The Mobility Chair recommends prioritizing parking by place of origin and promoting online teaching and tutoring
SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, September 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –
45% of the workers and students of the University of La Laguna (ULL) surveyed by the center between January and February opt for a private vehicle without companions to travel to the facilities.
The results, made public this Tuesday by Rosa Marina González, director of the CajaCanarias-Universidad de La Laguna Chair of Economics and Mobility, correspond to a questionnaire of a total of 2,713 people, that is, 10.6% of the university community , which is made up of 25,414 people, including students (20,523), teaching and research staff (4,094) and administration and services staff (797).
In total terms, the largest number of participants was concentrated in the Guajara Campus, with 1,110 surveys answered, equivalent to 11.13% of the total of 9,972 people in that area.
However, proportionally, the most abundant participation occurred at the Anchieta Campus, with 15.3% of surveys corresponding to 849 people in a population of 5,534, the ULL reports in a note.
The director of the Chair has described the result as “not very encouraging” given that 66% of the university community is concentrated in the metropolitan area, in which very convenient public transportation alternatives are available.
The study also revealed that the times of the largest inbound and outbound trips coincide with peak traffic hours.
Thus, among students, the peak of displaced people at arrival time occurs between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m. in the morning shift, and between 3:00 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the afternoon shift.
Regarding the departure time, among students it is concentrated in the interval 2:00 p.m.-2:30 p.m., while for staff it is an hour later.
When asked about the reasons for using the individual car as a driver without a passenger as a preference, the majority cited the duration of the trip.
At that point, the professor referred to research carried out by her group that revealed that individuals tend to overestimate the duration of travel time by public transport, that is, to believe that it takes longer than it really does, while With the private car the opposite happens: there is the perception that the journey takes less than in reality.
Another piece of information that seemed to concern the speaker was the one referring to the reasons for using public transportation because among the students, the majority reason (52%) was for economic reasons and the next reason (41%) was the lack of a driving license or own car, that is, it is a ‘captive’ population, who does not use this mode of transport with conviction and who, probably, will change to the private vehicle if their economic situation improves.
WORKERS, WITH MORE ECOLOGICAL CONSCIOUSNESS
However, among the university staff, the main reason for selecting this option was ecological awareness (58%).
Other data from the study reveal that there is a very low attendance of shared private vehicle use and, in the few cases that do occur, it occurs preferably with only the driver and another passenger.
There is also little intermodality, understood as the use of various types of public transport to make the journey in stages, which is a trend that in his opinion must be changed because “the ‘door to door’ trip is totally unsustainable.” , detailed from the ULL.
PARKING MANAGEMENT AND OTHER MEASURES
After presenting the results of the survey, Rosa Marina González aired some reflections and ideas that could be put on the table when the institutional mobility plan is developed.
Thus, he pointed out that the abundance of free parking on the campuses and surrounding areas represents an attraction to use a private car.
“Parking must be managed discriminating by origin and level of vehicle occupancy; someone coming from Los Realejos, where public transportation alternatives are not adequate, is not the same as someone from the metropolitan area,” he said.
One could even consider pricing these parking lots and dedicating that revenue to subsidizing more sustainable modes of transportation.
Given that the concentration of entry and exit times coincides with peak traffic hours, the expert considered that the flexibility of access times could be discussed and online teaching and tutoring encouraged “when and where possible” to contribute to road decongestion.
To encourage car sharing, in the past ‘apps’ were used to put passengers and drivers in contact that did not work at all because, in González’s opinion, this technology alone is not enough, it is also necessary to create incentives for its use, such as parking reserved for high occupancy vehicles.
And to increase the intermodality of travel, he suggested the creation of more interchanges in strategic areas and parking for bicycles and scooters, so that users can use these means at the beginning or end of their journey. He also referred to the increase in charging spaces and points for electric and hybrid vehicles.
To develop these and other actions, it understands that it is necessary to work in coordination with other public institutions in a climate of collaboration and transparency.
In any case, he pointed out that “awareness and information actions on sustainable transport are not worth it on their own; it is also necessary to implement measures to encourage sustainable means and discourage those that are not.”
