Sustainable travel
We encourage staff and students to travel as sustainably as possible. There are a number of ways to reduce the impact of your travel.
- For journey planning for all public transport options please use Traveline.
- For information on how to get to the University please see our Find Us page.
- Firstly please consider the need for travel. There are many desktop and mobile applications to facilitate video conferencing and remote meetings with Microsoft Teams as well as Blackboard Collaborate and our ThinkLab. Digital IT and QEO have some excellent guides for staff.
- For business travel see the Travel Office and in particular their guide for assessing whether business travel is essential.
- For University staff travel benefits see My Salford.
- For research related to active travel and sustainable transport, learn about the Healthy Active Cities research group. It brings researchers from University of Salford together with practitioners and policymakers to discuss issues in sustainable transport.
Walking
If you live within two miles of the University or your destination, walking is a great way to travel here as it will help keep you fit, benefit the environment and is of course, free!
For those who travel here by other means, it can still be incorporated into your day, such as walking between buildings or to and from the train station or bus stop. Walking also promotes clear, creative thinking so why not have a walking meeting around our beautiful campus! All of these short trips will boost health and fitness, burn calories and reduce the carbon we produce from travel.
Why not try out our Tree Trail around our campus and Peel Park.
Cycling
Cycle Parking and Storage
There are around 350 spaces to park cycles across all of the University campuses. The majority are contained within secure shelters which you can access using your student or staff ID card. Please use the designated cycle parking for increased security and health and safety reasons, we may need to remove your cycle from other areas if it is causing an obstruction. You can view all of the cycle parking and shower facilities on our campuses on the campus map.
Cycle Parking
- Acton Square – Sheffield stands
- Clifford Whitworth – access-controlled storage facility
- Crescent House (rear) – access-controlled storage facility
- Humphrey Booth House – Sheffield stands
- Mary Seacole – access-controlled storage facility
- Maxwell (well) – covered storage facility
- Newton - access-controlled storage facility
- Peel building - access-controlled storage facility
- Sports Centre – access-controlled storage facility
Showers
- Maxwell Hall (access next to cycle parking in Maxwell well)
- Crescent House basement
- Sports Centre
- The New Adelphi
- Allerton building (behind Sports Hall, 1st floor)
- Mary Seacole ground floor (female G39, male G40)
MediaCity Cycle Hub Membership
Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) have developed a Cycle Hub at MCUK which offers membership-based smartcard access with online application systems. The Cycle Hub is positioned behind the University’s MCUK premises and is open 24 hours a day.
The University can now offer reimbursement to colleagues based at MCUK who opt to travel by bicycle to work. Please see the scheme details on My Salford access from the Staff Hub pages.
Cycle Security and Safety
Unfortunately, cycle theft can occur on campus. We are working with the Greater Manchester Police to tackle the issue and reduce the likelihood of theft occurring.
The Sports Centre sell Gold Standard D locks at a subsidised price of £15.00. Drop in or for more information, just call 0161 295 5060.
There are ways in which you can reduce the chances of having your cycle stolen. The LondonCycling Campaign provides some excellent tips on reducing the possibility of your cycle being stolen as well as what to do if the worst does happen.
Check out these videos to see how to lock your cycle, and how not to lock your cycle.
The Direct.Gov website presents an excellent array of advice and information on staying safe while in the saddle: Direct.gov - Cycling Safely.
The Highway Code is essential reading for all cyclists who plan on riding on roads. The cycling section here will help you familiarise yourself with the rules of the road and help you stay safe. The Highway Code - Rules for cyclists
Cycle routes and training
Plan your local cycling route and find other local info at Cycle GM.
For cycling between the Peel Park / Frederick Road campuses and Media City, check out this cycling guide created by the Healthy Active Cities research group.
Transport for Greater Manchester offer free cycle training across Greater Manchester for beginners through to experienced cyclists and those returning to the saddle after a few years.
Cycle to Work Scheme
As part of the University’s commitment to encouraging sustainable methods of travel, employees can participate in a Cycle to Work scheme. In the scheme the University purchases cycles for employees to use for their commute to work. In exchange for the provision of the cycle, participating employees agree to a reduction in salary to cover the hire charge each month, repaying part of the initial cost to the University and benefiting from tax and National Insurance savings via the salary sacrifice arrangement.
For more information and to apply staff can visit My Salford.
E-Bike Hire Scheme
Together with Manchester Bike Hire, the University is launching an E-Bike Hire Scheme for members of staff. It will allow users to hire an e-bike from Manchester Bike Hire, try it out for free for up to 4 weeks, and have access to a package deal including equipment (locks, lights, and helmet), and full support and maintenance. After the 4-week trial you can either buy, rent, or return the e-bike.
For more information on how to sign up, visit the E-Bike Hire Scheme web page.
