Sustainable mobility measures

The company taking care of the green maintenance uses electric vehicles as well as the company cleaning our buildings. The mail is also distributed using an electric minivan. 

The Go About bicycle sharing system lets you pick up bikes from (and return them to) several locations on campus, such as the station, in front of the Coop, the Witbreuksweg, O&O square and Spiegel. To find out where you can pick up these bikes, check here and for info on the app look here.  

Please find all the information regarding charging stations for electric cars on our Service Portal: https://www.utwente.nl/en/service-portal/facility-services/charging-stations-electric-cars 

If you use your electric bike to commute and would like to charge it on campus, you can find charging stations for e-bikes in several bike parking facilities. Employees of the UT can charge their bike at the employee bike parking areas at the Sportcenter, Vrijhof, Spiegel, Paviljoen, Citadel, Waaier and Horst. Outside at the Spiegel building, everyone can even charge their bike with solar energy. 

Work travel by train is facilitated and encouraged by providing a NS Business card. For commuting public transport is also encouraged. 

The optional model for employment conditions also offers tax benefits related to mobility. There are fiscal advantages to buy a bike.

UT is testing parking sensors and vehicle detection loops at several car parks at the campus. The sensors work better but not all car parks are equipped with these sensors, some have detection loops and others do not (yet) have any form of measurement. The idea behind using sensors or loops is to avoid unnecessary vehicle movements looking for spaces as vacant parking spaces could be made visible in the campus app. 

The UT campus has a bike repair shop called “De Versnelling” (Building Box). This bike repair shop is a place where young people with an intellectual impairment learn and work in the workshop under supervision.  

From October to November 2019 a pilot was conducted together with UT’s car rental supplier Munsterhuis to provide an all-electric car for UT staff that regularly rent a car for work. These employees were provided with an account for the app which they could book and open a Renault Zoë which has a radius of 275km.  

In collaboration with Twente Mobiel and Munsterhuis Lease, we offered employees that commute by car and live more than 15km from work the opportunity to test a speed pedelec for one week. A speed pedelec is an electric bike with a maximum speed of 45km/h with the obligation to wear a helmet. Most people that joined this pilot lived between 15-20km or 20-40km from UT. 

June 2017 a group of UT employees joined the mobility battle. The cars of all participants were fitted with a box that monitored driving behaviour for four months. Thanks to this Ecobox it was possible to see whether people pulled up too fast or took the bends with a too high speed. Participants had access to this information through an online dashboard. The conclusion was that this kind of feedback on driving behaviour does result into changes in driving style.  

All non-food items ordered by University employees are received centrally, at Central Reception Goods. After checking the number of packages and checking for external damage, the item is signed for receipt. Daily the packages are distributed to the various departments. 

In 2013 semi-underground waste containers were installed on campus. Most of these bins have a capacity of 5000 litres, a few have a capicity of 3000 litres, and they only have to be emptied two times a week compared to three times a week when smaller containers were used. Reducing movements of big trucks also improves safety on campus. 

Online purchases can be delivered to unmanned lockers at ‘De Buren’ in building Sky. Repeated delivery attempts are thus avoided. 

A plan is developed to stimulate a healthy mind and a healthy body. Some aspects of this are regular exercise and regular breaks from work. Lunch walks (make regular appointments with your colleagues), taking the stairs (at least till floor 4-5 or always walk down) and cycling or walking between buildings are recommended. Besides these options, the Sport Centre offers a wide variety of sports contributing to a healthier lifestyle.