25 Jan 2017
Latest HESA data reveals Loughborough’s green travel credentials
Loughborough’s success in promoting sustainable travel choices amongst its students and staff has been highlighted in a recent HESA report.
Data from HESA shows that 70% of students at the University opt to walk or cycle into University rather than driving, with 27% of staff also choosing to leave the car behind.
By comparison, the national average of University students cycling or walking to study is 40%.
The University also provides one designated space for every seven students to lock up their bicycles – ranking top 20 in the country.
Sustainability Manager Jo Shields said: “The University has had a robust campus wide travel plan in place for the last five years. There has been significant investment made to support campus users with sustainable travel choices and this is reflected in the figures from HESA. It is good news that Loughborough is above average in the sector for cycling and walking and positive to see that the efforts over the last few years have made an impact.
“The Loughborough University Travel Plan 2016 provides targets for achieving higher levels of sustainable travel over the next five years. One of its main targets is to reduce the proportion of staff driving alone – from 54% to 47% – to and from work, by further promoting and enabling car sharing, walking and cycling.”
As part of the Travel Plan, there are a number of initiatives available for staff and students including the SmartGO Travel Network that provides access to discounts with local and national public transport providers.
Further information on the Travel Plan can be found on the University Sustainability website.