carbon, the vast majority of which is from Single Occupancy Vehicles.
Meanwhile, the estimate is that fulltime students annually emit 2729 tonnes of carbon
travelling to and from their main study site.
This represents an additional 18% on top of the University‟s existing carbon footprint and does not include business travel, air travel, or students travelling home during vacations.
Current mode of travel used to travel to University sites
Mode of transport Staff Students
Mode share (%) Number (approx) Mode share (%) Number (approx)
Car drive (alone) 49 1276 9 165
Car (driver with others) 9 235 3 50
Car (as passenger) 3 78 1 36
Motorcycle 1 26 <1 8 Public bus 5 130 15 244 Hospital Hopper <1 2 <1 14 Bicycle 9 234 11 221 Train 7 182 3 48 Walk 16 417 56 1177 Other <1 2 1 15 TOTAL 100 2608 100 1978
Aims
The University of Leicester Travel Plan aims, where practical, to increase the percentages of staff, students and visitors using sustainable travel methods to commute to and between our campuses. It will achieve this by providing infrastructure, encouragement and education to promote lower impact forms of travel in place of the current reliance on private motor vehicles and other unsustainable travel methods.
Objectives of the Travel Plan
a. To capture commuter and business travel data for carbon footprinting purposes in order to satisfy the Planning Process and set the baseline for future reductions;
b. To improve the choice of transport options and facilities available to staff, students and visitors travelling to and from the University and between sites;
c. To implement travel initiatives through behaviour change that reduce transport-related emissions and thus meet our strategic targets to reduce the environmental impact of the University‟s travel demand locally, nationally and globally;
d. To reduce the use of private motor vehicles by staff travelling to and from and between, University sites and increase the use of cycling, walking and public transport use;
7
e. To promote more sustainable ways of working;
f. To improve the health and fitness of staff and students through the promotion of walking and cycling;
g. To make changes to University vehicles to reduce their environmental impact.
What are the targets for the Travel Plan?
By the end of 2015, with the proposed initiatives, the University will:
Raise awareness of sustainable travel options open to University staff, students and visitors;
Reduce the carbon impact of University travel;
Reduce single occupancy vehicle trips amongst staff to 34% (from 49%) and students to 3% (from 9%) (a target set by Leicester City Council);
Increase regular bus users;
Increase the number of staff cycling and walking to our sites.
What are the proposals?
From the 2009 survey we found that:
21% of staff indicated that they would be prepared to car share 51% of staff that currently drive are prepared to cycle or walk to work 52% of staff live within 5 miles of their workplace
29% of staff live within a five minute walk from a direct bus stop to University 13% of staff are prepared to use public transport to get to work in future
We will therefore facilitate and promote increased car sharing, public transport use, cycling and walking to University sites as alternatives to single occupancy car use.
Walking and cycling
To promote walking and cycling to our sites we will:
Provide increased cycle storage facilities, including more covered and lockable facilities; Provide a tax-free cycle hire scheme for staff;
Commission a „safe routes‟ review of walking and cycling routes from popular postcodes our staff and students live in;
Provide walk and cycle maps;
Work with local partners to develop an interactive online walk map for Leicester City; Improve the changing facilities on main campus;
Lobby the local authorities to improve key routes;
Promote the cycle registration scheme for all staff and students.
Public transport
To promote public transport travel we will:
Seek fares and price discounts with bus operators and local relevant retailers;
Install „StarTrak‟ real-time bus information display in the Percy Gee Building, Charles Wilson and Maurice Shock Building foyers;
Lobby the Park and Ride operators and local bus operators, along with local partners for University discounts and additions to their routes;
Work with Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College, Regent College and other nearby businesses to lobby the local authorities and providers of transport to improve their provision of transport options
8
Whilst we hope to make alternative transport choices more attractive to car drivers we acknowledge that sometimes sustainable travel methods are not possible. However, there are changes that can be made to reduce the environmental impact of car use.
For example, car sharing allows people to benefit from the convenience of the car, whilst
alleviating the associated problems of congestion and pollution. Buying a 'greener' car, keeping it well serviced and driving smoothly and economically will also reduce fuel use, which saves money and lowers carbon emissions.
To improve car travel to our sites we will:
Publicise and encourage use of the Car Share Register
Promote the Blue Badge scheme and parking facilities for disabled drivers and provide a local „blue badge‟ for those staff and students identified as having minor or temporary disabilities
Investigate changing the road routes and car park layout around main campus for better access for delivery and emergency vehicles, to provide facilities for visitors and VIPs and to clearly designate car parking areas for specific permit holders
Efficiently and effectively enforce the car parking regime Provide specific car parking spaces for car sharers
Revamp the car park permit system to be fair, equitable and impartial
Introduce new car parking charge mechanisms that better reflect the aims of the Travel Plan
Create improved procedures to deal with contractor parking, open days and other events Progressively increase the proportion of University-owned vehicles with lower carbon emissions
Car parking permits
It will be necessary to reduce the number of permits issued to align more closely with the number of spaces available.
The charges for staff parking permits are currently being reviewed and are likely to be based on car emission levels. The basic principle of the scheme is that the standard parking tariffs will increase from their current rate, whilst drivers with less polluting vehicles will be able to qualify for medium or low tariffs depending on the level of vehicle emissions. The cost of car parking is likely to rise over the life of the plan as more sustainable alternatives come on stream.
Permits will be allocated using agreed criteria which are likely to be based on travel distance from home and the availability of alternatives to car travel. Priority will be given to essential car users and those with relevant caring responsibilities. Free parking will be allocated to blue badge holders and other staff with certain medical conditions.
A flexi permit will be introduced to eligible staff who only wish to park on campus up to 110 working days per year, to provide flexibility for infrequent users and part
time/temporary staff.
A pay and display car park will cater for occasional non-permit holders and visitors.
Working arrangements
We will:
Produce and promote users guides and training on tele-conferencing and video-conferencing facilities to reduce travel together with progressively improving and expanding such facilities.
