Spotlight on Travel month - what happened?

Throughout April the Environment and Energy section travelled across the operational estate to raise awareness of sustainable travel options for staff. We met with hundreds of staff at Cambridge Biomedical Campus, the Sidgwick site and West Cambridge site, and we discussed the many ways that the University can support staff travel choices. 

The University is working towards target of 75% of staff commuting using sustainable travel modes i.e. cycle, walk, car share, public transport and provides a number of initiatives to help staff use these modes. Supporting journeys made sustainably not only reduces carbon emissions but it will hopefully minimise congestion in the city.

Here are some of options available to staff who would like to travel sustainably:

For the cyclist

Staff can purchase a bike and accessories using a loan or cycles scheme, following your purchase you can use cycle parking and facilities such as showers and lockers at a large number of University sites. Later this year cycle repair stations will be installed at West Cambridge and at the central sites, making it easier for staff to carry out the checks and repairs that will keep their bikes roadworthy. Information is available regarding bike safety and security on our website along with maps detailing your travel options to and from each site.

For the bus user

The subsidised Universal bus route connects West Cambridge, the train station and Cambridge Biomedical Campus, all for the low cost of £1 for University staff and students. Staff can utilise one of the five Park and Rides sites in the city and annual tickets can be purchased with the assistance of the Travel to work loan.

For the train user

Through the Travel for Cambridgeshire partnership, University staff can make use of a 10% discount on rail tickets and there is a chance for staff to bulk buy tickets on certain routes.

For the motorist

Staff can reduce travel costs and save on carbon emissions using the University Liftshare account. Approximately 500 staff have used the service and found someone to share their commute with. Journeys shared to date have resulted in savings of over £32,000 for members! This month the rewards keep coming for our Liftshare members, both new and existing members will be entered into a prize draw. Signing up is easy and lift arrangements can be flexible as you need them to be, so why not join today!

For those who may need to access a car during the day but would prefer not to drive to work; the University has Zipcar membership. Business travel journeys can be charged directly to your department and for personal journeys, staff will benefit from a reduced registration cost.

The staff travel survey will be distributed in the autumn and we will be able to see what progress has been made in meeting the sustainable travel target. Join us in our efforts to make the University of Cambridge an organisation with sustainable travel at its heart.