Proximity to public transportation and sustainable commuting to college. A case study of an Italian suburban campus. Issue 1 (March 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Crotti, Daniele; Grechi, Daniele; Maggi, Elena
• Is Part Of: Case studies on transport policy. Volume 10:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 218
• Page End: 226
• Publication Date: 2022-03
• Subjects: green mobility -- sustainability -- transport mode -- university -- public transport -- suburban neighbourhood; R40: Transportation Economics - General -- O18: Urban, Rural, Regional, and Transportation Analysis Housing Infrastructure -- Q01: Sustainable Development; Transportation and state -- Case studies -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Planning -- Case studies -- Periodicals; Transportation -- Research -- Case studies -- Periodicals; 388.05
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cstp.2021.12.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2213-624X

Abstract

Highlights: Commuting to suburban college is car dependent due to public transport features. For medium-short distances, increasing travelled km deter the use of local buses. For long distances, commuting by train is preferable for saving fuel costs. Proximity to direct bus lines fosters the use of both local transit and carpooling. Living in towns with one railway station strikingly foster the usage of trains. Abstract: As sustainability has become a key and urgent challenge both in urban and suburban contexts, in the last years commuting patterns of university populations have received a growing attention from scholars and policymakers. Urgent solutions are required to improve the people quality of life, by encouraging, especially in systematic mobility, the use of alternative and greener transport modes than private vehicles. In this paper we examine, as a case study, the students and staff commuting habits of a public medium-size university campus that is located in a peripheral area of the city of Varese (north-west of Italy) far from the rail and extra-urban bus stations and with many green spaces. Using data from a survey on a sample of more than 1800 respondents, the goal of this paper is to investigate, by a multinomial logit model, the main determinants of the commuting mode (car, bus, train and carpooling) and the car dominance motivations, particularly focusing on the spatial/trip factors. The main results highlight the crucial role of public transport (bus and train stops and stations) proximity both in medium-short and long-distance trips. Other factors affecting the mode choice concern the commuter age and partially the gender, the frequency and length of the trips. Differently from the results of the empirical literature about urban colleges, we found a positive correlation between the distance and the use of train. The findings of this study could help the policymakers to identify the most effective sustainable transport policies, for example introducing parking fees and increasing the public transit accessibility..