Purpose
The Transportation Demand Management (TDM) survey is a biennial survey, most recently available from September 23, 2019 to October 11, 2019, that is administered to inform the activities of the Transportation Demand Management Office. The data collected through the TDM survey is used to develop various components of campus strategy related to effectively manage transportation demand. This is done through development and expansion of programs and infrastructure that are designed to understand and mitigate the social, economic, and environmental costs associated with the use of single-occupancy vehicles as part of the transportation network at Indiana University. At the time of writing this report, an unprecedented number of faculty, staff, and students are working and attending class from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the mid-term and long-term impacts that this event will have on the transportation system remains largely unknown at this time, the data and this report speak to the transportation conditions relevant to the time the survey was conducted.
Methodology and Respondent Demographics
The 2019 TDM survey was developed and administered by the IU Transportation Demand Management Office by enhancing and refining prior survey questions to allow for continued trend analysis, and using the ideas present in the book Fostering Sustainable Behavior: An Introduction to Community Based Marketing by Doug McKenzie-Mohr and William Smith. Two versions of the survey, one for students and one for faculty and staff, were distributed via email invitation beginning on September 23, 2019 to a random sample of 50% of full-time undergraduate and graduate students (15,000) and 50% of full-time faculty and staff (4,577). After including an offer of entry into an incentive drawing and an additional email reminder, we received a 25% response rate from students and a 38% response rate from faculty and staff at the time the survey closed on October 11, 2019. The self-reported demographic identities of survey respondents closely reflect the self-reported demographic identities of the IU Bloomington campus community as a whole (most respondent demographics were within 3% of overall campus demographics for categories of race/ethnicity, gender identity, and age). There were discrepancies where our sample of respondents differs substantially from the overall campus population. These include: 60% of our respondents in both the staff/faculty survey and survey were female, whereas only 50% of each overall population is female. In the student survey, 17% of the respondents identified as Asian/Asian American, whereas only 5% of the overall campus population fall into that category. Additionally, this survey is exclusive to those with regular access to a computer, therefore, future surveys will require outreach to service maintenance employees who do not typically work at a computer.
Results by Question
Faculty and Staff
How far are faculty and staff commuting?
A majority of faculty and staff (51%) report commuting from a distance of less 5 miles between their home and campus.
Table 1: Commute distance for full-time faculty and staff, fall 2019 (n = 1684)
| Distance (mi) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0-1 | 5% |
| 1.1-2 | 12% |
| 2.1-3 | 12% |
| 3.1-4 | 12% |
| 4.1-5 | 10% |
| 5.1-10 | 21% |
| 10.1 or more | 28% |
By what mode are faculty and staff commuting?
Faculty and staff were asked to provide their primary and secondary modes of transportation for their standard commute to campus. A primary mode is the mode which survey respondents report using most frequently. Similarly, a secondary mode is one that is used in addition to the primary mode, but less frequently.
Table 2: Primary mode choice for faculty and staff, fall 2019 (n = 1684)
| Mode | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 72% |
| Carpool of 2 or more people | 10% |
| Bicycle | 6% |
| Walk | 6% |
| Transit (IU Campus Bus, Bloomington Transit) | 4% |
| Other (e.g. motorcycle, Uber) | 2% |
Table 3: Secondary mode choice for faculty and staff, fall 2019 (n = 1684)
| Mode | Percentage |
|---|---|
| I don't use a secondary mode | 54% |
| Drive alone | 10% |
| Transit (IU Campus Bus, Bloomington Transit) | 9% |
| Carpool of 2 or more people | 8% |
| Bicycle | 7% |
| Walk | 7% |
| Other | 5% |
How are faculty and staff navigating campus for work related trips?
To account for transportation modes that faculty and staff use when moving around campus, faculty and staff were asked to provide their primary method of traveling across campus during the workday. The majority of faculty and staff (51%) move between spaces on campus by walking. The majority of faculty and staff (58%) reported that they move between campus locations one to five times a week. 73% of faculty and staff reported traveling at least once between campus locations each week.
