Transition plan sustainable mobility 2020-2030
Climate change calls for drastic action. Implementing the Paris climate agreement, the EU is committed to being CO2 neutral by 2050. But sustainable mobility is about more than CO2 reduction. It is also about urban liveability (air pollution, noise pollution) and accessibility (traffic jams). And about responding to the increasing pressure on space. Read the full transition plan sustainable mobility 2020-2030.
Goals
Ghent University pursues an integrated mobility policy whereby the campuses are easily accessible, road safety is increased and the environmental impact of travel by staff and students is reduced.
To this end:
- Ghent University aims for 80% sustainable mobility by 2030; for the remaining automobility, priority will be given to shared cars and electric cars;
- the STOP principle is applied on each campus: cyclists can park their bikes nearby and the number of parking spaces is reduced to what is strictly necessary and clustered ; the (vacated) open space is maximised for slow mobility and reclaimed space;
- Ghent University is helping to drive sustainable urban distribution;
- Ghent University works closely and constructively with experts, students and policy staff, as well as with partners such as the City of Ghent, De Lijn, ... on sustainable mobility and traffic safety.
Strategic framework:
To achieve the above objectives, an ambitious action plan is needed. This is built around 4 pillars:
- More sustainable trips, fewer car trips
- Sustainable mobility goals integrated into master planning and infrastructure development
- Sustainable urban distribution
- Deploy commitment and expertise, internally and externally
Measures
Here some of the measures:
- Provision of mobility info during intake interviews of new staff members.
- Provision of sufficient enclosed and covered bicycle parking for staff, with space for bicycle carts and cargo bikes, power sockets and shower facility. By providing access control, bicycle parking facilities on other campuses can also be used during service trips.
- Provision of sufficient car charging stations, within the chalk lines of the reduced and clustered parking supply.
- Introduction of a leasing system for bicycles, making it possible to better spread the purchase of an expensive bicycle (including electric bicycle, speed-pedelec, etc.) over time and lower the threshold for purchase.
- A centrally controlled car parking policy whereby staff members with a commuting distance of less than 5 km have no standard parking entitlement. The impact of the current centrally controlled car parking policy will be evaluated. Should it be found that the objectives are not achieved (or the path is deviated from), the current policy will have to be adjusted.