LJMU Green Travel Plan MDS LIVERPOOL JOHN MOORES UNIVERSITY GREEN TRAVEL PLAN July 2015 @LJMUGoGreen @Merseytravel @LiverpoolSU Version Control Owner: Rachael Hanmer-Dwight Version: 1.2 – Summer 2015 Review Date: Summer 2016 Page 1 LJMU Green Travel Plan Contents 1. Overview 1.1. Aim of the Travel Plan 1.2. LJMU Masterplan and Student Connected Village 2. Objectives and Targets 3. Existing and New Targets 3.1. Staff Travel Survey Results 3.2. Student Travel Survey Results 4. Working in Partnership 4.1. Travel Plan Partnership 4.2. Employers Network Forum 4.3. Liverpool Citybike Scheme 4.4. Liverpool Students’ Transport Charter 5. Modes of Travel and Support 5.1. Walking and Cycling 5.2. Public Transport & Journey Apps 5.3. Buses 5.4. Trains 5.5. Fares and Tickets 5.6. IM Marsh Travel Grant 5.7. Ferry 5.8. Taxis 5.9. Car and Journey Share 5.10. Driving, Parking and Electric Vehicles 5.11. Disabled Access 6. Sustainable Travel Initiatives at LJMU 7. Campus Assessment 7.1. City Centre Campus 7.2. Mount Pleasant Campus 7.3. IM Marsh Campus 7.4. Lairdside Maritime Centre 7.5. Copperas Hill 8. Key Recommendations 9. Going Forward 10. Key Contacts & Social Media Appendix A: Policy Context Appendix B: Merseytravel Maps Appendix C: LJMU Location Map Appendix D: Campus Cycling Facilities Appendix E: Walking Distances Matrices Appendix F: LJMU Car Parking Schedule and Permit Allocation Appendix G: Liverpool Students’ Transport Charter Appendix H: LJMU Green Travel Action Plan Page 2 LJMU Green Travel Plan 1. Overview 1.1. Aim of the Travel Plan This Travel Plan has been developed by Liverpool John Moores University and Merseytravel to assist with the delivery of initiatives and communications to staff and students, promoting the use of sustainable transport in order to minimise the impact on the environment, and achieving carbon and cost savings for the University, its staff and its students. The subsequent Travel Action Plan (Appendix H) incorporates a package of measures and recommendations to encourage the use of alternatives to single-occupancy car-use and promote increased accessibility and sustainable modes of transport. It is anticipated that implementation of these recommendations will deliver fiscal, environmental and health benefits to LJMU. 1.2. LJMU Masterplan and Connected University Village This Travel Plan is being developed concurrently to the LJMU Masterplan which is designed to reinforce the rationalisation of the LJMU estate, strengthen the connectedness and flow between different buildings and sites, and in part contribute to LJMU’s carbon emissions reduction obligations. Within the wider plans, the new flagship development at Copperas Hill (due to be commissioned in 2017/18) should assist with improved transit across the estate and a reduced need to depend on high- emission modes of transport (e.g. single passenger car journeying). From a location perspective, Copperas Hill will be extremely supportive to future travel plan: the site is adjacent to Lime Street station and within a few minutes’ walking distance of the other city train stations, all bus route stops, bus stations, and citybike posts. To find out more about the Estate Masterplan, please see Appendix A Policy Context. 2. Objectives and Targets The Travel Plan will encapsulate relevant objectives outlined in a number of policy documents, (see Appendix A for fuller details): To improve access to all LJMU buildings for all staff, students and visitors. Promote active travel (walking and cycling) to enhance health and wellbeing of LJMU students and staff. To put measures in place to reduce potential negative impact of travel on the environment, by encouraging the use of more sustainable modes of transport. To reduce the number of single occupant car journeys and car dependency, and consequently ease car parking congestion at the University. To increase the travel survey participation rate. Mode Staff Students Outline Targets Walk ≥ 7 ≥ 33 for 2015/16 Bicycle ≥ 6 ≥ 5 Public transport ≥ 50 ≥ 46 onwards Car share ≥ 11 ≥ 10 Car (single passenger) ≤ 25 ≤ 10 Page 3 LJMU Green Travel Plan 3. Existing & New Targets The Staff Travel Survey took place in February 2014, whilst the Student Travel Survey was deferred until April 2015. Moving forward, it is proposed that the surveys will be conducted in tandem in Semester One of every other academic year. This will reduce conflict with other surveys (e.g. the National Student Survey which runs during Semester Two) and will deliver data for extrapolating carbon emissions for the annual HESA (Higher Education Statistics Agency) Estate Management Return. This runs annually from January through February and requires travel survey data to be within 24 months of validity. Whilst the fuller surveys will be conducted every two years, snapshot surveys of modal choice may be