Mobility
Survey on mobility practices
Since 2005, UNIL has conducted an annual survey of commuting practices in the university community.
Since 2017, the task of conducting this survey has been entrusted to the Institute of Geography and Sustainability (IGD) and the Swiss Foundation for Research in the Social Sciences (FORS).
This new edition of the survey on mobility practices includes the historical modules enabling a longitudinal analysis of changes since 2005. For the first time, the modal share of the car has fallen below 10%-9%, which is similar to the share of the community coming to the campus by car.
For the first time, the modal share of the car has fallen below 10%-9%, which is similar to the share of the community coming to the campus by car.
The second part of the survey focuses on changes in the practice of cycling.
After a two-year absence due to the pandemic, this survey made its return to the UNIL community in 2022.
For this new edition, a module on work / distance learning and mobility was added.
For this new edition, a module on work / distance learning and mobility has been included to complement the basic questionnaire. The aim of this new thematic module was to identify the working practices of members of staff and the distance learning practices of students, in order to measure the impact of these practices on mobility behaviour.
The 2019 edition of the report on mobility practices at UNIL confirms the trends observed in previous years. The breakdown of respondents by mode of transport shows that 62% of members of the university community who live near the Dorigny campus travel by public transport. Public transport remains by far the most frequently used mode of transport. The car has made significant progress, reaching a high of 9.5%.
The report includes a module on cycling by members of the UNIL community.
The 2018 edition of the report on mobility practices at UNIL confirms the trends observed in previous years. A breakdown of respondents by mode of transport shows that 62% of members of the university community who live near the Dorigny campus travel by public transport. This remains by far the most frequently used mode of transport. Next come the private car (12.7%), followed by the use of several means of transport, and the car (7.9%). The report also includes a module on the reasons for choosing a particular mode of transport.
All the data collected from 2005 to 2017 on the mobility practices of UNIL students and staff has been compiled in a report and published in the ‘Urban Studies’ series. The report compares the changes observed with the changes in the mobility offer to the campus.
Modal share trends
Since 2005, there has been a significant reduction in the car's share of total journeys, while the share of public transport has increased before stabilising in recent years. Finally, the modal share of cars has more than doubled, rising from 4.3% in 2005 to 9.5% in 2019. In absolute terms, this means that the number of people travelling to campus by car has quadrupled in 15 years. In 2019, the car share reached its lowest level à 11.1%, half its 2007 level.