Greening the Commute: Assessing the Impact of the Eleanor Schonell ‘Green’ Bridge on Travel to the University of Queensland, Australia

Abstract

The ability of targeted infrastructure to effect change in travel behaviour is axiomatic in transport planning but rarely does the opportunity arise to directly quantify the impacts of infrastructure on the travel behaviour of a discrete urban population. This article explores the impact of the Eleanor Schonell ‘Green’ Bridge on the travel and residential distribution of staff and students of the University of Queensland (UQ) St Lucia Campus, one of the largest daily traffic generators in the Brisbane metropolitan region. We examine the volume and modal split of trips to and from the campus prior to and post construction of the bridge in 2006. We then explore shifts in the residential distribution of staff and students over the same period according to the accessibility and socio-economic status of the neighbourhoods in which they are resident. We show that opening of the bridge was followed by a measurable improvement in transport sustainability at the campus, as well as a significant redistribution of staff and students across the metropolitan area.