Sustainability scan for transport flows to and from events

What was the research about? 

The research, set up and conducted by students, aims to gain insights into the transport flows of visitors to and from major events through a sustainability scan. These insights can help target efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions associated with visitor movements to and from event locations. 

The project focuses on events organised by MOJO Concerts in the Goffertpark in Nijmegen, with two events selected: concerts by Rammstein and Bruce Springsteen. 

How was the research conducted? 

During the concerts, students conducted short surveys among the visitors. In addition to the on-site research, digital surveys were later sent out to collect additional information. 

During the Bruce Springsteen concert, 818 surveys were conducted live. At the Rammstein concert, 652 surveys were completed. This provided valuable data on the origin of the visitors, the modes of transport used, and the motivations for choosing these modes. Those who came by car were also asked how many people were in the car. The study examined three possible reasons for choosing a mode of transport: comfort, reliability, and speed. These motivations are also used by CBS in their studies. 

The research was conducted by a team of eight students, both national and international, under the supervision of three coordinators. These students contributed not only to the field research but also to the analysis of the collected data. 

This collaboration offered the students a unique learning experience, thanks in part to the support of MOJO Concerts, who treated them well during the events. 

Initial findings 

The research revealed that a significant percentage of visitors travelled to the concerts by car. At the Bruce Springsteen concert, 58% of visitors used a car, while this percentage was 70% for the Rammstein concert. Public transport and organised bus trips were used much less frequently. At the Bruce Springsteen concert, 17.5% of visitors used public transport and 12% used an organised bus trip. At the Rammstein concert, 20% used public transport and 6.5% used an organised bus trip. The remaining visitors came by bike or on foot. 

The results show that comfort was the main reason for visitors to choose the car (42.5%). Other motivators, such as reliability and speed, played a less prominent role in the decision to use the car. 

What's next? 

The research is not yet complete, but the preliminary results indicate several concrete next steps. One of the main challenges is developing measures, influencing strategies, and incentives to encourage visitors to choose more sustainable transport options. 

The ultimate goal is to achieve a modal shift towards a sustainable modal split, where a larger proportion of visitors use environmentally friendly transport options, with the aim of reducing CO₂ emissions. 

This research is an important step towards more sustainable events. Through collaborations between partners like BUas, LCB, and MOJO Concerts, valuable insights are gained that can contribute to reducing the CO₂ emissions of large events.