Transport and Travel Planning Policy at AASTMT
The Academy has a Transport and Travel Planning Policy to enhance the vehicle-accessibility Impact. The AASTMT adopts the Integrated Transport Plan to ensure a better students, staff and visitors accessibility to our campus by the mode of transport best suited to their needs, while decreasing our carbon footprint and local air quality. This was achieved by several strategies by decreasing the Vehicle dependency strategies from and to the campus and decreasing the Vehicle dependency on campus too, increase walkability on campus, enhance air quality on campus by urban planning decisions, increasing awareness with sustainable events, and by implementing research projects.
Integrated Transport Plan
The Integrated Transport Plan sets out how The Arab Academy for science and Technology is achieving its vision towards a better students, staff and visitors accessibility to our campus by the mode of transport best suited to their needs. The Plan supports the University’s strategic objective of leadership in learning through facilitating equitable access to a variety of affordable transport options designed to enhance the student and staff experience. The actions, mentioned in the following sector, has been adopted since 2016 within the AASTMT 2016-2021 plan to ensure it supports our Equality and Diversity Strategy by committing to the delivery of actions that will improve access for all and limit the number of motor vehicles access on campus. As the University recognizes that transport makes a significant contribution to our carbon footprint and local air quality. However the AASTMT campus is considered in a remoted location with respect to the city of Alexandria, and the public transportation available nowadays are the train or the public Bus routes ( which is over-crowded and inefficient in our developing country to serve the number users of AASTMT employees, students, and visitors).
* So there were certain Actions that were adopted to help decrease vehicle dependency in the daily accessibility to AASTMT campus.
• A huge Bus fleet consisting of over 25 busses for students, 9 coaster, and 9 microbuses are being provided with a modest annual fees to help and encourage AASTMT employees, students, and staff to find a replacement for public transportation that is over condensed in our city.
• Carpooling is being encouraged through students and staff, as in case of the students, tickets are relatively high to enter the campus thus encourage carpooling to decrease their daily expenses, while planning their trips to and from the AASTMT campus. While staff has to use their badges for their cars (noting that each staff member is allowed only one badge for his car, to restrict cars on campus) this helps users to maybe choose another mood of transportation.
• Shuttle buses are available for the use of all students and staff to link between the 2 campuses of the AASTMT in Abukir and Miami (2 districts with around 20 km in between) free of charge.
• The AASTMT has an agreement with a private transport company SWVL to give discounted trips to students heading to the AASTMT. As SWVL company have a bus stop located in the external parking just out the gates of the university, within the walking distance from all the buildings of the University-Fig.(1)
* Facilities provided to decrease the use of private vehicles on campus premises. Concerning the use of Personal Vehicles when an employee, student, or visitor uses his/her personal vehicle as his mean of transportation to reach the University on a daily basis, to help decrease the use of private vehicles on campus.
• Cars are restricted on campus except for permissioned cars of staff ( with a badge)or ticketed cars of students, in case of single occupied ( to discourage students using their individual private cars on campus)
• Since the AASTMT campus is considered in a remote location with respect to Alexandria city, and the public transportation available are the train ( as mentioned before, are over condensed) a huge parking is located on the campus periphery Fig.(1), so students can park their car and walk their way on campus on foot. Also a bike and motor bike parking is located just on the left side of the main gate upon the visitors’ entry to the campus.
• A full time student residency (dorms) is provided on campus to easy up the presence and commuting of students on campus, It is located within the 500 meters walking distance that encourage walkability, for expatriates students.
* Other measures are being taken to increase walkability on campus,
• The campus landscape is very well designed and maintained, so it is considered a delightful environment that will encourage walkability.
• The bus route on campus is around the campus as a ring road to help maintain the separation between the walking routes and vehicle routes to maintain safety and undisturbed pedestrian routes.
* Other Urban planning and Urban design measures being taken to enhance air quality on campus:
• Locating the bus parking lot to the south against the prevailing wind on campus, to maintain the air quality on campus.
• Locating the plantation sector just besides the Bus parking lot to regulate the air quality emitted from the campus to the surrounding context.
• The percentage of the built-up area to the open areas available on campus maintaining the 40% built-up area to 60% open green areas to help maintain oxygen level on campus.
* Events and awareness campaigns to increase students and staff awareness of importance and possibilities of sustainable transportation options:
• Green / sustainability Day held on campus in the Department of architecture in 2012. The Day was held by members of the Department of architecture and environmental design, promoting for sustainability approaches in transportation. The event was attended with over 180 students and 23 staff members. A bicycle fleet were rented to be used on campus, and tried by all staff and students. In the following a photo that documents the day.
* Research fields are being always acted upon to find better alternatives and upgrading the environment on campus, and helping our developing societies to reach a better understandings, approaches, and feasible standards towards the sustainability topic.
• Erasmus plus project (UPGRADE) Urban and transportation regeneration for Reducing Automobile Dependency in Mena area, starting Nov.2021-2024 a project of three years life time. This project is to help develop the higher education at large to develop courses that will help the Sustainable Urban Mobility Planning in 4 Universities 2 in Egypt and 2 in Lebanon, with the help of 4 foreign universities from, Germany, Greece, Italy and Spain.
• Many master degrees and researches are deliberated in the Department of Architecture and Environmental Design.
* Future progress towards a more sustainable community
• Fleet Review Progress towards increasing the proportion of electric and low carbon vehicles in the University fleet will be monitored on an annual basis.
• Upon the increase of population using electric dependent cars, Car parking permit review Progress towards increasing the proportion of electric vehicles used by student and staff car parking permit holders will be monitored on an annual basis through an analysis of parking permit applications to identify the number of electric vehicle parking permit holders.
• Student and Staff Travel Surveys We will continue to monitor how our students and staff commute to study and work through biannual University-wide travel surveys. The survey will continue to collect data that will allow us to assess our progress towards the 2021 targets. The survey will continue to collect data to enable the calculation of an estimate of the University’s Commuter Travel Carbon Footprint. This information will be used to contribute to the monitoring and evaluation of the University’s Climate Change Strategy 2016-2026.
• Public Transport enhancement as according to the 2022 Plan that was agreed upon in XXX, a metro will be built on the basis of the train rail already existing near the main entrance of the AASTMT, which is expected to help our students, staff, and visitors depend on the public transportations, as the metro lines are expected to provide a better service than the one provided by the available train one.
Transport and Travel Activities
AASTMT Transportation Buses