Communication
9
Provide up to date information about services, facilities and discounts available for all travel options, via a travel options booklet, notice boards, the Environmental Coordinators and the Travel Plan website
Participate in focused sustainable travel „awareness‟ campaigns
Promote community initiatives, such as the Leicester Skyride and Workplace Cycle Challenge
Annually survey staff and students and encourage them to feedback on their travel needs and experiences.
Travel Plan Review
Each year we will review and report progress on targets and revise the plan in accordance with University developments and relevant external factors.
LE1 7RH UK
www.le.ac.uk
10
1
Introduction
1.1
Background
The Travel Plan, which is a requirement of the local authorities for planning application purposes, is also essential to ensure that the University can continue to expand and that its staff and
students can carry out their work conveniently and effectively.
A Travel Plan is a strategy for managing all travel and transport within an organization. It seeks to maximise access to a site by sustainable modes of transport. A Travel Plan needs to be tailored to the unique characteristics of the site location, the organisation and its operations. It includes both physical and behavioural measures to increase travel choice and reduce reliance on single occupancy vehicles (SOV). It is not intended to be anti-car user, rather it is intended to promote a range of alternative travel options.
The first University Travel Plan will be launched in August 2010 and will run for five years. During this period, we hope there will be a significant culture change in the University toward more sustainable travel. The Plan will be monitored annually and be assessed by a full review after five years.
Travel Plans are working documents that are constantly being revised and improved to deliver results. The Plan coincides with, and complements, the University‟s Estate Strategy.
Location
There are three main areas of the University that have been incorporated into the Plan which are: the Main Academic Campus and North Campus, which accommodate approximately 4,000 students and almost 3,000 staff on a daily basis;
the Oadby residential campus where the majority of the University‟s halls of residence are located which provides accommodation for approximately 2,000 students; and
the three hospitals in the city at which the University has an academic and research presence, namely Leicester Royal Infirmary, Leicester General Hospital and Glenfield Hospital.
There is also a satellite building, Vaughan College located in the city centre
The Main Campus of the University of Leicester is located approximately 2km to the south of the centre of the city. To the east, the Campus is bounded by Victoria Park and to the west by University Road, which separates the Campus from Welford Road Cemetery. The Main Campus also extends along the southern side of Lancaster Road. The North Campus is located
approximately 300 metres to the north of the Main Campus and comprises a number of properties, mainly Victorian villas that have been converted for use by the University, spread across New Walk, University Road and other adjoining streets.
The Oadby Residential Campus is located to the north of the A6 approximately 3km to the
southeast of the Main Campus. The Oadby Residential Campus comprises seven halls of residence, a sports centre, the Botanic Gardens (open to the public) and a number of the University‟s sports pitches.
The Leicester Royal Infirmary is located adjacent to the city centre and is approximately 750m to the west of the Main Campus. Glenfield General Hospital is located on the A50 to the northwest of the city centre, approximately 5.5km from the Main Campus. Leicester General Hospital is located to the east of the city centre, approximately 3.5km from the Main Campus.
The locations of the sites considered within this Plan are illustrated in Appendix 1.
The University of Leicester currently has over 3,700 staff and 21,000 students (including distance learners), with many of these, plus contractors, deliveries and visitors attending the University
11 campuses each day. Open days, graduations and other events can on occasions add another 300 – 400 cars, with up to 2,000 additional visitors on those days.
Tables 1.1 – 1.3 give a breakdown of the staff and student composition for the University
Thus, the need to manage traffic flow around and within the University sites and to accommodate the vehicles and other modes of transport necessary for such large volumes of people is evident.
Table 1.1 Student Numbers 2009/10 (as at 1 December 2009)
Undergraduate Postgraduate (Taught) Postgraduate (Research) Total Full-time (Home) 8046 843 420 9309 Full-time (Overseas) 1094 1514 313 2921 Part-time 239 538 390 1167 Distance Learning (Home) 588 2879 60 3527 Distance Learning (Ovs) 395 4618 111 5124 10362 10392 1294 22048 Occasionals/Incoming exchange students 306 10 0 316 Accredited Adult Education 278 0 0 278 In-service teacher education 0 161 0 161 10,946 10,563 1,294 22,803
Table 1.2 Distribution of total registered students by College
Student Numbers
Arts & Law 4431 19.4%
Science & Engineering 2772 12.2%
Social Sciences 11606 50.9%
Medicine, BiolSciences & Psychology 3678 16.1% Incoming exchange (distributed
across faculties) 316 1.4%
22,803 100%
Table 1.3 Total University Staff (as at 1 December 2009)
Full time Full time - fixed contract
Part time Part time - fixed contract Term time Term time - fixed contract Casual Total F M F M F M F M F M F M F M
Academic & Related 423 795 220 243 94 21 67 27 0 0 0 0 0 0 1890 Manual & Ancillary 50 179 5 11 188 61 36 12 37 1 4 0 111 124 819
Nursing Staff 0 0 2 0 2 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8
Support Staff 333 207 65 32 248 25 75 40 18 1 0 0 0 0 1044
Casual Staff 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 67 36 106
12
1.2 The need for a University Travel Plan
Current situation
Current developments on Main Campus are reducing car parking spaces significantly. The current permit:space ratio is 1.9:1; this will become 2.3:1 post-works in 2011 and is unsustainable. Therefore, alternative transport methods must be provided and promoted This translates to 948 available spaces once disabled, delivery, visitor spaces etc have been allocated, excluding the hospitals
Current demand for parking permits is 1952 (these exclude disabled staff and students and other special cases)
Permit charges are currently extremely low, making it less economical for staff to travel to work using other means
At present, permit holders are subsiding the rental of the NHS car park spaces at the University Hospitals by £90 per space/year
Permit income only just covers car park maintenance costs, leaving no income for investment
We have 3,700 staff, 11,000 campus-based students and various visitors and deliveries regularly visiting our campuses
On an average term time day, 20 external people visit the main campus
X staff are categorized as „Essential Car Users‟ – (the draft policy is shown in Appendix 10)
Current cycle parking spaces = 519 on the main campuses
o recommended minimum for spaces = 1 space per 5 students and 1 per 10 staff or 15% of all journeys, plus 1 space per 20 visitors ~ 2210 required
Current cycle spaces at University accommodation = 606
o recommended minimum is 1 space per 2 bedspaces = 991
Appendix 2 shows the existing public transport accessibility. Future situation
The University is in the midst of a long term, multi-million pound development plan to accommodate growth in student numbers, expansion of degree course provision, research collaborations and new modes of learning. A Masterplan was developed in 2001 that considered the future of the University‟s existing building stock and to set a framework for any major new schemes. This Master Plan covers a period of 30 years. The plan allows for substantial new
building development on the Main Campus, which will not only increase the size of the University, but also improve the physical environment.
