Romanika Okraszewska

The Effect of University Campuses on the Modal Split of Polish Cities

The article considers the effect Polish public universities have on the characteristics of urban traffic. The article describes how the public university community has changed over 25 years and its share in the urban population. The characteristics of the modal split in Polish university towns is given based on selected cases. The relation between the share of transport modes in the modal split and the size of towns or university communities in total population is analysed. A description is given of the possibilities and justification to optimise urban modal split by managing the mobility of university community populations.

The Impact of Organizational Culture on Bicycle Commuting Frequency: The Research Based on Example of Three IT companies

This chapter describes a study on work-related factors affecting employees’ decision on bicycle commuting. Employees’ transport choices are related to organizational culture. This chapter refers to E. Schein’s definition of organizational culture model. The study was made in order to determine the impact of specific levels of organizational culture on the transport behavior of employees. It is based on a survey performed in three IT companies. The main objective in the selection of companies for the research survey was to eliminate differences in other relevant factors affecting the employees’ choices. The results of the surveys, supported with personal interviews, indicated that in the case of simultaneously displaying opposing behavior at the first and second levels of Schein’s organizational culture model, the values have a stronger impact on the employees’ transport choices than artifacts. The results can be applied to increase the effectiveness of mobility plans if they are being implemented in companies.

Impact of Cyclist Facility Availability at Work on the Number of Bike Commuters

The article describes the results of research designed to establish whether cycle provision can influence the number of employees commuting by bike. To that end, employee surveys were conducted in three IT companies in 2012 and 2016. The questionnaire asked about travel behaviour and what the staff thought about their company’s provision of cyclist facilities. Since 2012 each of the companies has moved its head office and the facilities for cyclists have improved. The studies from 2012 indicated a greater impact of an unseen level of organizational culture than that of artifacts such as facilities for cyclists at the company or its location relative to the system of city cycle paths. Results from 2016 indicate that when significant changes are made on the artifacts level the influence on the number of cyclists can be noticeable.

Analysis of Reasons of Accidents Between Cyclists and Public Transport Vehicles in Cities

In European cities, a bicycle is now or is systematically becoming an equal means of transport. Unfortunately, the growth of bicycle traffic is associated with an increase in the number of accidents involving cyclists. Some of these accidents, are events with cyclists and public transport vehicles - and therefore means of transport, which together are to constitute a serious alternative to a car. Although the share of these kind of accidents is relatively small - each such event has a very negative impact on the perception of ecological forms of transport. The paper discusses types of events between cyclists and public transport vehicles, with the identification of dangerous behaviours of cyclists and drivers. The most frequent reasons of these events are discussed, taking into account the places of occurrence of accidents, type and condition of bicycle and public transport infrastructure and types of behaviours of traffic participants. The research part of the paper presents statistical analyses of the number of accidents between cyclists and public transport vehicles, as well as statistics describing the number of victims in accidents in the six largest Polish cities. Based on detailed descriptions of events - using statistical tools - accidents were analysed in terms of identifying the most important reasons of their occurrence and circumstances conducive to the occurrence of accidents. The article was crowned with the recommendations for the application of solutions reducing the risk of accidents.

Universities as Part of the Urban Transport System—Analysis Using the Example of the Gdansk University of Technology and Medical University of Gdansk

Many cities perceive academic function as a distinctive feature, representing the rank and prestige of the city. Universities provide places for work and learning for a high number of people and represent a significant proportion compared to the total city population (even 22%). Many of Polish universities are located in the urban structure in the form of spatially concentrated campuses, where the number of people working and studying reaches from a few thousand to several dozens of thousands. Because they are the destination for a number of daily, obligatory school and work-related trips, universities can therefore be perceived as the city’s significant traffic generators. The paper describes problems resulting from the existence of universities in the city structure for both neighbouring areas and cities’ transport systems, based on research conducted for two universities in Gdansk. The research included traffic and parking counts and surveys of transport behaviour conducted among employees and students.