Transport
ECU encourages staff and students to choose sustainable and healthy alternatives to individual car trips in order to reduce the impact on the environment.
More active forms of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport reduces the number of greenhouse gas emissions and noxious air particulates released to the atmosphere.
Active forms of transport also increase the incidental exercise in your day and reduces traffic congestion on our roads.
ECU has set targets to:
- Increase the proportion of staff and students who commute using active forms of transport (i.e. public transport, cycling, walking, carpooling) by 5-15% by 2020 (2010 baseline); and
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the University fleet by 5-15% by 2020 (2008 baseline).
In 2011, ECU had already achieved the 15% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from the fleet 2008 levels. In 2008 ECU produced 204 tonnes of carbon dioxide (tCO2), and in 2011 produced only 148 tCO2. ECU will shortly revise the 2020 target to make it more challenging to achieve.
Results from the 2012 Travel Survey and previous studies suggest that staff and students are starting to travel to ECU using active forms of transport, although the proportion of those that drive alone remain much greater. The location of the Joondalup and Bunbury campuses are thought to influence decisions regarding transportation mode. This means that ECU has a good opportunity to promote the benefits of active forms of transport to both staff and students in the future.
ECU facilitates staff and students to switch to active transport modes through:
- the provision of end of trip facilities;
- participating in the annual ECU Bike to Brekky;
- facilitating staff participation in the annual Bike to Work Challenge;
- providing SmartRider cards to staff for business use; and
- offsetting all emissions associated with the University fleet.
You can get involved and obtain further information from the following web pages:
- ECU Thinking Transport - find out how to get to each ECU campus;
- ECU SmartRider - find out how to obtain your student discount on public transport;
- TransPerth journey planner - plan your journey via public transport, walking and cycling; and
- Google maps - plan your journey via public transport, walking and cycling.