To date, the University has undertaken several proposals from the Masterplan, including a biomedical research building, the Library refurbishment and extension and the second phase of the Space Research building.
From the Masterplan, a new Development Framework Plan (DFP) was published in November 2008 and can be accessed via the University‟s Estates website (www2.le.ac.uk/offices/estates/dfp). The development of a Travel Plan for the University should be seen as integral to the Development Framework Plan as a means of tackling the transport challenges and opportunities that will evolve with the University‟s growth.
This is reflected in the University‟s Environmental Sustainability Policy (last revised in February 2009) that commits the University to: „Agree a travel policy and implement measures to
encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport as principal means of commuting to university for work, study and for travel by staff on University business’.
It is considered that producing a number of separate Travel Plans for planned future developments would be inappropriate and instead the requirement will be incorporated into this overarching University Travel Plan.
13 Benefits of a Travel Plan
A sustainable travel plan and the achievement of the targets of such a plan will bring benefits to the University. These are:
Compliance with planning obligations in order to complete current developments (Percy Gee and Central Research Facility)
Reduction in carbon emissions to meet strategic carbon targets (Environmental Sustainability Strategy 2010 – 2015).
Reduced parking requirement - this will also free up space for further development Long term retention of staff and popularity with students - the existence of a Sustainable University Travel Plan will be an attractive factor to potential staff and students
Increased staff productivity through better health, a more pleasant environment, and reduction in travel stress
More business - many companies wishing to deal with the University require a sustainable travel plan to meet their own Corporate Social Responsibility requirements, for example Queen's Campus, Durham, has won conferences because it has a Green Travel Plan Increase in positions in league tables, such as People & Planet‟s Green League Table that measures the provision of a travel plan
More productive relationships with local authorities and public transport providers following implementation of the plan (such as improved road and transport links and reduced costs)
Improved image of the University
1.3 Legal Requirements/Guidance
There are a range of policies that are relevant to the University Travel Plan from the national to the local level:
National Policy
A series of Mineral Planning Guidance Notes (MPGs) and Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPGs) provide the Government‟s national land use planning policy and guidance.
Planning Policy Guidance 13(PPG13) - Transport - sets out the objectives to integrate planning and transport at the national, regional, strategic and local level and to promote more sustainable transport choices both for carrying people and for moving freight.
Planning Policy Statement 1(PPS1) - Delivering Sustainable Development - sets out the
Government's overarching planning policies on the delivery of sustainable development through the planning system.
Regional Policy
East Midlands Regional Plan (RRS8) - Along with national planning policy guidance, this provides the context for the preparation of Local Development Documents, Local Transport Plans, and Minerals and Waste Local Development Documents throughout the region and it forms a key element of the adopted Development Plan.
Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS8) forms part of the development plan and sets out a broad development strategy for the East Midlands, This document sets the long term strategic planning and transport policy framework for the region up to the year 2026.
The Local Transport Plan (LPLAN) sets out the County Council‟s transport strategy for
Leicestershire. The latest LPLAN was published in March 2006 and covers the period 2006/07 to 2010/11. The aim for transport is “to achieve a transport system for Leicestershire which meets our requirements for access and economic development in a way which seeks continuous
improvement in sustainability and people‟s quality of life”. The longer-term strategy sets out five objectives, namely to provide the right transport conditions to help economic growth, improve
14 access to facilities for all, reduce transport‟s impact on the environment, keep transport safe, and to make sure that highway assets are properly maintained and renewed for the long-term.
Leicester City Council - Local Policy
Consideration of the following policy and guidance is required providing they are still active when the final travel plan is written– need to check.
City of Leicester Local Plan
htPlan://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council-services/ep/planning/plansandpolicy/localplan/
City of Leicester Local Development Framework (and Local Development Scheme) Parking Policy and Guidance
The Leicester City cycle parking standards (taken from Leicester City Council SPG Vehicle Parking Standards - City Wide Guidance (page 17) (2006)) are shown in Table 1.2. and show that the University is required to have 1 cycle space per 10 staff or 12% of all journeys to work and 1 space per 5 students and per 20 visitors, or 15% of all journeys. This is not currently achieved.
The University is also recommended to provide 1 cycle space per 2 bed spaces at the Halls of Residence, which we fall slightly short of at present.
Table 1.2. Leicester city cycle parking standards
1.4 Plan structure
This Plan will outline the key areas of the Travel Plan and will highlight how the targets have been established and how they will be achieved.
It comprises six sections:
2. Key findings and recommendations from the background research 3. Aims, objectives and targets
4. Implementation strategy, including the management strategy for the Plan 5. Communication and awareness strategy
6. A summary of the measures to acheive the targets and an outline of the action plan 7. Monitoring strategy
15
2 Key findings from background research
2.1 Key findings and recommendations
Research was carried out in the following formats across the University:
Policy review – reviewed current University and local policies which have some effect on travel
Site audits – carried out at each campus to give an assessment of current facilities and where improvement is needed
GIS analysis – used staff home postcodes and student term-time home postcodes to assess if staff and students could realistically walk or cycle to their place of work or study
Staff and student travel survey – undertaken to understand current travel habits of staff and students to their place of work or study and for inter-site and business travel; and to gauge what measures would encourage staff and students to travel by more sustainable means
In November 2009, a University-wide travel survey was commissioned by Colin Buchanan Consultants who put forward a number of recommendations for actions to take forward in the Travel Plan based on the responses received. A full audit on car park usage was also carried out by the Security Manager at this time.
