A Study of Transport Behaviour of Academic Communities

n important challenge to achieving sustainable university campuses is ensuring that the academic community makes sustainable transport choices. The objective of this study was to investigate the daily commuting patterns, identify the potential for change, and determine the factors and criteria affecting the transport decisions of academic communities of two universities located in Gdansk, Poland. This paper summarizes the results of trip generation measurements and a comprehensive online survey of 3678 respondents, including the universities&rsquo staff and students. Analysis of survey results revealed clear differences between students and university staff in terms of travel patterns and factors that influence their choices. Staff usually (57%) choose the car for daily commutes with students opting for public transport (59%). The choice of travel mode in particular groups is determined mostly by car availability, trip origin location, and accessibility. The choices also depend on transport user individual requirements such as trip quality, costs, or ecology. With approximately 1400 trips daily per 1000 students, the universities are large traffic generators. Thus, how the staff and students behave determines the effect the universities have on the urban transport system. Understanding the behaviour can help to estimate whether it can be changed and how. Document type: Articl

Analysis of the causes and effects of cyclist-pedestrian accidents in biggest Polish cities

Traffic incidents between pedestrians and cyclists result in an incomparably smaller number of victims (injured and killed) than accidents between unprotected traffic participants and other vehicles. However, such incidents cannot be underestimated, as in most cases they take place on elements of infrastructure designed for pedestrians and cyclists, and thus negatively affect the sense of safety of users in places where they should not only feel safe but also comfortable. This paper presents an analysis of such traffic incidents, aimed at recognizing the share of pedestrians and cyclists as perpetrators and also victims of accidents. Three research hypotheses were examined: that the type of infrastructure and also light and weather conditions influences the structure of perpetrators and victims, that the proportion of accidents between pedestrians and cyclists caused by pedestrians is increasing, and that the proportion of victims of accidents between pedestrians and cyclists in the pedestrian group is de-creasing. Analyses were performed based on the number of traffic incidents involving cyclists and pedestrians in the six largest Polish cities, registered in the Police Accident and Collision Records System. A total of 1,702 incidents involving 1,034 injured and killed people in years 2007-2018 were considered. Each traffic incident was considered individually, taking into account changes in perpetrator and victim proportions depending on the type and purpose of the infrastructure and external conditions, as well as variability of these proportions over subsequent years. The tools of mathematical statistics were used, including – among others - significance tests for independent proportions and Chi-squared test for trend. On the basis of the conducted statistical analyses, all research hypothesis were proved. It also confirmed that although the proportions are changing, there are still much more traffic incidents are caused by cyclists, but more victims are in group of pedestrians. The results of the research confirm the need to take action to develop effective mechanisms of mutual interaction between pedestri-ans and cyclists. Especially in view of the growing bicycle traffic in Polish cities

System certyfikacji jako narzędzie poprawy bezpieczeństwa i zrównoważonego charakteru podróży szkolnych

Despite the well-established physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spatial benefits of active and autonomous school commuting of children and adolescents', many are driven by car. Pilot surveys and field research held in 2019 in 10 Gdansk primary schools confirmed this trend. The article presents a certification system for schools, commissioned by the City of Gdańsk, which is an element of a systemic solution shaping patterns of transport behavior in school trips. The essence of the proposed approach is motivating and supporting schools by government to create conditions conducive to independent and active travel of children and adolescents. An important element of the certification process is the assessment stage in accordance with the set of criteria adopted and grouped into six areas concerning: children transport behavior, infrastructure and traffic organization in and around the school, mobility policy, road safety, promotion, and education. Groups of criteria were divided into basic and extended ones and assigned points in an assessment calculator. A minimum threshold of points has been set in each category to attract schools to take comprehensive action. The assessment calculator has been supplemented by catalogues of good practices describing possible actions that could be taken to meet a given criterion. The full certification process has not yet been completed in Gdańsk due to the coronavirus pandemic and the transition to remote learning. However, the first infrastructural improvements have already been made in the vicinity of schools.Pomimo dobrze ugruntowanych fizycznych, społecznych, emocjonalnych, poznawczych i przestrzennych korzyści płynących z aktywnego i samodzielnego podróżowania dzieci i młodzieży do szkoły, często są oni dowożenie przez rodziców samochodem. Badania pilotażowe i badania terenowe przeprowadzone w 2019 r. w 10 gdańskich szkołach podstawowych potwierdziły ten trend. W artykule przedstawiono opracowany na zlecenie Miasta Gdańska system certyfikacji dla szkół, stanowiący element systemowego rozwiązania kształtującego schematy zachowań transportowych w podróżach szkolnych. Istotą proponowanego podejścia jest motywowanie do i wspieranie przez samorząd szkół do tworzenia warunków sprzyjających samodzielnemu i aktywnemu podróżowaniu dzieci i młodzieży. Istotnym elementem procesu certyfikacji jest ocena placówek zgodnie z przyjętym zestawem kryteriów, pogrupowanych w sześć obszarów dotyczących: zachowań w transporcie dzieci, infrastruktury i organizacji ruchu w szkole i wokół niej, polityki mobilności, bezpieczeństwa drogowego, promocji i edukacji. Grupy kryteriów podzielono na podstawowe i rozszerzone oraz przypisano im punkty w kalkulatorze oceny. W każdej kategorii ustalono minimalny próg punktów, aby zachęcić szkoły do podjęcia kompleksowych działań. Kalkulator oceny został uzupełniony o katalogi dobrych praktyk opisujących możliwe działania, jakie można podjąć, aby spełnić dane kryterium. Pełny proces certyfikacji nie został jeszcze zakończony w Gdańsku z powodu pandemii koronawirusa i przejścia na zdalne uczenie. Jednak otoczeniu szkół wprowadzono już pierwsze ulepszenia infrastrukturalne

