2. Mobility Demands of NDSU, MSUM, & Concordia Students
Factors that affect the mobility demands of students are presented in this section. The results describe where students live, the origins of campus-bound students, the times that students are on campus, preferred modes of travel, why on-campus students leave, and the impacts of weather on transportation choices.
2.1 Location of Residence
Forty-seven percent, or 655 of the survey respondents, live off campus. Fifty-eight percent of NDSU's respondents lived off campus compared to 23 percent of Concordia and about 66 percent of MSUM students.
About 47 percent of the respondents, 624 individuals, stated that they had considered transportation when deciding where to live. NDSU had the highest "yes" response rate at 52 percent.
2.2 Distance from Campus
Students live at various distances from their respective campus (Figure 3). Approximately 46 percent of all off-campus respondents live at least 2 miles from campus. However, only 25 percent of Concordia students live that far from their campus.
Figure 3. Distance Students Live from Campus (n=655)
2.3 Origins of Campus Bound Trips
About 92 percent of respondents indicated they travel to campus directly from his or her home (Figure 4). Approximately 5 percent indicated that they travel to campus from their place of work and 2 percent from child care. The responses were relatively uniform across the campuses.
Figure 4. Origins of Campus-Bound Students (n=655)
2.4 Vehicle Access
Eighty-five percent of respondents indicated they have access to a motor vehicle. Ninety percent of NDSU and MSUM respondents had access to a vehicle while only 74 percent of Concordia's did. A study done by Independent Insurance Agents of America and College Parents of America showed that nearly 70 percent of college students have either their own or use of their parents' car at school.
2.5 Time on Campus
The majority of student respondents indicated they are on campus from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (Figure 5). The greatest numbers of respondents, approximately 82 percent, are on campus from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. More than 81 percent of the students reported being on campus from noon to 2 p.m. The responses were relatively uniform across the campuses except that slightly more students are on the campus of Concordia College from noon to 2 p.m. than the two hour period following.
Figure 5. Times When Students are on Campus (n=655)
2.6 Number of Daily One-Way Trips
Approximately 44 percent of students indicated that they made two one-way trips per day and nearly 36 percent of the respondents made four one-way trips per day (Figure 6). Seven percent of the students made more than four one-way trips per day. Respondents from Concordia reported taking more trips than those from NDSU and MSUM with 26 and 41 percent reporting two and four one way trips. Sixty-one percent of MSUM students made only two one way trips.
Figure 6. Number of One-Way Trips (n=655)
2.7 Most Common Mode of Transportation
Students were asked how they most frequently travel to campus. Nearly 57 percent, 786 of the respondents indicated they traveled to campus via auto. The next most popular form of transportation to campus was walking with 53 percent, followed by riding MAT and bicycling both with 12 percent.
Forty-two percent of Concordia students indicated they walk while 30 percent drive. Seventy-four percent of MSUM and 59 percent of NDSU students drive. Nineteen percent of NDSU and 5 percent of MSUM and Concordia students ride the bus.
2.8 Locations Which are too Far to Walk Between
Approximately 25 percent of the respondents felt that there are locations on their campus that are too far to walk between. NDSU students identified the FargoDome, Minard Hall, and the Bison Sports Arena regularly. MSUM students often felt that Nemzek Hall and the Center of Business were too far to walk to from other locations. There was no consensus among Concordia students, of whom only 9 percent felt there were inconvenient locations to walk to on their campus.
2.9 Time to Travel to Campus
Of the 786 students who stated that they travel to campus by automobile 48 percent said it took them less than ten minutes to make the trip. Thirty-four percent estimated that their trips lasted between 10 and 19 minutes. Eleven percent said it took between 20 and 30 minutes and 7 percent 30 minutes or longer.
MSUM students had longer commutes than others with 65 percent of their trips by automobile taking 10 minutes or longer. Seventy-six percent of Concordia commuters trips were less then 10 minutes. These statistics likely correspond to the high numbers of MSUM students who reported living in South Fargo and Concordia students who identified Moorhead as their place of residence.
2.10 Mode Selection
Figure 7 presents data describing students' perception of the importance of various factors impacting their choice of mode of transportation. The factors included convenience, the cost of their vehicle, the cost of parking, weather, parking availability, and time. Approximately 94 percent of respondents felt that convenience was either an important or very important influence on their choice of mode of transportation. Eighty-eight percent stated that time was important or very important, while 81 percent identified parking availability as being so. The responses were relatively uniform across the campuses.
Figure 7. Factors Influencing Mode of Travel (n=1,380)
2.11 Reasons for Leaving Campus
On-campus students were asked why they most often leave campus (Figure 8). Seventy-nine percent responded that they most frequently leave campus to shop for items other than food, seventy two percent indicated that they leave to go grocery shopping and 66 to visit family and/or friends. Other choices the students were given included going to the movie theatre, entertainment (other than movies), and work.
Figure 8. Why On-Campus Students Leave Campus (n=725)
2.12 The Impacts of Weather on Acceptable Walking Distance
Students were asked what distances are too far to walk to campus under varying weather conditions. As Figure 9 shows, there is a strong inverse relationship between these variables. Twenty-nine percent of respondents believe that walking more than 1/4 mile when temperatures are below freezing is too far. The attitudes of Concordia and MSUM students are similar, while NDSU students are less averse to traveling distances in the cold. Thirty-five percent of students at North Dakota States will walk up to 1/4 mile when it is 30 degrees or lower.
Figure 9. Reasonable Walking Distance by Temperature (n=1,380)