A mobility study to determine the potential for non motorised transport as part of Stellenbosch University future urban campus plan

Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2018.

ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Traffic congestion is a problem in Stellenbosch and continue to grow per year. One of the reasons is that the university is located in the town of Stellenbosch and students make use of private vehicles. Universities have experienced an increase in student numbers. As the numbers of students increase, so does the automobile numbers, which brings urban issues such as traffic congestion and the shortage of parking. To address the issue of congestion during peak hours, pedestrian and cycling infrastructure can be implemented. This will reduce the number of private vehicles. Automobile dependency is a reality of the twenty-first century and can be addressed by providing people with sustainable transportation options and automobile-free lifestyle options. The research study proposes that many students live close to campus and do not have to make use of automobiles if proper alternative infrastructure is implemented. A solution would be to adjust the infrastructure to create a more pedestrian and cycle friendly environment where people feel safe to walk and do not have to make use of automobiles. Improvement of the infrastructure will encourage cycling and walking to and on campus and to the different faculties. Another solution would be to develop parking areas on the outskirt of the university and students can travel by shuttles or walk from the parking areas to the campus. The primary aim of this study is to analyse the mobility of students and staff at Stellenbosch University and to provide alternative sustainable solutions to the conventional mobility modes. To achieve this research aim the following objectives are compiled: Identify and analyse the mobility pattern of students on and around campus. Identify where students travelling by private car, park on campus. Identify the academic buildings that are most visited during the day. Identify where the majority of students live on campus. Based on these mobility patterns, identify potential pedestrian and other non-motorised transport routes. The research methodology is divided into four phases namely: introduction, data gathering, interpretation and analysing, conclusion and summary of the report. Relevant literature about NMT, cycling and pedestrianisation were studied throughout the research process. The literature will consist of NMT that would consider pedestrian routes and cycling lanes, infrastructure guidelines, location and examples. A meeting was scheduled with Prof Krygsman from the logistics department of SU (coordinator of SUMS), who provided the secondary data about SU staff and students mobility patterns and travel behaviour. The data was obtained through on-line questionnaires and trip dairies that participants filled in for two consecutive days. The electronic questionnaires focused on students and staff members travel behaviours. It consists of separate questionnaires completed by staff members and students. The data was collected during the second semester of September and October. The target group consists of Stellenbosch University students and staff members. It was the participant’s choice to participate volunteering in the survey and they will stay anonymous. The secondary data is in the form of text and numeric values. Therefore, a qualitative and quantitate research strategy was made use of. The data and findings ware represented visually in graphs and tables that were created in Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word.Maps that illustrate the data were created in ArcMap through the spatial statistics tool (Hot spot analysis). The main findings of this research study comprises of only a small percentage (37%) of the Stellenbosch University staff travel 10 kilometres or less to campus. The majority (92%) of the staff members travel within 40 kilometres to work. Of the total 37% of staff that live within 10 kilometres of campus, only 32% of them utilise private vehicles. While the majority (77%) of SU staff members make use of private vehicles. Of the total records 60% of the students, live within a radius of 1.2 kilometres from Stellenbosch University campus. A further, 15% of the students live within 2.5 kilometre from the campus. Further 45% of the 63% of the students that travel up to 5 kilometres to campus, utilise private vehicles. In addition, students make use of lift clubs (21%) and 6% of the sample make use of ride sharing. Furthermore, more than half of the students live within 1.2 kilometre of campus and thus should be encouraged to make use of NMT that would help contribute the reduction of private vehicles by half. Parking space is limited on campus and to address this issue, parking bays has to be developed on the periphery of campus with shuttle services from the parking bays to the centre of campus. This will help contribute to the utilisation of the parking areas on the periphery. These outcome links with this research study hypothesis that, the major problem is that there is limited land and space available to develop new car parking lots and it is expensive to build parking structures. A solution would be to develop parking areas on the outskirt of the university and students travel by busses from the parking areas to the campus, which would reduce the traffic flow around campus. The study found that the three major factors that will decrease the utilisation number of private vehicles to campus are: implementation of alternative transport options. Secondly, the increase of parking bay fee at SU. Thirdly, the reduction in parking space will lead to the reduction in utilisation of private vehicles.

AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vervoer en die opeenhoping van voertuie is ʼn probleem veral in Stellenbosch dorp en hou aan met groei elke jaar. Die rede hiervoor is, omdat Stellenbosch is ʼn universiteit dorp en studente maak gebruik van private voertuie as vervoer middel. Plus die universiteit se student getalle neem ook toe elke jaar. Met die toename in universiteit studente getalle, neem die gebruik van voertuie ook toe, wat stedelike kwessies soos vervoer opeenhoping en tekort aan parkering veroorsaak. Infrastruktuur vir stap en fiets gebruik kan geïmplementeer word om die bogenoemde stedelike kwessies aan te spreek en die getalle private voertuie te verminder. Individue is afhanklik van voertuie, dit is ʼn realiteit van die een en twintigste eeu en kan aangespreek word deur alternatiewe volhoubare vervoer opsies en leefstyl opsies te verskaf aan inwoners. Die navorsingstudie ondersoek hoe om studente wat naby aan die universiteit woon se gebruik van private vervoer te verminder deur alternatiewe stap roetes na die kampus toe te implementeer. ʼn Oplossing is dus om die infrastruktuur aan te pas om voetgangers en fiets ryers te akkommodeer. Dit is belangrik om ʼn omgewing te skep wat stap vriendelik is sodat studente veilig voel om te stap in plaas van om van private vervoer metodes gebruik te maak kampus toe. Die fiets en stap infrastruktuur na die verskillende fakulteite moet opgegradeer word om die studente te motiveer om te stap op en na kampus. Nog ʼn oplossing behels dat parkeer areas op die buite kringe van die universiteit ontwikkel word en studente die opsie gegun word om te stap of van ʼn minibus gebruik kan maak om van die parkeer area tot by die universiteit te pendel. Die hoof doel van die navorsingstudie behels om die mobiliteit van studente en personeel by Stellenbosch Universiteit te analiseer en om alternatiewe volhoubare oplossings vir die huidige gebruik van mobiliteit metodes te verskaf. Om die navorsingstudie doel te bereik is die volgende mikpunte ontwikkel: Identifiseer en analiseer die mobiliteits patrone van studente op en om kampus. Identifiseer waar die studente wat van voertuie gebruik maak, parkeer op kampus. Identifiseer die akademiese geboue wat die meeste besoek word deur die dag. Identifiseer waar die meerderheid van die studente op en om kampus woon. Gebaseer op die mobiliteit patrone, identifiseer potensiale stap en fiets roetes. Die navorsing metodologie vir die studie is verdeel in vier fases naamlik: Inleiding, data versameling, interpretasie en analisering en samevatting en afhandeling. Relevante literatuur oor fietsry en voetganger roetes is reg deur die navorsing proses bestudeer. ‘n Vergadering was geskeduleer met Prof Krygsman van die logistieke departement van Stellenbosch Universiteit (koördineerder van Universiteit Stellenbosch Mobiliteit studie), wie die sekondêre data oor Stellenbosch Universiteit se personeel en studente se mobiliteit patrone en vervoer gedrag verskaf het. Die data was ingesamel deur middel van aan lyn vraelyste. Die vraelyste fokus op studente en personeel lede se mobiliteit patrone en vervoer gedrag. Die data was ingesamel tydens die tweede semester in September en Oktober. Die teiken groep was studente en personeel van Stellenbosch Universiteit. Dit is die deelnemers se keuse om vrywillig deel te neem in die opname asook dat hulle anoniem sal bly. Daar was van ʼn kwalitatiewe en kwantitatiewe navorsing strategie gebruik gemaak. Tabelle was in Microsoft Word ontwerp en grafieke was in Microsoft Excel geskep om ʼn visuele oorsig te verkry van die versamelde data en bevindings. Kaarte wat die data voorstel is in die program ArcMap geskep deur gebruik te maak van ‘n Hot spot analise. Die hoof bevindinge van hierdie navorsingstudie bestaan uit, ʼn klein persentasie (37%) van Stellenbosch Universiteit se personeel reis 10 kilometer of minder na die kampus. Terwyl die meerderheid (92%) van die personeellede binne 40 kilometer reis na die werk. Van die 37% van die personeel wat binne 10 kilometer van die kampus woon, gebruik slegs 32% van hulle privaat voertuie. Terwyl die meerderheid (77%) van die Stellenbosch Universiteit personeellede van private voertuie gebruik maak. Van die totale steekproef bly 60% van die studente binne 'n radius van 1,2 kilometer van die kampus. Verder, woon 15% van die studente binne 2,5 kilometer van die kampus. Daar is bevind dat 45% van die 63% van die studente wat tot met en met 5 kilometer reis tot by kampus, maak gebruik van privaat voertuie. Daarbenewens maak 21% van die studente gebruik van saamryklub. Verder woon meer as die helfte van die studente binne 1,2 kilometer van die kampus en behoort aangemoedig te word om nie-gemotoriseerde vervoer te gebruik wat die gebruik van privaat voertuie met die helfte sal verminder. Parkeer ruimtes is beperk op kampus en om hierdie kwessie aan te spreek, moet parkeer areas op die periferie van die kampus ontwikkel word. Vervoer van mense met pendel dienste vanaf die parkeer areas na die middelpunte van die kampus sal bydra tot verhoogte benutting van die parkeerareas aan die periferie. Die bevindings hou verband met die navorsingstudie se hipotese, dat die grootste probleem is dat daar beperkte grond beskikbaar is om nuwe parkeer terreine te ontwikkel en dit is te duur om parkeer strukture te ontwikkel. ʼn Oplossing sou wees om parkeer areas op die periferie van die universiteit te ontwikkel en studente met busse vanaf die parkeer areas na die kampus te vervoer, wat die verkeersvloei rondom die kampus sal verminder. Die studie het bevind dat die drie belangrikste faktore wat die gebruik van private voertuie na die kampus sal verminder is: eerstens, deur alternatiewe vervoer opsies te implementeer. Tweedens, ʼn toename in parkeer geld by die universiteit. Derdens, sal die vermindering in parkeer ruimtes sal lei tot die vermindering in die gebruik van private voertuie.

Masters