pus in relation to the incoming vehicles, is expected to increase. Indeed,
data in Table 3 confirm this proposition.
According to the figures in Table 3, while TA parking places are
not exhausted, 30.9% of the cars entering the UC campus are expected
to leave during the same time span. In turn, when the available
places only include TC and TD, the rate of cars leaving the
campus is expected to increase to 45.1%. Finally, when there are
only TD available places, the percentage of cars that leave the campus
should correspond to 49.1% of the incoming vehicles.
Finally, if one admits that the proportion of vehicles leaving the
campus versus incoming ones is stable at the average rate (30.9%)
until 8:30 (i.e., while there are free parking places available), and
assuming, for research purposes, that non-regular places are not
occupied (i.e., TC = 0), it can be estimated that the average demand
for parking places will exceed supply in the proportion 2.12 vehicles
per each free parking space (TA), and 1,68 vehicles per each
free plus on-street paid parking place (TA and TD).
In summary, parking flows modelling analysis shows that the
parking capacity is not enough to meet the current demand, i.e.,
the UC campus parking system is ineffective causing overcrowding.
As a way to understand the restrictions and motivators affecting
staff and student commuting decisions, the above-mentioned
quantitative analysis should be complemented by a more qualitative
approach, as is discussed in the following section.
The survey
Objectives
The survey’s main aims are the socio-economic characterization
of UC campus commuters and an evaluation of their travel options.
Qualitative data is also gathered, e.g., concerning the economic
concepts of Willingness to Pay and Willingness to Accept. This process
further allows the study of potential suggestions that have
emerged in scientific literature on this research subject including
attitudes and potential travel behaviour reactions concerning parking
in University campuses (Balsas, 2003; Brown et al., 2001; Shang
et al., 2007; Tolley, 1996).
Survey structure
The survey form (available upon request from the corresponding
author) comprises a total of 68 variables, organized in two
groups that include questions about mobility characteristics
(Group 1) and the respondent him/herself (Group 2).
The Group 1 questions about UC campus users’ mobility consider
issues relating to the number of weekly commuting trips, arrival
time on each day, the frequency of public transport use (last
month) and the predominant transport mode. Those who indicate
the car as the most used mode are also asked about the number of
travellers sharing the trip and on the assessment they attach to
parking availability and the flow of traffic within the campus.
The following questions concern various dimensions of car use,
namely, direct costs, comfort, speed and autonomy. Then, to persuade
the respondents to speculate about potential measures that
could lead to an individual public transport increase, they are confronted
with ten different statements. The subsequent questions,
intend to gather information about (weekly) spending on parking,
the time spent to find available parking and the time/distance (on
average) spent on the travel between the parking place and the final
destination (place of work/study). These respondents are also
asked how much they would be prepared to pay to have guaranteed
parking on campus, and (by hypothesis or not) in the case
of having access to conditional parking, how much they would require
to receive as a compensation for giving up this privilege. Finally,
frequent car users are asked about the value of the city’s
urban transport pass free percentage that they would be prepared
to consider as a corresponding modal change. On the other hand,
frequent public transport users are asked to reply to further seven
questions. The first intends to identify the transport access title
normally used. The second aims to understand how they evaluate
the public transport services. The third and fourth questions seek
to determine the average trip duration and what transport line is
used, respectively. The two following questions include a set of
statements (similar to those made about car use dimensions) concerning
different characteristics of public transport dimensions
and what could (or should) be improved.
The Group 2 questions about the characteristics of the respondent
him/herself, placed at the end of the survey, are mainly of a
descriptive nature such as gender, academic qualifications, household
net income, monthly expenses concerning the Campus commuting
trips, car possession, area of the city where the
respondent lives, and type of formal connection with the University
(1st cycle students, 2nd or 3rd Bologna cycle students, faculty
non-teaching and teaching staff, and the absence of any link to the
University).