Travel to and from events is one of the most significant sources of their indirect environmental impacts.
These impacts will vary according not only to the number of visitors an event attracts and how far they travel, but also the mode of transport they use and factors such as levels of vehicle occupancy and whether they stay overnight locally. These can all be influenced by the nature, duration and location of the event.
Although visitors’ transport choices are outside an event organiser’s control, they have a range of means by which they can influence these decisions, for example by promoting sustainable travel or subsidising public transport use.
What to measure
The basic ‘input’ measure of these impacts is the existence of a plan to manage visitor access to the event, provide the on- and off-site infrastructure needed to support this, minimise road congestion and encourage visitors to use more sustainable modes of transport (e.g. car sharing or public transport):
- Transport Management Plan in place (ASOIF reference EN-T1.1)
Recommended ‘output’ measures consider levels of use of different modes of transport, as well as the distances travelled by visitors to (and during) the event:
- Total distance (miles/km) travelled by visitors to /from the event
- Percentage of visitors travelling by car
- Percentage of visitors using car-sharing schemes
- Percentage of visitors travelling by other private modes (e.g. camper van, van, coach services and motorbike)
- Percentage of visitors travelling by public transport (i.e. bus and rail)
- Percentage of visitors walking and cycling
- Percentage of spectators using public or sustainable transport (ASOIF reference EN-T2.1)
More detailed measures again consider the environmental impacts of visitor travel:
- Total CO2 emissions for all event-related visitor travel
- Total CO2 emissions for travel per visitor
- Changes in the proportion of visitors using public transport to travel to/from event
- Changes in the proportion of visitors driving to/from event by carThe OECD considers these impacts to contribute towards the UN SDG Affordable and Clean Energy (Target 7.2).
Transport and travel impacts: How to measure them
Event transport management plans should include the following -on-site detail:
- Number and location of car parking spaces (including disabled and car sharing places)
- Number of motorcycle parking spaces
- Number of cycle parking spaces
- On-site cycle and walking routes
They should also detail relevant off-site infrastructure, such as:
- Local walking and cycling routes
- Local bus station(s) and bus stops (including information on routes and frequency of services)
- Local train station(s) (including information on routes and frequency of services)
- Local road network
Impact assessment should additionally assess the effectiveness of measures identified in the plan to minimise road congestion and promote sustainable travel, particularly where targets were set in advance (e.g. X% increase in the number of visitors using public transport).
The output measures of impact can be checked through surveys asking visitors simple questions such as where they have travelled from (e.g. postcode data), how they did so and the number of people they travelled with. Asking why they chose a particular mode of transport could also highlight barriers to future sustainable travel (e.g. convenience or cost). These surveys can be carried out on-site, post-event or to record intentions during the ticket-buying process.
When considering travel impacts, however, it is important – if more complicated – to focus on additional activity rather than just total travel time and distance. For events staged on weekdays especially, the emission and congestion impacts of an individual’s journey to and from the venue may be less than their headline levels if that travel replaces a daily commute, which comes with its own negative effects.
Transport and travel impact assessment in action
Case study: 2023 UCI Cycling World Championships
Case study: 2024 World Athletics Indoor Championships