Surveys were distributed to all staff and students at all sites, online or via paper copies. The survey covered all staff and student travel to and from the University, including commuting, business travel and travel between University sites. The analysis identified how staff travelled and what barriers they saw to walking, cycling, and using public transport.
The response rate to the staff survey was 70%, which is extraordinarily high for a survey of this type. This excellent response rate highlights the highly emotive nature of any proposed changes to travel facilities, in this case the proposed car parking management system and facilities for
cyclists. The student survey response rate was a respectable 8%. As a result of this high response, the University will be able to create a travel plan that will meet the needs of the users of the site and facilitate a real change in travel behaviours.
Using GIS software, staff postcodes were plotted with their main mode of travel to show propensity for change to the more sustainable modes. These are shown in Appendix 1.
Carbon Emissions
A carbon emission calculation has also been carried out, estimating that just staff commuting to work annually emits 3,849 Tonnes of carbon, the vast majority of which is from single occupancy vehicles.
Student daily commuting has been estimated as 2,729 Tonnes of carbon. 61% of this is from single occupancy vehicles, although only 7% of full time students reported travelling by this mode. Thus, daily staff and student commuting represents an additional 18% on top of the University‟s existing carbon footprint and does not include business travel or student transport to their vacation residences.
Business emissions and staff and student flight data will be captured historically as part of the University‟s 10:10 commitment1. Formal systems for recording this information will also be implemented.
16 Summaries of the Staff and Student Survey Findings reports are available in Appendix 3 and form the basis of the measures put forward in this document (the full documents are available online at www.le.ac.uk/travelplan).
Table 2.1 gives a breakdown of the mode split for travel to University sites by staff and students and the number of persons that this equates to from the total population.
Table 2.1: Mode of travel used to travel to University sites
Mode of transport Staff Students
Mode share
(%) (approx) Number Mode share (%) (approx) Number
Car drive (alone) 49 1276 9 165
Car (driver with others) 9 235 3 50
Car (as passenger) 3 78 1 36
Motorcycle 1 26 <1 8 Public bus 5 130 15 244 Hospital Hopper <1 2 <1 14 Bicycle 9 234 11 221 Train 7 182 3 48 Walk 16 417 56 1177 Other <1 2 1 15 TOTAL 100 2608 100 1978
The results of the staff travel survey indicated that there is reasonable scope for reducing reliance in single-occupancy vehicle use through the implementation of walking, cycling, public transport and car sharing measures.
In total, 1,376 of responding staff currently drive as their main mode to the University, either alone or with passengers. As the overall response rate to the survey was approximately 70%, it can be assumed that 1,965 total staff are currently driving as their main mode of travel. If 82% of these are currently parking in University car parks (as was also found in the survey), this equates to 1,612 vehicles.
To reduce to the requirement for parking spaces available to staff, we need to invest in promoting and supporting staff travelling by alternative modes. Whilst many staff are clearly reluctant to give up their vehicles, and many have valid reasons for needing to drive, the survey results indicate that many staff have considered travelling by other modes and further action by the University can help them to do so.
Student travel to the University of Leicester is, for the most part, already inherently sustainable, with over half of the students walking to campus and only 13% travelling by car. However, given the size of the student population, the cumulative impact of vehicular travel by this minority is considerable. The results of the student survey indicate that strides can be made towards encouraging more students to travel by active modes to the University, with particular scope for modal shift away from bus use.
Whilst students are not able to park on the University‟s Campuses (except disabled students), their travel needs are vital to the success of the Plan as they form the majority of journeys to our sites. The University of Leicester also prides itself on providing an excellent student experience and has recently been awarded the Times Higher Education Award for Outstanding Student
Support 2009/10 and Times Higher Education University of the Year 2008/09 and is keen to ensure we provide a positive and attractive experience in the future.
The University of Leicester‟s Students‟ Union is working closely with the University to develop the Travel Plan as part of their mission statement that has the tagline “The best student experience”. Specifically, the objects of the Union are the advancement of the education of students at the University of Leicester for the public benefit by:
17 Promoting the interests and welfare of students at the University of Leicester during their course of study and representing, supporting and advising students;
Being the recognised representative channel between students and the University of Leicester any other external bodies; and
Providing social, cultural, sporting and recreational activities, and forum for discussions and debate for the personal development of its students.
18
3 Aims, objectives and targets
3.1 Aims
The University of Leicester Travel Plan aims to increase the percentages of staff, students and visitors using sustainable travel methods to commute to and between our campuses, by providing adequate infrastructure, encouragement and education to promote lower impact forms of travel in lieu of the current reliance on private motor vehicles and other unsustainable travel methods, where practical.
3.2 Objectives
a. To capture commuter and business travel data for carbon footprinting purposes in order to satisfy the Planning Process and set the baseline for future reductions
b. to improve the choice of transport options and facilities available to staff, students and visitors travelling to and from the University, and between sites
c. to implement travel initiatives that reduce transport-related emissions, and thus meet our strategic targets to reduce the environmental impact of the University‟s travel demand locally, nationally and globally, through behaviour change amongst staff and students
d. to reduce the use of private motor vehicles by staff travelling to and from, and between, University sites and increase the use of cycling, walking and public transport use
e. to promote more sustainable ways of working
f. to improve the health and fitness of staff and students through the promotion of walking and cycling
g. to make changes to the fuels used in University vehicles to reduce the environmental impact
3.3 Baseline travel trends
Trends in transport are changing rapidly across the UK and globally at present. A number of issues are driving the need for organizations such as the University of Leicester to develop Travel Plans that will encourage sustainable transport choices by providing better facilities, infrastructure, incentives and information.
Issues for the University include:
staff travel to and from the University
staff travel on University business between campuses and to other institutions student travel to and from the University
visitor travel to and from the University traffic flow management on campus expansion of the University
3.4 Targets
As the University of Leicester is within the Local Transport Plan‟s Central Transport Zone, we are obliged to set a target of reducing single occupancy vehicle usage by 15% to 25% within five years of the Plan being launched.
