Earlier this year, the Mobility Working Group launched the first part of a two-part survey about mobility at CERN. Some 43% of you took the time to give us your opinions, and I’d like to thank you for doing so. The fact that so many of you responded underlines the importance attached to this issue at CERN, and your input will be invaluable in helping us to make CERN mobility safer, greener, and more pleasurable for all.

You can learn more about the results of the survey in an article in this week’s Bulletin, but I’d nevertheless like to look at a few of the highlights here. First of all, a high response rate means that we can interpret the survey as a representative sample of the CERN population, giving an ide of the importance you attach to this issue, as well as making planning easier. Respondents included CERN-employed members of the personnel as well as users and contractors, with the highest response rate – 75% – being among staff. The survey confirmed that the majority of commutes are from France, and we learned which entrances to the CERN sites are the most heavily frequented. We learned about the peak times in the morning and the evening, and that our median commutes are short – just 8 km or 20 minutes – though there are some outliers, with a small number of people, including staff, commuting from countries beyond our Host States.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of commutes are made using individual motorised vehicles, though car sharing represents some 8% of commutes, and 13% of you come to work by bike. That’s an impressive number for any enterprise. Among your major concerns are access at peak times, lack of adequate public transport, and safety and infrastructure matters for those choosing green forms of transport. Pressure on parking especially around the Main Building, was also flagged as an issue.

Once at work, we’re also a very mobile workforce, with some three quarters of us moving around the site for our work on a regular basis.  An overwhelming majority of us use cars for this. Among the reasons cited for doing so are lack of footpaths and traffic control. In short, we see CERN as being better adapted for cars than pedestrians. The survey shows that CERN’s current transport offer – cars, bikes, shuttles and the mobility centre  – is very widely used, though there is room for improved efficiency.

All this data confirms what we already suspected, but the data will help us to move forward. Furthermore, you have given us a wealth of excellent ideas for improvement. The Mobility Working Group has been busy analysing the results of the survey and producing a series of proposals based on your input. This will form the basis for the second part of the survey, to be launched towards the end of the year. This will be your opportunity to tell us what you think will work and what will not. Please take the time to complete the survey, helping us to improve mobility at CERN. Thank you in advance.

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