Cycle User Group
To support cycling commuters we have created a Cycle User Group. We encourage staff and student cyclists to join, please request membership to the Cycle User Group Teams site.
Public Transport
Season Tickets Scheme
Season tickets are available to purchase for each mode of transport (tram, bus or train) and System One Travelcards offer a range of tickets if you need to combined bus and train travel. They offer 1, 7 and 28-day tickets as well as annual season tickets.
The University of Salford operates a loan scheme for staff who would like to purchase a season ticket to travel to and from work by bus, tram or train. The employee purchases the ticket and applies for a loan to cover the full cost, which is then recovered through salary deduction over a period of up to 12 months.
Metrolink is offering University of Salford employees a 10% discount off the price of an annual season ticket. An annual season ticket not only saves you time and money but also provides unlimited travel between two chosen stops on weekdays and weekends. No more queuing to buy tickets - a season ticket can be used as many times as you like for work or leisure.
Please see the terms and conditions and details of how to apply on My Salford.
Train
The University benefits from excellent rail links as Salford Crescent station is located between the Peel Park and Frederick Road campuses. For information about the accessibility of Salford Crescent Station please visit our partner disabledGO.
Services to Manchester central stations are very frequent and take less than 10 minutes, passengers can then connect to services across the country.
There are also direct services to local destinations such as Bolton, Preston, Blackburn, Wigan, Blackpool as well as Manchester Airport.
Save 1/3 off rail travel with a 16-25 railcard
Although there is a minimum fare of £12 if used before 10am, a 16-25 Railcard can save you money if you attend university after this time or on weekend trips home.
- The railcard costs £30 and it will save you 1/3 on rail fares throughout Great Britain for a whole year, or for £70 you can get a 3 year railcard.
- You can save 1/3 on Standard Anytime and Off-Peak fares, as well as Standard Advance and First Class Advance fares.
- You're eligible if you're aged between 16-25, or over the age of 25 and in full-time education.
Full information on the 16-25 railcard
Bus Travel
The University is well served by numerous high frequency bus routes that predominantly stop along the A6/Crescent.
Check out the journey planning site from TfGM to find bus stops and timetables.
The Stagecoach 50 is the service linking Manchester and Salford including MediaCity.
This route serves Salford Central train station, Chapel Street, the University of Salford, Salford Crescent, Salford Shopping Centre and terminates at MediaCity and Salford Quays runs up to every 8 minutes at peak times.
University of Salford staff and students can travel for free on the 50 between Adelphi Street/Oldfield Road and MediaCity on production of a valid ID card. (Any travel on the service beyond this is chargeable and you must be in possession of a valid ticket or be liable for a £50 penalty fare.)
Tram
The Greater Manchester Metrolink tram network spans the city, with lines from Bury to Altrincham and from Manchester city centre to Eccles.
Our campus at MediaCity has a Metrolink tram stop directly outside the main entrance making it extremely convenient to travel there by tram. Direct services to Eccles and Manchester city centre are available from the MediaCity stop. Those travelling to Bury, Altrincham, Chorlton or Didsbury should change at Cornbrook.
The MediaCity site is also well served by the 50 bus service which is FREE for staff and students between MediaCity and the main University campus.
Electric Vehicle Charging
There are Be.EV (formerly ChargeYourCar) electric vehicle charging points located in the following areas around campus:
- Allerton car park (2 chargers): https://w3w.co/larger.learns.empire
- Energy House 2.0 (4 chargers): https://w3w.co/banks.trendy.bleat
- Newton car park (2 chargers): https://w3w.co/prove.rich.faded
Externally (but local to campus) there is also public charging available outside Crescent House: https://w3w.co/email.valid.level
Please check local parking restrictions as they have charging/parking time limits.
For information on how to use the charging points and set up an account visit the Be.EV site.
There is also 1 GreenMole charging unit at our Cockcroft building:https://w3w.co/sunset.cake.grades (authorised access only)
Car Parking
All car parking on the University Campus is payable. For further information see the Car Parking page.
Our Sustainable Travel Plan
We have recently reviewed our Sustainable Travel Plan.
Our travel surveys show that the majority of students travel by non-car modes (75%) and 49% of staff travel by non-car modes. Single occupancy car use has increased for both staff and students slightly overtime and is likely to be a consequence of reduced car sharing promotion and allowance of unrestricted parking for all users. The surveys also show that a high number of staff and students are unaware of the existing tools and infrastructure measures.
Our ambition is to consolidate and rationalise car-parking across campus and to reduce internal car circulation to promote a healthier, more pedestrian-friendly campus through our Campus Masterplan. The vision also promotes greater levels of cycling in and around the site. Improved pedestrian connections will be key to improving permeability across the campus – think tree-lined boulevards, public squares and a generally more well-defined network of routes and open spaces.