Green Gown Awards 2016 – Facilities and Services – Swansea University– Finalist

The incredible journey

Building a brand new campus six miles from the existing estate, needn’t mean increased unsustainable and detrimental driving.

‘The Incredible Journey’ encourages students and staff to leave their cars at home and to travel actively and sustainably. Forward planning, considered infrastructure, strong partnerships and dynamic communications, have resulted in positive behaviour changes and travel best practice, leading to 2,230 fewer ‘campus-to-campus’ car journeys in the first 6-months, saving 26,760 car miles.

Increased active travel, reduced car use and enhanced public transport services, are just a few of the outcomes under our new travel plan. Activities within the plan have included major investment in infrastructure leading to centrally negotiated services plus changes to national bus and cycles routes, payment of active mileage to staff, establishment of a ‘Bike to Work’ scheme and maintenance services, discounts at all local bike shops and the removal of grey fleet mileage paid for ‘campus-to-campus’ journeys.

Top 3 learnings

1 Keep collecting data!: collect baseline data through staff and student surveys and postcode mapping, to tailor desirable travel routes. Using feedback from students provide the little extras such as late night services which really improve the student experience. Keep collecting data!

2 Keep working with partners! Inform: your working group, setting up strong partnerships to deliver tailored travel choices using the gathered data. This is your chance to look outside the box and deliver well thought out travel choices.

3 Keep communicating! Communicate: to ensure initial take up and ongoing success, keeping both students and staff updated every step of the way. Celebrate success e.g. Carbon saved, take up of late night services and always thank students for their support of bus services -late night services continue because they the students use the service!

CO2t Savings: 2052      
Actual/Estimated: Estimated
No. of yrs: 1 yr

Videos

• The incredible journey (click to hide)