Table 3.1 gives the staff targets and Table 3.2 gives the student targets for changes to travel type used to get to the University.
By the end of 2015, with the proposed initiatives, we intend to:
Raise awareness of sustainable travel options open to University staff, students and visitors Have 47 % of staff living within 2 miles walk to work at least once a week
Have 20% of staff living within 5 miles cycle to work at least once a week Reduce the carbon impact of University travel by x%
19 Reduce single occupancy vehicle trips amongst staff to 34% and students to 3%
Increase regular bus users by 10%
Increase the number of staff cycling and walking to our sites by over 10% Establish the number of registered, active car sharers to at least 50
20
Table 3.1: Modal shift targets - staff
No. Target Obj
. Ref. Baseline Value (2009) Interim Target (2013) Target Value (2015) Modal Shift (2009-2015) Commuting
E1 Reduce the proportion of SOV trips
1 49% 39% 34% -15%
E2 Increase the proportion
of car sharing trips 2 12% 13% 15% 3%
E3 Increase the proportion of walking trips
4 16% 20% 22% 6%
E4 Increase the proportion
of cycling trips 5 9% 12% 14% 5%
E5 Increase the proportion
of public transport trips 7 12% 14% 15% 3% Intersite travel
E6 Reduce the proportion of SOV trips
1 31% 20% 16% -15%
E7 Increase the proportion
of car sharing trips 2 10% 12% 14% 4%
E8 Increase the proportion of cycling trips
5 5% 7% 8% 3%
E9 Increase the proportion
of public transport trips 7 6% 8% 12% 6^
Table 3.2: Modal shift targets - students
No. Target Obj
ref. Baseline value (2009) Interim target (2013) Target value (2015) Modal shift (2009-2015) Commuting
S1 Reduce the proportion of SOV trips 1 9% 5% 3% -6%
S2
Decrease the proportion of car
sharing trips 2 4% 3% 2% -2%
S3 Increase the proportion of walking trips 4 56% 59% 61% 5% S4 Increase the proportion of cycling trips 5 11% 16% 20% 9% S5 Decrease the proportion of public transport trips 7 19% 16% 14% -5% Intersite travel
S6 Reduce the proportion of SOV trips 1 9% 4% 2% -7%
S7 Decrease the proportion of car sharing trips
2 8% 6% 4% -4%
S8 Increase the proportion of cycling trips
5 15% 18% 20% 5%
S9 Increase the proportion of public transport trips
21
Table 3.3: Modal shift targets – Business Travel
No. Target Obj
ref. Baseline value (2009) Interim target (2013) Target value (2015) Modal shift (2009-2015) Business Travel – within Midlands
B1 Reduce the proportion of SOV trips 1 42% 38% 36% -6%
B2
Increase the proportion of car
sharing trips 2 18% 20% 22% 4%
B3 Increase the proportion of cycling trips 5 0% 1% 3% 3% B4 Increase the proportion of public transport trips 7 38% 39% 40% 2%
Business Travel – within UK
B5 Reduce the proportion of SOV trips 1 20% 18% 17% 3%
B6 Increase the proportion of car sharing trips 2 12% 13% 14% 2% B7 Increase the proportion of cycling trips 5 0% <1% 1% 1%
B8 Increase the proportion of public
transport trips 7 63% 64% 65% 2%
22
4 Implementation strategy
4.1 Management structure
Figure 4.1: Management Structure
Estates and Infrastructure Strategy Committee
Environmental Management Working Group
Sustainable Travel
Implementation Group
University Council
Environment
Team
Security
Office
Sustainable
Travel
Officer
Car Park
Management
23
4.2 Travel plan management
Policy and Governance
The progression and success of the Travel Plan is dependent upon the support and commitment from the governing body of the University as well as staff and students. The Plan must link into and complement the University‟s key objectives and values.
Policy
The University‟s Environmental Sustainability policy commits to: „Agreeing a travel policy [and plan] and implementing measures to encourage walking, cycling and the use of public transport as principal means of commuting to university for work, study and for travel by staff on
University Business’. This policy will need to be developed to demonstrate the University‟s commitment to the Travel Plan.
The University of Leicester Travel Policy is shown in Appendix 4. Equality Impact Assessment
The Travel Plan is subject to legal equality issues. The initial Equality Impact Assessment is shown in Appendix 5.
Risk Assessment
A Travel Plan risk assessment has been carried out to allow the University to mitigate for any internal or external occurrences that may put the timely and effective production or
implementation of the Plan in jeopardy. Governance
The Travel Plan is governed by the following within the University governance structure: Estates and Infrastructure Strategy Committee
Reports to the Strategy, Resources and Policy Committee
Terms of Reference:
a. To consider and approve the Estates strategy for incorporation within the University's Strategic Plan and Annual Budget;
b. to monitor the implementation of the Estates strategy;
c. to approve the Institutional IT Strategy for incorporation within the University's Strategic Plan and Annual Budget;
d. to monitor the implementation of the Institutional IT Strategy;
e. to approve institutional IT Policies and Codes of Practice. Environmental Management Working Group
Reports to the Estates Strategy & Infrastructure Committee.
Following the expansion of the group‟s remit to include environmental as well as energy related concerns, the focus of the group now includes the following issues:
a. Reviewing annually the environmental sustainability policy;
b. Reviewing environmental practices onsite in line with issues highlighted in the
environmental sustainability policy (accepted as University policy on March 2007; updated January 2009);
c. Recommending changes to University policy and practice;
d. Promoting environmental improvements to the University‟s operations;
e. Supporting the implementation of energy-saving measures to reduce revenue costs;
f. Working towards the creation of long term strategies and action plans for delivering improved environmental performance at University.
Sustainable Travel Implementation Group
A Sustainable Travel Implementation Group (STIG) has been established under the chairship of a University Pro-Vice Chancellor to oversee the development and implementation of the Travel Plan.
24 Further details and Terms of Reference are shown in Appendix 6.
Environment Team
The Sustainable Travel Officer sits within the Environment Team. The aim of the team is:
“To ensure compliance with all relevant environmental legislation - To reduce whole life costs
arising from the University‟s environmental impacts - To facilitate environmental learning in different formats - To become a leader in environmental management and sustainability in the HEI sector.”The full Service Level Agreement for Environmental Management is in Appendix 7.
