This year, more than 270 staff and students shared their sustainable travel habits, experiences and ideas through the University’s annual travel surveys. The results provide valuable insight into how our community travels to campus and where we can take action to support more sustainable journeys.
Walking Leads the Way for Students
The survey found that walking is the most common way for students to travel to campus, with 31% choosing to walk, closely followed by travelling alone by car (29%). Train travel was also popular, accounting for 18% of student journeys. This is similar to previous surveys.
Students told us that the biggest factors that would encourage more sustainable travel are cheaper public transport, more direct routes and more frequent and reliable services. Safer cycling infrastructure was also highlighted as a priority.
Staff Continue to Depend on Cars
For staff, the picture is different. Almost two-thirds (61%) travel to campus alone by car, with walking (19%) and cycling (7%) making up much smaller proportions of journeys. Time, convenience and the distance from home were cited as the main reasons for driving.
Many staff indicated that public transport is either impractical or unavailable for their commute, particularly for those travelling from rural areas. However, respondents also identified opportunities for improvement, with cheaper tickets, more reliable services and better cycling facilities frequently mentioned as measures that could support a shift towards more sustainable travel.
Sustainable Travel Awareness is Growing
The surveys also revealed strong awareness of the University’s sustainability agenda. Among students, awareness of the University’s work on sustainable travel reached 62% (those aware and engaged to some degree), while staff awareness was even higher at 89%.
Encouragingly, many respondents reported adopting sustainable behaviours in their daily lives, from using reusable bottles and reducing energy use to spending time in nature and making environmentally conscious purchasing decisions.
What Happens Next?
The findings will help shape future travel planning and sustainability initiatives across the University. Feedback has highlighted the importance of working with transport providers, improving active travel infrastructure and continuing to promote sustainable travel options for both staff and students.
A huge thank you to everyone who took part. Your feedback is helping us understand the challenges our community faces and identify practical ways to make sustainable travel easier, safer and more accessible for all.