Sustainable Travel at UoB
Wherever you start your journey to campus, you can take a more sustainable transport mode to get here, and the benefits abound. Active travel boosts physical and mental health; discounts and schemes save you money; and it is all good for our city and world.
Every great journey starts with a plan.
Commuting by bike, hire schemes, and cycling facilities.
Public transport discounts, links and university shuttles.
Low-emission vehicles, shared cars, and our award-winning green fleet.
News
Latest updates about sustainable travel.
Events
Coming up on campus and online.
6Jun
- Dates
- Tuesday 6 June (16:00) - Thursday 8 June 2023 (18:00)
- Location
- Main Campus
- Description
- Come to campus by bike during National Bike Week! Every day Gear Up will welcome cyclists with good cheer and a FREE valeting service. Their red tent will be stationed at a different gate on campus from 4.00 to 6.00 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
8Jun
- Dates
- Thursday 8 June 2023 (17:00-19:00)
- Location
- Sport and Fitness Centre
- Description
- Skills development for cyclists who can ride a bike (pedal and glide) and want to learn correct techniques for braking, signalling and using gears.
15Jun
- Dates
- Thursday 15 June (17:00) - Thursday 22 June 2023 (19:00)
- Description
- Skills development for cyclists who master correct braking, signalling and use of gears. The course develops skills and confidence for cycling on single-lane roads and simple junctions, preparing riders to deal with journeys such as short commutes and local leisure cycling
6Jul
- Dates
- Thursday 6 July 2023 (17:00-19:00)
- Description
- Skills development for cyclists who ride confidently on single-lane roads and at simple junctions with mostly moderate motor traffic flows. This course equips participants to ride and plan routes on more challenging roads and in varied traffic situations.
About the Service
Commuting is a choice we make every day. For something so routine and intermediary, our daily travel has enormous consequences on our health, our time and money, and the world we live in. Since 2008, it has been a university priority for staff and students to be 'smart movers' and choose sustainable transport to come to campus. That's because solo car jouneys contribute every day to our collective greenhouse gas emissions. It's also because the sustainable alternatives advantage our wellbeing, wallets and world:
We make choices based on realistic options. That's why the university-wide travel survey is at the heart of the sustainable travel plan. Understanding why staff and students make the transport choices they do, helps devise measures to make sustainable transport more attractive. The hire-bike scheme popular with international and exchange students and the 25% discount on yearly staff bus passes are just two examples.
The travel plan has had great successes in the past 12 years. Solo car driving dropped five percentage points 2008-2018, staff cycling is more than the double national average, and 78% of undergraduates walk or cycle to study. Like these members of our community, will you be a smart mover too?
Contact
For information, queries or advice on sustainable travel please contact Edward Shelley, the University's sustainable travel officer, by emailing sustainabletravel@contacts.bham.ac.uk