ASSESSING THE UNIVERSITY ON-CAMPUS TRANSPORT MODES: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

Transportation management on a university campus is critical to enable the efficient movement of students, faculty members, staff, and visitors as to minimize traffic congestion, environmental impact, and parking issues. The choice of on-campus transport mode can vary based on the campus’s size, location, and available infrastructure. In this study, a questionnaire is introduced to assess the factors that may affect on-campus transport mode choice of students. A group of 60 undergraduate students who must travel to one of the furthest locations from the entrance gates of a campus is considered. The convenience of on-campus roads and the distance of the accommodation to the campus are examined. The results illustrated that weather conditions and air temperature were the critical factors for the transport mode choice, specifically for cycling and walking. The most preferred on-campus transport mode was determined as the ring line, especially during exam periods. Walking was only preferred if the student resides close to the campus. Both genders stated that the bicycle roads were narrow. This preliminary study has a potential to be applied for larger group of participants and is expected to inspire decisionmakers of the universities to improve the infrastructure of the university campus and help to develop cost efficient and sustainable travel options.