4.3. STIG Sub-groups
A number of working sub-groups are responsible for specific areas of the Travel Plan: Car parking charge mechanisms
Car parking management
Cycling and walking improvements Public Transport
Communications
4.4 Sustainable Travel Officer
The University has appointed a Sustainable Travel Officer, Dr Sandra Lee, to coordinate the whole Travel Plan process. Responsibilities include:
a. overseeing the development and implementation of the Travel Plan;
b. reporting to the STIG;
c. designing and implementing effective marketing and awareness-raising campaigns;
d. co-ordinating the consultation process;
e. acting as a point of contact for all staff and students requiring information;
f. liaising with different internal departments and colleges and external organisations e.g. Local Authorities, transport operators etc.;
g. liaising with other organisations in the University‟s immediate vicinity e.g. Regent College, QE1 College to coordinate travel planning requirements;
h. coordinating the monitoring and review programme including target-setting; and
i. presenting a business case to secure a budget for Travel Plan development and ensuring efficient and effective use.
Environmental Coordinators
Help disseminate Environmental Management strategies, including the Travel Plan across the University, There are currently have around 40 Coordinators (members of staff) who represent different Departments or buildings. The aim is to increase this in 2010 so that every Department has an Environmental Coordinator.
Green Impact / Student volunteers
In 2010, the University of Leicester had 20 active Green Impact2 teams/departments. These enthusiastic staff teams provide an ideal base on which to pilot new initiatives, gain insight and promote events and facilities and have all worked hard to promote sustainable travel options to their colleagues as part of their accreditation.
Student volunteers are also important contributors to the work of the Environment Team. Over the last two years (2007-9), our volunteers gave up over 1500 hours of their time. Volunteers 2 Green Impact is an exciting two year project that the University is taking part in. 15-20 teams of staff are taking part in the environmental accreditation scheme, greening work practices. The same teams will take part in Year 2 and improve on their first year achievements. Green Impact is run locally by the University but managed across 23 HEIs by The Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC). Green Impact is also part of the wider NUS led Degrees Cooler Programme that the University has signed up to.
25 assisted in writing this Plan by helping with promotional events, such as to increase survey
responses, and carrying out cycle facility audits for the production of maps.
4.5 Financial considerations
The average cost to higher education institutions of implementing an effective travel plan is £47 per full time equivalent employee. This should be seen in the perspective of the widely quoted figure of £300 - £500 annual running cost per parking space.
Thus, to be effective, the University of Leicester Travel Plan will require at least £150,000 per annum running costs once it has been established (NOT set up or capital costs). The majority of this can be recouped from future higher staff parking charges that will be ring-fenced to enable investment to maximise the impact of the Travel Plan.
The action plan in section 6.3 details some of the anticipated costs associated with the Plan that the University is committed to funding as part of the Travel Plan process.
The financial spend will be annually transparent so that University stakeholders can see how the generated funding is being used.
4.6 User groups
Bicycle User Group
University already has an active and well-subscribed „BUG‟ through its email system.
The BUG already perform a number of useful tasks, which will be built upon over the next five years, including:
help raise awareness of the need for better campus facilities provide an initial contact for staff and student cyclists provide feedback on current issues
promote cycle commuting
provide a base of volunteers and enthusiasts to assist with wider measures
provide „cycle buddies‟ to accompany novice and returning cyclists to help them to find the best routes
assist with marketing and promotional events assist with the bicycle registration scheme assist with monitoring the outcomes of this Plan
provide a community feel and a voice for University cyclists.
4.7 Methodology
This Travel Plan has been written by the Sustainable Travel Officer, on behalf of the STIG and the University of Leicester. It has been compiled from recommendations from the travel surveys, Travel Consultants, the STIG and sub-groups and a full consultation with Unions, staff and
students, internal committees and external stakeholders, particularly Leicester City Council Travel Plan Officer (Bal Minhas), as well as best practice at other institutions.
The Plan will be implemented in the same way using a transparent and two-way dialogue with all stakeholders. Appendix ? shows a sample of STIG meeting agendas.
26
5 Communication and awareness strategy
5.1 Introduction
Effective communication of the Travel Plan is essential for it to succeed and to receive maximum buy-in from management, staff, students and external stakeholders.
Marketing the Travel Plan will be an ongoing objective of the STIG, with the objective of raising awareness of the aims and objectives and encouraging staff to „buy-in‟ to our vision of a
pedestrian-priority campus with a substantially reduced environmental impact.
5.2 Communication and awareness strategy
Figure 5.1: Communication strategyFor staff, students and visitors For staff and students
For staff
For students
Website
www.le.ac.uk/travel
Travel Plan Portal
www.le.ac.uk/travelplan
Travel Options
Booklet
(for new staff)
Personal Journey
Planning Advice
Travel notice
boards
Environmental
Coordinators
Awareness
Campaigns
Events (Council
run and University
Specific)
Residences
Handbook
(for new
students)
User Groups
Personal Journey
Planning Advice
Travel notice
boards
Events (Council
run and
University
Specific)
Awareness
Campaigns
27 Website and travel plan portal
There is a dedicated University travel plan site: www.le.ac.uk/travelplan
This is kept up to date with links, suggestions and information for staff, students and visitors. Reports, such as the Travel Survey results are also published for maximum transparency. Personal journey planning is proposed as one of the future developments of this site, along with interactive walk and cycle maps.
Travel options booklet
A booklet highlighting travel options will be produced for both staff and students. This will be distributed during Freshers‟, staff inductions and other events and available online and at the Environment team office example in appendix ??.
Personal Journey Planning Advice
Online personal journey planning advice will be designed and implemented. We will also train Environmental Coordinators and Student Environment Volunteers to assist staff and students with their journey planning, particularly at the start of the academic years.
Notice boards
A number of travel-specific notice boards will be situated in the foyers of at least three major buildings on Main Campus. These will contain regularly updated information on bus timetables, Travel team news and other events.
