Factors influencing the usage of bicycles on university campuses: A case study of universities in Thailand

Abstract

University campuses usually consist of many buildings with different functions, e.g., classrooms, laboratories, offices, and cafeterias. In turn, students and university employees may commute between these buildings several times a day. Organizing in-campus transportation suitable for the campus' characteristics and the travel behavior of the community is, therefore, a critical and challenging task. This paper focuses on using a bicycle as a mode of transport on university campuses. We analyzed the traveler's demographic, behaviors, and their attitudes toward cycling by conducting a survey covering students, faculty, and staff in several universities. In total, we have collected 1,433 responses from 19 universities across Thailand. According to the responses, most undergrad students use motorcycles and public transport as their primary modes of transport. In contrast, postgrad students, faculty, and staff mainly use private cars. Only 2.9% of all respondents use bicycles regularly. By applying Binary Logistic Regression to the responses data, we found that the demographic factors, including residency and mode of transport, are important determinants of bicycle use on university campuses. Also, lacking dedicated bicycle lanes and long travel times are main obstacles preventing people from cycling within university campuses. Based on these results, the study suggests that improving the availability and accessibility of bicycle facilities could encourage more people to use bicycles as a sustainable mode of transport on university campuses.