30 UK Universities have ‘excellent’ sustainable transport

30 UK universities have an ‘excellent commitment’ to sustainable transport infrastructure, according to new data published by money.co.uk. 

The researchers examined more than 100 UK higher education institutes to find those that are leading the way in sustainable travel and electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. 

Each campus was graded on the number of bicycle spaces and the number of EV charging points compared to regular car parking spaces. 

Out of the 101 universities in the study, there were 30 that showed excellent commitment to sustainable transport, based on the league criteria.

These included: Abertay University, the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Dundee, Leeds, Sheffield, St Andrews, University College London, Glasgow University and St Georges University. 

For example, the University of Bristol currently has a total of over 3,800 cycle parking spaces for staff and students, and a total of 13 EV charging points dedicated to University departmental fleet vehicles.

Erik Lithander, the University of Bristol’s Pro Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement, said: ‘It is hugely pleasing to be named in the top tier of this sustainability survey.

‘Our sustainability team, with the help of students and the Students’ Union, has been working extremely hard to make the University of Bristol as green as possible. Awards like this prove that what we are doing is working.’

Salman Haqqi, from money.co.uk, added: ‘Across the board, it’s encouraging to see so many universities taking active steps towards sustainable transport infrastructure by installing EV charging points or offering adequate bike facilities.

‘The universities at the top of the league tables represent the most commitment to eco-friendly transportation, with the very best offering large amounts of free EV charging and ample bike facilities.

‘But we still have a long way to go. According to our research, there are more than 140,000 car parking spaces throughout UK universities compared to just 1,024 EV charging points across campuses. If the future is indeed electric, our study shows there is still significant improvement and investment that need to be made over the upcoming years.’

The full study is available here

Photo Credit – Pixabay