E-newsletter and University newsletters
The Environment team already uses the staff e-bulletin, staff and student emails, websites and newsletters to great effect. We will continue to do this and promote travel advice, events and news as regularly as necessary.
Events and awareness campaigns
The Environment team holds a bi-annual Big Green Week, which is a major University event to promote environmental awareness and initiatives. The 2010 BGW is the perfect place to launch the new Travel Plan.
The team will also take part in, and host, events throughout the year, both University-based and community initiatives, such as those promoted by ACT Travelwise and Leicester City Council. For example, Bike Week, Walk to Work Week, WorkWise Week, road safety campaigns etc.
Marketing strategy
A Social Marketing Approach will be taken to change staff and students travel habits. Social marketing is an adaptable approach, increasingly being used to achieve and sustain behaviour goals on a range of social issues. It has three key elements:
1. Its primary aim is to achieve a particular 'social good' (rather than commercial benefit), with clearly defined behavioural goals.
2. It is a systematic process phased to address short, medium and long-term issues.
3. It uses a range of marketing techniques and approaches (a marketing mix). In the case of health-related social marketing, the „social good‟ can be articulated in terms of achieving specific, achievable and manageable behaviour goals, such as lower pollution as a result in reduced carbon emissions from increased use of alternative transport options to single-occupancy vehicles, or increased health outcomes as a secondary benefit of active travel choices (such as walking or cycling rather than driving).
The following benchmark criteria will be used to design a thorough Social Marketing campaign to maximise the effectiveness of the Travel Plan through staff and student engagement.
28
29
Partnerships
External partnerships have been established to enhance the Travel Plan process. For example, the University is collaborating with Regents College and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College to deliver a joined-up approach to travel planning as we share access, local routes and campus space.
We are also working with DeMontfort University to benefit from their experience in this sector and to work on mutually beneficial facilities, such as the Hospital Hopper bus. Colleagues at Leicester City Council have also been helpful in guiding us through the Travel Plan process and associated procedures, such as planning permission, non-car alternative promotion etc.
We are also keen to work in partnership with other local employers to develop new bus, park and ride facilities, joint car-sharing schemes, shuttle buses, cycle hire scheme and car club. This is part of the proposed initiative to establish an Area Wide Travel Plan, and the University is committed to being involved with such a group to pool ideas, increase the number of dedicated resources and investigate cost effective solutions to reduce the environmental impact of travel in Leicester.
5.3 External partners
Partner Public
transport Traffic / car parking Walking & Cycling Policies and procedures
Leicester City Council: Travel Plan Officer Cycling Officer Pedestrian Officer Public Transport Officer Planning …?? Development Control
Leicestershire County Council
University Hospitals Leicester
DeMontfort University
QE
Regents College
Leicester College
Leicestershire Police
Leicester Tigers
Arriva
Local cycle shops
Freewheels
Bikes 4 All
30 Cycle Magic
Steering groups: ACT Commuter Planners Club
Sustrans
Local Community groups , e.g. Friends of Victoria Park
A full list of contacts for the above is shown in Appendix 9. Opportunities
To expand on the excellent working relationship we already have with other East Midlands‟ Higher Educational Institutions. Continue the monthly meetings with DeMontfort
University‟s Travel Officer and continue to stay in touch with the Environmental Managers at the Universities of Loughborough, Nottingham and Nottingham Trent.
Further partnerships with other local employers, such as Leicester Tigers, as well as
educational institutions will give the group a powerful joint voice to champion change with bus providers, train operators, City Planners and similar to improve services and facilities for commuters.
The City Transport Hub and Park & Ride developments offer an opportunity, if improved to assist the University in encouraging staff out of their cars.
The large body of staff and students at the University provide a large target audience for public transport operators to modify their services and offer attractive pricing packages, once we have survey data to support this.
Working with Leicester City and County Councils
The large amount of people covered by the Travel Plan also represent a significant proportion of Leicester City residents that are covered by Local Area Agreements
concerning public health. Given the health benefits associated with non-car use, the Travel Plan has the opportunity of significantly contributing to these targets, if given adequate support from the City Council, Primary Care Trusts and other relevant bodies.
It is important that we retain an open dialogue with the local authorities and for them to liaise with us over future planned developments that take place in the region.
o For example, we are keen to assist with the linking up of City and County cycle routes as this is key to joined-up thinking on the cycle network to improve accessibility for our staff, students and visitors.
The City Council Travel Officer is committed to establishing a Leicester Area-Wide Travel Forum and we are keen to be a founding member in order to work towards producing an Area-Wide Travel Plan with joined-up planning on bus service provision, walk and cycle routes and facilities and other campaigns and infrastructure.
31
6 Measures
We will facilitate and promote increased car sharing, bus travel, cycling and walking to University sites as alternatives to single occupancy car use.
6.1 The package
The University of Leicester aims to achieve the targets outlined in this Plan by committing to the following measures over the next five years (2010 – 2015):
Car travel
Car Parking – Management
Staff and students with severe mobility impairments holding a current Blue Badge to have automatic entitlement to a free parking space as close as possible to the accessible entrance of their main place of work/study
Provide off-campus car parks to relieve the overcrowding on campus
Revamp the car parking layout for better access for delivery and emergency vehicles, to provide facilities for visitors and VIPs and to clearly designate car parking areas for specific permit holders
Revamp the car park permit system to be fair, equitable and impartial
The creation of a „pay and display‟ car park, to allow for staff that wish to drive in
occasionally (such as regular cyclists during inclement weather) and to provide a facility for visitors and other occasional users to park where absolutely necessary
Create new systems to deal with Contractor parking, Open Days and other events and other pre-arranged parking needs
Efficiently and effectively enforce the new car parking regime Changing road routes around main campus
Progressively increase the proportion of University-owned vehicles with lower carbon emissions
We are currently working with the Energy Saving Trust to achieve this.
