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Sustainability

 

Spotlight on travel

For the month of April, the Environment and Energy section will be shining their spotlight on sustainable travel at the University. This page gives you an idea of what’s happening, and how you can get involved in using and promoting sustainable travel. Keep an eye out for more 'spotlight' events, and why not check out the spotlight on waste and spotlight on energy pages too!

With over 11,000 staff, 19,000 students, more than 20 sites of University departments and other buildings, travel to and at work is a key issue for the University to manage. Meanwhile, on a local scale Cambridge is a city with high levels of traffic congestion and air pollution, while in the UK as a whole transport accounts for around a quarter of greenhouse gas emissions making this an important issue to tackle.

Travel events across the operational estate during April and May

A number of events will also take place at other University sites

Travel Roadshows - come along to learn about your travel options
Date Locations
12 April 17 Mill Lane (entrance at blue door)
20 April Department of Zoology

Dr Bike sessions - an opportunity to have your bike repaired for free

 

Book your session here

Date  Location 
9 April Physiology, Development and Neurosciences
19 April Centre for Mathematical Sciences
24 April Greenwich House
1 May Mill Lane Lecture Theatre
2 May Judge Business School 
15 May Alison Richards Building
16 May Clinical Schools

This year we have arranged a number of Bike Maintenance workshops. In these workshops you will learn how to carry out basic repairs on your bike to keep it in good condition. Where possible, these sessions will be carried out using bike repair stations across the University's operational estate

Bike Maintenance workshops
Date   Location 
5 April 12pm - 1pm  PDN - Book here
5 April 5pm - 7pm Maxwell Centre - Book here
11 April 12pm-1pm Centre for Mathematical Sciences - Book here
12 April 5pm - 7pm 17 Mill Lane - Book here
19 April  To be confirmed
24 April 5pm - 7pm Greenwich House - Book here

Staying safe while cycling requires the cyclist to be aware at all times. What are the hazards we should look out for? And, how do we stay safe while cycling around our city? Our workshop on "The ins and outs of cycling around Cambridge" answers these questions and many more. Come along to improve your cycling skills and to find out the many ways that you can stay safe on the road.

The ins and outs of cycling in Cambridge seminar
Date  Location 
5 April 12pm- 1pm  Maxwell Centre - Book here
12 April 1pm - 2pm  17 Mill Lane - Book here
19 April 12pm - 1pm Centre for Mathematical Sciences - Book here
24 April 5pm - 6pm Greenwich House - Book here

Spotlight on Travel is not just about cycling. Our guide has information about other travel options and on 27 April we will encourage staff to join the On your feet challenge to be active during their workday by walking to work. Take a picture of you and your team being active, tag us via social media (@cambridgesust on twitter and instagram, @CUenvironment on Facebook) and be in with a chance of winning a prize!

 

For departments - what criteria can I meet in the Green Impact workbook during April?
  • Promote the University's Travel Plan measures to staff . (B012 – 5 points)
  • Proactively promote the use of teleconferencing facilities, video-conference facilities and/or Skype to relevant staff as an alternative to travelling to meetings. See the UIS webpages for details of the free self-service video conferencing facilities. (B013 – 6 points)
  • Proactively advise visitors on how they can get to meetings, lectures, seminars or conferences via public transport, walking, cycling or car sharing. Why not check the travel leaflets on our resource page for some ideas on what to tell visitors? (S013 – 5 points)
  • Arrange a meeting with the Environmental Coordinator to discuss how to best implement the Travel Plan for their staff. (G045 – 4 points)
  • Promote the following to staff: 
    • The University's car-sharing scheme - CamShare;
    • The University's shuttle bus service - Universal;
    • The University’s interest-free loan scheme for rail travel;
    • The various options for cycling in Cambridge
    • Site-specific travel plan - Contact the Environmental Coordinator for more information. (G048 – 4 points)
  • Put a policy in place to reduce domestic air travel, OR proactively support/incentivise staff in using alternatives. (G049 - 9 points)
  • Have an active system in place to monitor and record the number of business miles travelled by different modes of transport including, but not limited to, departmental vehicles, private vehicles, taxis, trains, planes and bicycles. Monitoring travel can help measure the impact of sustainable travel incentives and other improvements. (G050 - 8 points)
  • Calculate the department's total carbon footprint for business miles and compare it to previous year's records if relevant. Communicating this to staff can highlight the impact of business travel, any areas to target, and changes year to year. (G051 - 2 points)
  • Ensure that any at least 50% of department-owned fleet cars are in Vehicle Excise Duty bands A or B. (G052 - 6 points)
  • Bring in a pool bicycle system, to allow staff to use a pool bike to get to and from meetings. (G053 - 3 points)
  • Carry out at least one travel awareness activity or event, ideally during Spotlight on Travel month. For instance this could be a sustainable travel 'breakfast' for cyclists or car sharers, a competition for staff, or a stall with information on sustainable travel in a foyer or communcal area such as a tea room. (G054 - 9 points)
For colleges - what criteria can I meet in the Green Impact workbook during April?
  • Inform staff and students where their nearest cycle parking and shower facilities are. (CT071 - 2 points)
  • Proactively advise the majority of external visitors how they can get to meetings and other events via public transport, walking, cycling or car sharing. (CT072 - 6 points)
  • Provide cycle pumps and tools along with details of public transport links, and cycle repair services. (CT073 - 4 points)
  • Consider provisions for electric vehicle charge points on site. (CT074 - 5 points)
  • Organised cycle training for students. (CT076 - 7 points)
  • Run a sustainable travel-related event for staff and/or students. (CT077 - 7 points)
How to organise a Spotlight on Travel event in your department

Spotlight on Travel month is a great time to speak to your colleagues about the sustainable travel options available to them, you can use the event ideas below to engage staff and have some fun. If you intend to run an event in your department please let us know and we will provide you with some cycling giveaways. Tag us in your photos on social media, @cambridgesust on twitter and CUenvironment on Facebook with the #SpotlightonTravel, to win a prize

Build your cycling skills

Cycling is one of those skills we generally acquire in childhood and do not give a second thought to as adults. And yet, the way we learned to cycle as children may not have taken into account the issues we face on the roads today, such as heavy traffic. It is for this reason that the University has decided to provide one to one cycle training for any member of staff who would like to avail of it. This one hour session will build your cycle confidence and give you pointers to keep you safe on the road.

These sessions are available throughout the year and not just as part of Spotlight on Travel month.

Contact RidingaBike to enquire about availability.