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Support for sustainable transport

22 October 2008

Chancellor Dr Alan Finkel led the way as Monash University increased its participation in this year's Sustainable Transport Day.

A record 440 staff and students registered to ride to work and an additional 496 car drivers shared their journey to work in support of Sustainable Transport Day held across all Australian campuses earlier this month.

Sustainable Transport Day included the national Ride to Work initiative but also incorporated a push by Monash to encourage more students and staff to use public transport or carpool for the day.

Monash University Chancellor Dr Alan Finkel was among hundreds who cycled to work.

At Clayton the number of riders was 98 per cent up on last year, with 109 participants, while there was a 77 per cent increase at Caulfield with 53 riders taking part.

At Parkville, 41 riders registered, 17 at Gippsland, 13 at Peninsula and four at Berwick. The Alfred Medical Research and Education Precinct registered 46 riders.

James Gormley, Transport Coordinator for the Office of Environmental Sustainability said Sustainable Transport Day was about looking at what options are available to travel to campus.

"By taking the time to explore your options you might find benefits to leaving the car at home you didn't realise before," Mr Gormley said.

"We all tend to know about the environmental benefits but people don’t realise, until they try it, that there are many more immediate benefits to car pooling or taking public transport."