Greener Travel
Within our University Strategy we have committed to minimise our wider carbon footprint. Two key areas of our wider carbon footprint are the day-to-day commute of all students and staff to our campuses and the term-time commute of students to Edinburgh.
Travel to campus
We estimate that both these day-to-day and term-time commutes emit 7,000 tCO2e, 14,000 tCO2e in total. We will work with our community to support sustainable modes of travel, including walking, wheeling, cycling and use of public transport.
Our 2020 travel survey showed that 70% of staff and students walked, wheeled, cycled or used public transport to access our campuses. An incredible 90% of students at Merchiston used sustainable travel choices, as well as 80% at Craiglockhart and 70% at Sighthill. Our campuses at Craiglockhart, Merchiston and Sighthill have good public transport routes and facilities for active travellers such as bike storage, showers and changing facilities.
Since March 2020 we have seen a significant reduction in commute emissions while our student and staff community study and work from home. Our guidance and partnership links also support and provide information on options for all journeys from home.
Find out what travel options are available for getting to campusActive Travel
Edinburgh Napier University has gained almost £300,000 in grants to support active travel over the past ten years, including funding from Cycling Scotland, SEStran and Sustrans. The grants have supported projects such as the off-road path through Edinburgh College.
We're working in partnership with Sustrans to develop a network of Active Travel Champions throughout the University, and have champions in place at Merchiston and Sighthill. For more information on the role, visit the Sustrans website.
Cycling Support
Cycling is a great way to get around Edinburgh and the city is home to an expanding network of cycle paths, making travelling by bike a convenient and sustainable option. Our Merchiston and Sighthill campuses currently hold the Cycle Friendly Campus award, which recognises the commitment we make to supporting our cycling community.
We offer support and advice on cycle routes, travel maps, bike locks, storage facilities and more. We also keep two emergency locks available at each campus security office if you forget to bring yours. You can get practical advice on how to cycle to campus by visiting our Cycling page or emailing environment@napier.ac.uk for more information.
Edinburgh Cycle Hire Scheme
We encourage our students and staff to make use of the Edinburgh Cycle Hire Scheme, which has docking stations across Edinburgh, including outside Merchiston Campus and Edinburgh College at Sighthill.
Thanks to funding from Paths for All and our fellow further and higher education institutions in Edinburgh, we were recently able to offer Edinburgh Napier students a discounted £10 'Back-to-Study' pass, which allows them unlimited 1-hour journeys until the end of 2020.