Designing for sustainable transport on campuses: a study of the effects of infrastructural improvements on travel patterns at NUI Galway and other institutions

In recent years, smarter travel initiatives have become increasingly important for educational, business, and other institutions across Ireland. With an increased public awareness of environmental sustainability and a need to decongest urban areas, it is widely accepted that infrastructural investment is required to promote sustainable modes of transport. Furthermore, there are clear economic and health benefits to promoting sustainable travel. It is unclear however, the extent to which specific measures and infrastructural improvements generate modal shift. Universities, alongside large employers, can offer ideal testing grounds for novel initiatives that promote sustainable travel due to their large student andstaff cohort, and their generally easily accessible and compact campuses. ThisstudyofNUI Galway staff and students (using over1, 000 survey responses), analysed the distance travelled, time taken, travel mode, and trip generation location for staff, undergraduate students and postgraduate students travelling to NUI Galway. The findings are compared with results of a similar 2012 surveyand with other surveys conducted by the NUI Galway Buildings Office over the past eight years to illustrate the evolution of travel patterns at the University. The survey also investigated the impacts of infrastructure improvements at the NUI Galway.