Atatürk University Sustainable Commuting Measurement & Targets

Policy statement and scope

Atatürk University formally measures its community’s commuting modes and sets time-bound targets to increase the share of sustainable commuting—defined here as walking, cycling (and other non-motorized modes), university ring shuttles and public transport, vanpools/carpools, motorcycles/mopeds, and electric vehicles (EVs) used for essential car trips. This policy covers all employees (academic and administrative), students, long-term contractors, and campus residents who commute to, from, or within the Yakutiye main campus and affiliated sites.

The policy is supported by existing campus mobility systems and requirements:

Definitions

  • Sustainable commuting (headline indicator): Sum of trips by walking, cycling, ring shuttle/public transport, vanpool/carpool, motorcycles/mopeds, and EVs (for car users).

  • Trip: A one-way movement between home (or off-campus residence) and a campus destination.

  • University community: Employees (including contracted essential services), students (full-time equivalent), and on-campus residents.

Measurement system (methods, frequency, and coverage)

Frequency and cadence

  • Annual university-wide travel survey each April–May (aligned with spring term).

  • Continuous operational data capture throughout the year from:

    • Ring shuttle: boarding counts by route/time (from operators’ logs). Atatürk Üniversitesi Kayıt

    • Access control (HGS): daily car entries/exits by gate/lot; enables SOV vs. carpool estimation when matched with car-sharing permits. Atatürk Üniversitesi

    • Parking records & permits (including EV charging session logs where available) to quantify EV usage share among car commuters. Araba Şarj İstasyonları

    • Public transport information (timetables/lines serving campus) to validate reported bus/minibus commuting rates. Atatürk Üniversitesi

Survey instrument and representativeness

  • The survey records primary mode, secondary mode, trip frequency, distance band, and seasonal constraints.

  • Stratified sampling ensures representation of students, academic staff, administrative staff, and contractors. Non-response is corrected with post-stratification weights using current FTE/HR totals.

  • The survey also captures barriers to walking/cycling, awareness of ring shuttle, carpool participation, and EV availability to inform targets and mode-shift programs.

Data integration and QA

  • Survey outcomes are reconciled with ring shuttle counts, HGS/parking data, and EV charging sessions to produce a validated modal split for the reporting year. Outliers and inconsistencies are resolved via documented QA rules (e.g., ±5% tolerance checks against operator totals).

Baseline and reporting

  • Baseline year: 2024 (to align with THE Impact Rankings data window).

  • Indicators reported annually:

    1. Headline sustainable commuting share (% of all trips), and

    2. Disaggregated shares for walking, cycling, ring shuttle/public transport, vanpool/carpool, motorcycle/moped, and EV car commuting.

  • Results and methodology are summarized on the university’s public Campus Transportation/Campus Life pages that already present ring operations, pedestrian-priority driving rules, and campus cycling environment; annual commuting results are appended to these pages to maintain public accessibility. Atatürk Üniversitesi Atatürk Üniversitesi Kayıt

Time-bound targets (institution-level)

All targets below are university-wide (employees + students), time-bound, and expressed against the 2024 baseline (100% = total commuting trips). Targets combine absolute percentage-point (pp) changes for headline share and relative increases for sub-modes where appropriate. Progress is reviewed each October with the Senate-approved sustainability report.

Headline target

  • Increase the sustainable commuting share by +12 percentage points by 2026, and +20 percentage points by 2030, versus 2024 baseline (all modes listed below combined).

Mode-specific targets (by end-year)

  • Walking & Cycling (non-motorized):

    • 2026: +5 pp vs. 2024; 2030: +8 pp vs. 2024.
      Rationale & enablers: Established campus-wide bicycle paths/walkable environment and winter-resilient routing; enhanced wayfinding on major academic spines. Atatürk Üniversitesi+1

  • Ring Shuttle & Public Transport (bus/minibus):

  • Vanpool/Carpool:

    • 2026: At least 10% of car commutes reported as shared rides; 2030: 15%.
      Measurement: Carpool permits and matching service records cross-checked with HGS entries to differentiate SOV vs. shared vehicle entries. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • Motorcycle/Moped:

    • 2026: Maintain or gently increase share where safety standards are met; annual safety audit reported within commuting annex.

  • Electric Vehicles (for remaining car trips):

    • 2026: ≥25% of on-campus charging sessions attributable to employee/student commuters; 2030: ≥40%.
      Rationale & enablers: Presence of multiple DC fast-charging points on university premises (e.g., Rectorate, hospitals, lodgings/pools) as listed by national charging maps/providers. Araba Şarj İstasyonları

  • Single-Occupancy Vehicles (SOV):

    • 2026: −10 pp vs. 2024; 2030: −18 pp vs. 2024, driven by mode shift to options above.
      Enabler: Access control (HGS) and parking management, with pedestrian-priority rules on internal roads. Atatürk Üniversitesi

Governance, roles, and review

  • Data ownership: Institutional Research & Big Data Office (lead), with inputs from Security/Transport for HGS/parking, ring-service operators for ridership, and Facilities for EV charging logs.

  • Approval and oversight: Senate-endorsed policy; annual results and target progress summarized on the Campus Life/Transportation pages to ensure public availability alongside existing mobility information (ring schedules, driving rules, cycling environment). Atatürk Üniversitesi+2Atatürk Üniversitesi Kayıt

  • Continuous improvement: Each cycle includes a variance analysis (survey vs. system counts), published with the results.

Evidence of campus systems enabling sustainable commuting

  • Ring shuttle network: University pages and departmental announcements publish ring routes and times. Atatürk Üniversitesi Kayıt Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • Pedestrian priority & controlled access (HGS): Drivers must yield to pedestrians; HGS cards are required for regular vehicle entry—supporting SOV management. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • Cycling & walkability: Campus life pages emphasize bicycle paths and nature-friendly campus layout. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • Public transport connectivity: City buses/minibuses run between Erzurum and campus throughout the day; university pages reference schedules and lines. Atatürk Üniversitesi

  • EV charging on/near premises: Current charging locations (e.g., Rectorate, hospitals, pools, lodgings) listed by national charging networks cover university sites, supporting low-emission commuting by car. Araba Şarj İstasyonları

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