Abstract:

Universities generate thousands of journeys every day, which affects the traffic conditions in the city. At the same time, they have the possibility to implement the EU transport policy effectively, as they are responsible for decisions regarding the management of the university area, providing infrastructure and services on campuses, work time and classes organisation. In addition, universities play a key role in the education of citizens and future specialists, and the knowledge and values gained in the educational process (including the field of sustainable mobility) are spreading in a society. The article deals with this issue. It presents the results of the Comprehensive Traffic Research carried out in Cracow in terms of student mobility. Cracow is a student town with 23 public and private universities and with almost 200 000 students. The research results showed that the car does not play a major role in commuting of students living in the city, but they often use it for other purposes, not related to the university. A very low percentage of students use a bicycle. In turn, students living outside the city use car and public transport equally in their journeys to the university. The paper indicates activities that can allow universities to influence the students’ travel behavior, including the increase in trips made by the active mobility modes and decrease in CO2 emission. The activates cover various aspects, including the curriculum. The aims and the scope of operation of the ‘European Network for Sustainable Mobility at University’ is also presented.

Keywords:

Students’ mobility, sustainable mobility, university network, education, curriculum, CO2 emission.