Campus travel
The combination of hybrid working in the first part of the year, then the second lockdown in the second part of the year meant that carbon emissions from commuter travel were massively reduced.
Carbon emissions have been estimated based on pre-pandemic commuting and the number of students and staff coming to campus during the academic year 2020-21.
The University continued to promote the Edinburgh Cycle Hire scheme to students and staff, by providing funding to subsidise the cost of season passes. Funding was also provided to reduce the cost of public bus tickets for students. Free online cycle maintenance courses proved to be very popular, as an alternative to in-person Dr Bike sessions.
The re-launched cycle to work scheme with an increased limit of £3,000 enabled 220 staff to access a new bike for work related journeys. The Staff Cycling Community, launched in 2019, is a staff-led initiative to connect cyclists across the University. The Community met via Microsoft Teams, with a weekly virtual ride to encourage staff to share stories and photos of their bike rides.
A number of projects were developed during the last year, including a new interactive digital campus map and five new secure bike stores, with both being finalised for the academic year 2021-22.