Sustainable Mobility Issues of Physically Active University Students: The Case of Serres, Greece

Abstract

The mobility practices of students are largely dictated by their respective educational obligations. Students of physical education are an ostensibly physically active population, whose active lifestyle may include active travel. University student mobility research calls for behavioral approaches to ground relevant interventions. This work investigated the sustainability practices in the student community of the Physical Education Department in Serres, a medium-sized Greek city. Moreover, this paper aimed to shed light on the gender differences in the physical activity levels of 259 students, as well as their respective differences in mobility practices. A novel questionnaire, based on Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior and Godin–Shephard’s approach to physical activity, was used. The results confirmed higher levels of physical activity in male students, although their attitude toward physical activity was less positive than that of their female classmates. Further positive attitudes in women were recorded toward sustainable mobility choices, although the evidence demonstrated a similar gap between the answers of the two genders. Car possession was higher in men, whereas car purchase intention was slightly lower in women, who had a lower income in general. Moreover, income impacted gender mobility preferences. Recommendations can be guided by students’ sports preferences and can be gender-sensitive, taking income into account.

Level of Satisfaction among University Students Using Various Transport Modes

“…Services", the research team of the Laboratory of Transportation Planning, Transportation Engineering and Highway Engineering of the School of Rural and Surveying Engineering of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (hereafter mentioned as AUTH), conducted a questionnaire-based survey addressed to the students of AUTH. Similar to our survey addressed to the university's students are also other surveys conducted not only in the city of Thessaloniki previously, but worldwide [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45], as well as surveys addressed to students in general [46,47], that permitted the research team to better design, organize and conduct the current survey.…”

“…The number of vehicles (buses) serving daily schedules should be increased, especially for the lines with a high demand. At the same time, measures should be taken in order to communicate to people the benefits of using public transport but also the negative effects for them as well as for the environment by using their private cars [42]. It must be mentioned that any measures taken towards the minimization of private car usage should not be punitive.…”

“…Furthermore, the networks of pedestrian and cycling roads should be improved; however, any interventions made must be properly designed and executed [42,43]. In parallel, people should be properly educated on how to use this infrastructure with respect to other users through campaigns, brochures and leaflets designed by experts (transportation engineers, graphic artists and others).…”

“…of Thessaloniki previously, but worldwide [35][36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45], as well as surv dents in general [46,47], that permitted the research team to better conduct the current survey.…”

A Fuzzy Cognitive Map and PESTEL-Based Approach to Mitigate CO2 Urban Mobility: The Case of Larissa, Greece

“…Shift in mindset in terms of mobility preferences. More specifically, prioritize environmentally friendly modes of transportation, such as walking, cycling, and public transportation; also develop and enhance infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, such as bike lanes, sidewalks, and bike-sharing programs, to encourage active mobility options [64,65].…”