Table 4: Primary mode choice for mid-day work related trips by faculty and staff, fall 2019 (n = 1185)
| On-campus mode | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Walk | 51% |
| Drive alone | 32% |
| Bicycle | 5% |
| Assigned unit vehicle | 4% |
| Transit (IU Campus Bus, Bloomington Transit) | 4% |
| Carpool of 2 or more people | 3% |
| Other | 1% |
How are faculty and staff making personal, off-campus trips during the workday?
Faculty and staff were asked about their frequency of trips and transportation mode choice for personal trips where they leave and then return to campus during the workday.
Table 5: Primary mode choice for mid-day off campus trips by faculty and
staff, fall 2019 (n = 1125)
| Off-campus mode | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 74% |
| Walk | 17% |
| Bicycle | 5% |
| Carpool of 2 or more people | 2.5% |
| Transit Bus | 1% |
| Other (e.g. motorcycle, Uber) | 0.5% |
The majority of faculty and staff (66%) reported making between one and five mid-day return trips each week and 70% of all faculty and staff reported making at least one mid-day return trip each week
Students
Of the student respondents, 40% are undergraduate first years and sophomores, 37% are undergraduate juniors and seniors, and 23% are post-secondary students.
How far are students commuting?
Students were asked to identify their school-year housing as either on-campus or off-campus as well as to provide the distance, in miles, of their typical daily commute from this residence to their final campus destination. Most students (35%) live in on-campus housing such as residence halls or University-owned apartments. Most students (55%) commute from a self-reported distance less than 2 miles from their final campus destination.
Table 6: Commute distance for students, fall 2019 (n = 3452)
| Distance (mi) | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0-1 | 24% |
| 1.1-2 | 31% |
| 2.1-3 | 14% |
| 3.1-4 | 8% |
| 4.1-5 | 5% |
| 5.1-10 | 8% |
| 10.1 or more | 10% |
How are students commuting?
Students were asked to provide their primary and secondary modes of transportation for commuting to their final campus destination as well as their reasons for choosing that particular mode. The most prevalent secondary commute mode for students is Walking at 23%.
Table 7: Primary mode choice for students, fall 2019 (n = 3540)
| Mode | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Walk | 35% |
| IU Campus Bus | 21% |
| Bloomington Transit | 18% |
| Drive alone | 13% |
| Bicycle | 4% |
| Carpool of 2 or more people | 4% |
| Other (e.g. Uber, e-scooter, apartment shuttle) | 5% |
Table 8: Secondary mode choice for students, fall 2019 (n = 3379)
| Mode | Percentage |
|---|---|
| I don't use a secondary mode | 24% |
| Walk | 23% |
| Transit | 22% |
| Drive alone | 10% |
| E-scooter service (e.g. Bird, Lime) | 7% |
| Carpool of 2 or more people | 6% |
| Bicycle | 4% |
| Ride-hailing service (e.g. Uber, Lyft) | 3% |
| Other (e.g. motorcycle, apartment shuttle) | 1% |
Once arrived, how are students moving around campus?
To account for transportation modes that students use when navigating campus, students were asked to provide their primary method of traveling across campus during a typical class day. The majority of students (60%) move between spaces on campus by walking.
Table 9: Primary mode choice for on-campus trips by students, fall 2019 (n = 2228)
| Mode | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Walk | 60% |
| IU Campus Bus | 22% |
| Bloomington Transit | 7% |
| Drive alone | 4% |
| Bicycle | 3% |
| Carpool of 2 or more people | 2% |
| E-scooter service (e.g. Bird, Lime) | 1% |
| Other (e.g. apartment shuttle, longboard) | 1% |
Opportunities for follow-up
The Transportation Demand Management Office is dedicated to the goals outlined in the 2012 TDM Plan including a continuing commitment to transforming our campus transportation network into a safer, more sustainable, equitably accessible system for all members of our campus community. Part of that commitment is a continual, consistent, and regular tracking of transportation data as related to our goals and as part of the work of the Transportation Demand Management Office.
The next TDM Survey is scheduled for the Fall of 2021. For those who are interested in additional information regarding survey results, potential programming changes, campus innovations in transportation, or other topics related to the results or development of the 2019 TDM Survey may contact the campus Transportation Demand Management Office via email at commute@iu.edu.