Results of the mobility survey 2022 at TU Dresden
Background
In the summer of 2022, TU Dresden (TUD) conducted the mobility survey for the third time. First conducted in 2008 as a staff survey as part of a Diplom thesis, it is now used as an effective tool for analyzing the mobility of university members (staff and students).
The survey records and analyzes the real mobility behavior of university members and compares it with the results of the previous surveys. With the current mobility survey, comparative data for students is available for the first time, which allows development trends in their mobility to be examined.
Subsequent to the field phase that took place in 2022, the results of the survey were evaluated at the Chair of Integrated Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering (IVST) and incorporated into the development of a professionally grounded mobility concept for the main TUD campus, which was developed as part of a Diplom thesis.
The goal of the survey is to understand the mobility patterns of TUD’s staff and students and to identify approaches to effectively influence the sustainable development of mobility at TU Dresden in a targeted and strategic way.
The survey examined the following key questions:
- What means of transport do staff and students use to arrive at TUD on a daily basis and why?
- What individual prerequisites and framework conditions influence staff and students in their mobility behavior?
- Can any characteristic patterns in mobility behavior be ascertained and how have these developed over time?
- What are the specific needs for action and what do staff and students think about potential mobility-related measures at TUD?
The mobility survey aims to analyze staff and student mobility at TU Dresden as comprehensively as possible. There are a number of factors that influence mobility. Based on the questions of previous survey, the following topics have been selected:
- Choice of (means of) transport to commute to the university
- Seasonal difference in mobility behavior
- Changes in mobility behavior
- Residential situation
- Presence on campus
- Parking on campus
- Vehicle availability and access to means of transport or to public transport
- Reasons for and against certain types of transport
- Job ticket and semester ticket
- Car sharing or carpooling
In preparation for the survey in 2022, the list of questions was comprehensively developed as part of a student research project at the Chair of Integrated Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering (IVST) and supplemented by the following topics:
- Working remotely as well as online teaching and learning
- Use of the MOBIbikes
- Effect of the 9-euro ticket on mobility behavior
- Commuting between different TUD campuses and facilities
- Assessment of the usage, internal development and perception of the campus
- Willingness to pay for parking at the university
- Interest in a bicycle provided by the employer
- Assessment of future mobility behavior
The questions included in the mobility survey ensure a high degree of comparability with the data from previous years. This means that direct comparisons can be made with 2008, 2018 and 2022. The survey aims to provide a balanced analysis of all modes of transportation.
Part of the results were presented on March 23, 2023 as part of the the public lecture by Dr. Rico Wittwer (Head of the field of research Mobility Behavior and Transport Planning at the Chair of Integrated Transport Planning and Traffic Engineering) in the Schönfeld Lecture Hall of the Barkhausen Building (BAR/SCHÖ/E). The presentation slides can be downloaded here (currently in German only).
The following graph shows how staff and students got to the main campus of TUD in 2022:
On the reporting day of the 2022 survey, staff most frequently used bicycles to get to work (48%), while some chose to walk (6%). About a quarter of staff used public transportation to reach the main campus of TUD, incentivized by the attractive 9-euro ticket. 22% of staff used cars and motorcycles, which is around 6% lower than in 2018.
Half of the students reached the main campus via public transport, which therefore constitutes the most frequently used method of transport by students. 35% of students used bicycles, which is significantly more than in 2018. The percentage of bicycle use rose by 12%. Students are more likely than staff to walk to the main campus. Only 4% of students used cars or motorcycles to get to the university.
The methodological framework and metadata for the 2022 mobility survey at TUD can be found in the factsheet.