Car parking enforcement
Enforcement of the University parking regulations plays an important part of the overall travel plan for the University. Ensuring only those authorised to park on University sites helps to manage the traffic, improves safety for users of vehicles (including pedal cycles) and on foot and ensures a reasonable and justified approach to those few who fail to comply with the parking regulations. Infringement notices issued by University Security staff who patrol the car parks will result in a financial penalty for the driver/ owner. Failure to pay the fee may result in civil proceeding from contracted parking enforcement companies.
Impact on local community
There is a concern that the above strategies will result in increased parking on nearby streets, thus affecting residents near to the Campuses. At present, on street parking is free in many of these areas.
We will work with the local community, businesses and Local Authorities to ensure an adequate solution is found.
Car Parking – Staff permits
Promote participation in the blue-badge scheme to staff with medical conditions that currently limit their mode of travel to work;
Formally define essential car users amongst staff (see Appendix 10);
Provide a pay and display car park, thus allowing staff to walk, cycle or use public
transport and only driving on days when they are required to have a car (thus offering more financial incentive to travel by other modes).
Introduce a flexi-permit to increase the options available to eligible staff. This permit will allow staff to purchase up to 110 working days car park access per year and will encourage
32 staff to find alternative means of transport at least 50% of the time, as well as providing flexibility for infrequent users, part time and temporary staff.
Car Sharing
Car sharing is the most viable alternative to single occupancy vehicle use for staff living outside of walking and cycling distance and who may not be located near viable bus or train routes. A total of 555 staff members responded to the question stating that they currently car share or would be prepared to do so in the future. This implies that there is considerable scope for increasing the proportion of staff travelling to the site by car share, particularly if given the incentive to do so.
To encourage staff to car share, the University-specific Leicestershare scheme will be heavily promoted amongst staff
Dedicated spaces for registered car sharers will also serve as a good incentive, particularly if they are in prime locations.
The primary barrier cited by many is that they work indeterminate or irregular hours, however the arrival and departure times of staff imply that most staff work start and stop work at
approximately the same time (9 am and 5 pm, respectively – see Figure 6.1). The GIS plotting shows that there are clusters of staff living nearby to one another in villages and towns outside of Leicester, many of which do not have direct rail links in to Leicester (Appendix 1).
Figure 6.1 Staff arrivals and departure (to the nearest half hour)
Overall, car sharing may be the most effective method for reducing single-occupancy vehicle use at the University, and the paired launch of the car parking scheme alongside a marketing
campaign for the car-sharing scheme is expected to achieve a real and quantifiable modal shift. Cycling
Cycling as a mode of travel to the University has been commented on by a large number of staff and students, highlighting the large interest in cycling. The staff survey results also indicate that a large number of car users would consider cycling, or currently cycle as a secondary mode. Cycling England carried out an audit of the University main and south campus and the surrounding cycle routes and road network in November 2009. The final report is shown in Appendix 11. The five recommendations are:
1. Undertake a campus permeability review, consulting with staff and students, to look at suitability and adequacy of access points, ease and convenience of main internal desire-lines and identify any missing links or other useful measures that will enhance the safety and convenience of cyclists
0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 Befo re 0 7:00 07:3 0 08:3 0 09:3 0 10:3 0 11:3 0 12:3 0 13:3 0 14:3 0 15:3 0 16:3 0 17:3 0 18:3 0 19:3 0 Afte r 20 :00 F re q u e n c y o f re s p o n s e Arrivals Departures
33 2. Cycle parking review – University campus cycle parking is audited and reviewed, involving
staff and students, to ensure that current provision is well-located, secure and provided with stands to an appropriate standard. The campus cycle parking resource should be augmented with additional good practice cycle parking, where identified. The usefulness for and provision of lockers and showers should also be determined
3. Undertake a Local route review, involving staff and student cyclists and the Local Highway Authority, to identify opportunities for improvement and any new alternative routes
4. Review campus parking policies and car parking space provision to ensure that current arrangements are less of an incentive to drive to and from the sites
5. Undertake a review that looks at the range, usefulness and applicability of ‘soft measures’
to encourage staff and students to cycle more. This should highlight the barriers to cycling and how they might be overcome. A programme of year-round events and initiatives should be developed.
It was recognised that the University already has a cycle-friendly campus with a large number cycle paths and well-distributed cycle parking facilities. University Security and the local Police also work together run regular cycle security campaigns and offer free cycle coding and heavily discounted „D-locks‟, as well as periodic „lock amnesties‟ where Security staff
exchange less effective locks for better ones at no charge to staff or students.
However, a number of improvements will be made to increase the number of staff, students and visitors travelling to the University by this mode:
Take part in the Leicester Cycle Challenge, in conjunction with Leicester City Council and other local partners, in May 2010.
£3,000 has already been committed to this
Commission a thorough cycle audit of facilities, permeability and local routes To be started by summer 2010
Provide cycle maps (hard copies and online) to be available by spring 2011. Develop a „wish list‟ of improvements with a view to:
provide increased cycle storage facilities, including more covered and secure facilities and relocate facilities that are currently in unsecured locations
Plans to extend the library podium refurbishment to include a large underground, lockable cycle storage facility for up to 300 bikes
(further information in appendix when available)
Improve campus “permeability” for cyclists: e.g. safer access from the highway, contra flow cycle lanes or shared cycle/pedestrian routes
Buildings to be designed, where space allows, with one lockable and conveniently located cycle parking space per ten staff and five students expected to use the building
Provide showers for all new buildings and major refurbishments of 500m2 or more, on the following basis: one shower per 2,500m2 up to 10,000m2 and one shower per 4000m2 thereafter, as of September 2010
Identify areas in existing buildings that showers and lockers can be upgraded / provided with the aim of every building having at least one shower by 2015 and one locker per x
staff
Cycle to Work Scheme to enable staff to hire a bicycle tax-free by Spring 2010.
Recycled bike scheme – to ensure that „dead bikes‟ that have been abandoned on Campus and at Halls are recycled (refurbished) and offered to staff and students at a competitive rate
Commission a „safe routes‟ review of cycling routes from popular postcodes our staff and students live in
34 to improve key routes based on the results of the cycle survey
extend the Skyride as a marketing strategy to promote the Podium Cycle Facility
design an annu