SEGMENTATION OF ACADEMIC COMMUNITY FOR THE PURPOSES OF MOBILITY PLAN DEVELOPMENT - CASE STUDY OF GDANSK UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The objective of the paper is to analyse the structure of academic community for its transport behaviour and attitudes using the example of the Gdansk University of Technology (the GUT) in Poland. Once understood, the group can be divided into homogenous sub-groups and studied for their potential and ways to influence their behaviour, attitudes and transport patterns. The results may be used to develop dedicated actions designed to change the mentality and transport behaviour or to maintain sustainable transport patterns. The purpose of the research was to help draw up a GUT mobility plan using market segmentation, a method commonly used in management and marketing. The segmentation was based on transport behaviour surveys among the University’s employees. A total of 5 segments were distinguished: absolute car dependent (24%), conscious car drivers (27%), promising car drivers (7%), car free commuters (16%) and sustainable car owners (26%). In-depth analyses helped to aggregate the segments into 3 groups to be targeted with different measures aimed at changing mentality (24%), transport behaviour (34%) or maintaining sustainable transport habits (41%). Changing the proportion of particular segments and/or target groups can be one of the goals for the mobility plan. Based on the results of GUT research some dependences between affiliation to the segment and other describing variables were observed. However, further research is necessary into the other cases. If positively verified, the research can be a basis for the development of a universal method for dividing the academic community into segments based on the available data or simple criteria. This would reduce the time to prepare the mobility plan and ensure that the measures are targeted properly and developed with less effort

A Study of Transport Behaviour of Academic Communities

An important challenge to achieving sustainable university campuses is ensuring that the academic community makes sustainable transport choices. The objective of this study was to investigate the daily commuting patterns, identify the potential for change, and determine the factors and criteria affecting the transport decisions of academic communities of two universities located in Gdansk, Poland. This paper summarizes the results of trip generation measurements and a comprehensive online survey of 3678 respondents, including the universities’ staff and students. Analysis of survey results revealed clear differences between students and university staff in terms of travel patterns and factors that influence their choices. Staff usually (57%) choose the car for daily commutes with students opting for public transport (59%). The choice of travel mode in particular groups is determined mostly by car availability, trip origin location, and accessibility. The choices also depend on transport user individual requirements such as trip quality, costs, or ecology. With approximately 1400 trips daily per 1000 students, the universities are large traffic generators. Thus, how the staff and students behave determines the effect the universities have on the urban transport system. Understanding the behaviour can help to estimate whether it can be changed and how

Analysis of Reasons of Accidents Between Cyclists and Public Transport Vehicles in Cities

In European cities, a bicycle is now or is systematically becoming an equal means of transport. Unfortunately, the growth of bicycle traffic is associated with an increase in the number of accidents involving cyclists. Some of these accidents, are events with cyclists and public transport vehicles - and therefore means of transport, which together are to constitute a serious alternative to a car. Although the share of these kind of accidents is relatively small - each such event has a very negative impact on the perception of ecological forms of transport. The paper discusses types of events between cyclists and public transport vehicles, with the identification of dangerous behaviours of cyclists and drivers. The most frequent reasons of these events are discussed, taking into account the places of occurrence of accidents, type and condition of bicycle and public transport infrastructure and types of behaviours of traffic participants. The research part of the paper presents statistical analyses of the number of accidents between cyclists and public transport vehicles, as well as statistics describing the number of victims in accidents in the six largest Polish cities. Based on detailed descriptions of events - using statistical tools - accidents were analysed in terms of identifying the most important reasons of their occurrence and circumstances conducive to the occurrence of accidents. The article was crowned with the recommendations for the application of solutions reducing the risk of accidents

DEVELOPING A CYCLING SUBSYSTEM AS PART OF A SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY STRATEGY: THE CASE OF GDANSK

Modal share is an important component in developing sustainable transport within a city. In recent years, many cities have set modal share targets for balanced and sustainable transport modes: 30% of public transport and 30% of non-motorized (cycling and walking) modes. Gdansk strategic documents have set similar goals with some actions already taken towards those goals. The cycle network is increasing popular. Gdansk’s cycling infrastructure is more developed than that in other Polish cities. Promotional actions are undertaken each year. Despite that, the share of cycling in the modal split still remains at the low level of 1-3%. The article analyses the case study of Gdansk’s cycling policy and its results. The article summarizes the modal share targets set in Gdansk’s strategic documents, describes the development of its cycle network and promotional campaigns, and presents the volume of bicycle traffic and its share in the city’s modal split. Finally, the article aims to identify the causes behind the low percentage of bicyclists in Gdansk

Pedestrian and bicycle bridges as examples of safe collision-free road crossings

Pedestrians are most at risk when they are crossing the road. This represents a significant proportion of all fatalities among pedestrians, amounting respectively to 50% in non-built-up areas and 75% in built-up areas. The most frequent reason for this accident is failure to give way. What is most terrible is that 30% of pedestrian accidents occurred at marked pedestrian crossings. Therefore, an important part of pedestrian safety management is selecting the right type of crossings, which are suitable for the conditions. At certain speeds and traffic volume, the only safe option for pedestrian crossings is to apply multi-level solutions, that is footbridges or tunnels. The paper presents examples of infrastructure redesign by constructing footbridges and hence, separating pedestrians and vehicular traffic to improve pedestrian safety