carried out on the alternating years simply to monitor any significant change in transport and travel choices amongst the LJMU community. The following tables illustrate LJMU’s staff and student travel preferences since 2005 as a long-term monitoring exercise, including a comment on participation rates. The table outlines success against the 2005 baseline results and against the targets made for 2014. It should be noted that motorbike/moped and other modes of transport are excluded from the achievement evaluation as it cannot be judged at this time whether the changes mark a positive or negative impact on sustainability. Continual improvement is an expected standard moving forward, but red flags are raised with regards a few areas: 3.1. Staff Travel Survey Results LJMU accommodated 2,500 staff across its sites. The 2014 Staff Travel Survey had a response rate of 13% which was a decrease from previous participation rates (33% in 2005; 21% in 2008; 26% in 2009). A robust strategy for effective communication, promotion and potential incentivising will be undertaken to ensure that a participation rate target of 20% minimum rate may be achieved in subsequent surveys. It is proposed that the Staff Travel Survey runs in Semester One (September- December) to align with the Student Travel Survey. Mode of Transport 2005 (%) 2008 (%) 2009 (%) 2014 2014 staff Against Against target (%) survey (%) 2005 targets baseline for 2014 Car (single passenger) 50 40 34 30 27 Car share 9 11.5 11 GI* 11 Public Transport 30 36 42.5 45 50 - Bus 13 13 16 GI 18 - Train 16 22.5 26 GI 32 - Ferry 1 0.5 0.5 GI 0 Bicycle 2 3 3 GI 6 Walk 6 6 7 GI 5 Motorbike / moped 2 1 1.5 - 5 - - Other 1 2.2 1 - - - - Happy Neutral Unhappy Page 4 LJMU Green Travel Plan 3.2. Student Travel Survey Results LJMU accommodated 22,500 students, of which xxx are regularly accommodated across the University’s sites. The 2015 Student Travel Survey had a response rate of 6% which demonstrated no particular trend or departure from previous participation rates (5% in 2005; 3% in 2008; 11% in 2009). A robust strategy for effective communication, promotion and potential incentivising will be undertaken to ensure that a participation rate target of 10% minimum rate may be achieved in subsequent surveys. Timing of the survey will also be of importance: the 2015 Student Travel Survey was conducted during end of semester/examination periods, and also whilst the National Student Survey was ongoing. It is proposed that future Student Travel Surveys are conducted in Semester One (September-December). Mode of Transport 2005 (%) 2008 (%) 2009 (%) 2014 2015 Against Against student student 2005 targets target (%) survey (%) baseline for 2014 Car (single passenger) 19 17 12 10 10.8 Car share 3 7 5 GI* 5.7 Public Transport 44 52 46 Overall 45.2 target of - Bus 25 23 25 83% across 23.0 these - Train 19 29 21 22.2 modes - Ferry 0 0 0 0 Bicycle 1 0.5 2 2.5 Walk 30 22 33 34.6 Motorbike / moped 1 0.5 0.5 - 0.1 - - Other 2 1 1.5 - 1.1 - - Happy Neutral Unhappy Staff areas for improvement: Walking has decreased as a mode of transport and overall has failed to achieve anywhere near 10% in the last ten years. A postcode plot, walking challenges and overall promotion of the fitness and wellbeing benefits of walking up to 5 miles a day may need reasserted focus moving forward in order to improve this performance figure. Since 2008, car share appears to have plateaued at around 11%. Exploring options for encouraging and supporting car share amongst staff could be effective in likewise reducing single-passenger car journeys down to a neat 25%. Student areas for improvement: There has been no significant improvement in car-sharing or cycling and this poses a number of areas for discussion. In some respects, LJMU as a predominantly city-based university lends itself to walking (which is now the modal choice for more than a third of LJMU students) and public transport. Broader questioning in the survey indicate that there is not a huge appetite for cycling due to safety and infrastructural restraints in Liverpool. Page 5 LJMU Green Travel Plan 4. Working in Partnership Whilst the Travel Plan is managed and developed by the LJMU Sustainability and Environmental Team (with engagement from Estates Department, Corporate Communications, Liverpool Student Union, and other internal bodies), LJMU has also pursued and established a number of external partnership opportunities to strengthen the objectives and success of its Travel Plan. These include: 4.1. City Centre Travel Plan Group (CCTG) This partnership was set up in 2009 and is based across the Knowledge Quarter including key stakeholders such as LJMU, Merseytravel, Liverpool City Council, Royal Liverpool University Hospital, Liverpool Women’s and Alder Hey Hospitals, University of Liverpool, and Liverpool Hope University.