TRAVEL troubles potentially caused by a 6.4 per cent increase in student and staff numbers at the University of York have been overcome as the number of cycle trips to the campus increases by almost ten per cent.

The university has recently prepared a new five-year travel plan to take it to 2020, and is entering the Sustainable Travel Initiative of the Year award.

In 2011, the university began its financial support for a new bus service between its Heslington Campus, York city centre and the railway station.

The service offered staff and students free inter-campus travel and a range of ticketing initiatives were arranged by the university to encourage onwards travel to the city centre by bus, which saw service-user figures increase by 62 per cent from academic year 2011/12 to 2013/14.

As well as promoting and facilitating bus use, the university has implemented a wide range of initiatives to encourage cycling and the evidence suggests they are working. The annual surveys recording the number of cycle trips to the University indicate that cycle trips have increased by 9.9 per cent since 2012.

The university also has a long-standing Cycle to Work scheme for staff, as well as runs a regular Bike Doctor maintenance service, offering a cashback scheme for cycle training, operating a pool bike scheme for staff and students who wish to hire a bike and have set up 'Your Shop', which offers discounted cycle products.