The UWE Travel Plan
Steve Ward
Travel Planner University of the West of England
There’s no business like ‘Know-Business’ • Travel Planning for Education seems unique… • …but shares some features with other types of travel plan. • Our University has its own special problems and opportunities.
The UWE Travel Plan
The Students • In contrast with UWE, it is likely that your people:
– own a car; – don’t live with you; – don’t leave after 1-3 years; – number just a few hundred at most; – are not expert transport planners!
The UWE Travel Plan
Problems and Opportunities
• Opportunities:
– – – – – – Travel spread throughout the day; Low car ownership and use; Receptive to new ideas and technologies; Scale; Tenancy with UWE; Buy-in from senior management (=funding!)
• Problems
– Travel very seasonal; – Congestion hot-spots; – Remote site on a hill! – With other sites and accommodation spread across the city. The UWE Travel Plan
Years in the wilderness
‘good public transport alternatives’ ‘travel information’
‘secure cycle facilities’
‘promoting sustainable transport’
‘well managed parking facilities’
The UWE Travel Plan
A developing strategy – 2007-08 • Investing up front… • Bus
– £1m of investment into a 3-route contract – Travel included with accommodation
• Cycle
– Professional cycle audit followed by investment
The UWE Travel Plan
Consultation and car parking • Major consultation exercise last winter; • 3 options: low, medium, high investment with corresponding increase in parking fee; • Lowest investment (and parking fee) very unpopular, even among car drivers – most wanted highest option; • After Trade Union representations settled for annual fee of £79 – almost 6x increase
The UWE Travel Plan
Moving on up – 2007-08
• 2006 – one bus an hour to city centre; last bus 5.30pm • 2007 – four buses an hour; • November 2008 – ten buses an hour, 6:30–23:00; • Aimed also at increasing public use (soon every 15 minutes on main Gloucester Rd corridor). • Patronage comparable to Bristol Parkway station:
The UWE Travel Plan
Moving on up – 2007-08
• Strong patronage growth
Autumn patronage, Ulink
8000 Daily Passengers 6000 4000 2000 0 Sep Month Oct 2007 2008
The UWE Travel Plan
Moving on up – 2007-08
• Development of cycling
The UWE Travel Plan
Results
Mode share
100% 90% 80% 70% 60% %share 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 2001
Motorcycle Train Bicycle Car share UWE Bus Bus Foot Car
Single occupancy vehicles
2004
2005 Survey Year
2006
2007
The UWE Travel Plan
It’s not all a bed of roses…
• Vocal minority of staff still very unhappy with higher parking charges; • Students are blamed for everything! Even if only 20% of them now drive. • Reduction in UWE car use eclipsed by growth in traffic elsewhere • Cycling ‘culture’ slow to develop • Buses run in extremely tough environment (North Fringe to City Centre) • Public transport urgently needs better priorities, esp. in N Fringe
The UWE Travel Plan
Super-campus?
• The acquisition of the Hewlett Packard site adjacent to Frenchay Campus doubles its size • Much work needed for the campus environment and a sustainable access strategy • A car-free campus that reduces the need to travel?
The UWE Travel Plan