Participate in the University of Tartu mobility survey

This year, the University of Tartu Mobility Lab in cooperation with the University of Tartu Research Group of Physical Activity for Health is carrying out a mobility survey to support sustainable mobility at the university. All university staff and students are welcome to respond to the survey questionnaire until 19 November.

The survey results will provide a basis for formulating mobility-related environmental principles and preparing a mobility plan at the university. The survey consists of a questionnaire for the entire university family, an analysis of secondary data on mobility, and discussions with employees of the university’s units.

Focus of the survey

The mobility survey focuses on the mobility of university staff and students in connection with their work and studies at the university all over Estonia. The University of Tartu has about 4,000 employees and more than 14,000 students. In the context of Estonia, that is a significant number of people who regularly choose how to move between university buildings: whether to walk, use the bicycle or public transport, or prefer the car.

On the level of an individual, we often speak of getting from one place to another and the forms of movement used. However, if we look at people’s mobility in a broader sense, including the options available for travel, the transport infrastructure, the extent and the factors facilitating or hindering movement, we are talking about mobility. This is why we call this survey the University of Tartu mobility survey.

In the context of university-related mobility, it is essential to understand and assess the factors that drive people’s mobility needs for studies and work and their actual mobility behaviour. To plan sustainable mobility, it is necessary to have an overview of the current situation so that the university can build on the data to develop its objectives and action plan. The aim is also to cooperate with public authorities to create an environment that fosters sustainable mobility for all. By combining individual decisions, we can reduce the environmental impact of the mobility of the university community.

Just like the environment influences our mobility, we influence the environment through mobility-related decisions. Each university member’s mobility choices impact the quality of the surroundings of university buildings and the urban space. It determines how safe it is to walk or cycle, how much space is taken up by vehicles, how much air and traffic noise there is, how comfortable we feel when walking in the city, and how many social gathering and meeting places there are on the routes between the university buildings. To better understand how students and employees rate their mobility and what their needs and preferences are, we are conducting an online questionnaire as part of the mobility survey.

The mobility survey will also look more broadly at remote working, business travel, university-owned car parks, mobility needs identified from timetables and bike-share bicycles in cycle parks near university buildings.

The survey results will give evidence-based information for the university to set mobility targets and help develop better recommendations that can be used in developing and implementing the university’s mobility plan.

Responding to the survey

All staff and students of the university are invited to respond to the questionnaire. Responding to the survey is voluntary and takes up to 20 minutes.

The survey has been approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Tartu.

As a reward for responding to the survey, we will draw prizes among participants who consent to it. Six one-time passes to the University of Tartu sports hall and gifts such as sweaters, thermos bottles, hats, scarves and cotton bags will be raffled off.

The mobility survey is organised and the collected data are processed by the University of Tartu Mobility Lab in cooperation with the University of Tartu Research Group of Physical Activity for Health. The person responsible for the survey is Age Poom, Associate Professor in Urban Environment.