Travel and transport
As a central London institution, Birkbeck sees fewer staff and students commuting by car than universities in other areas of the UK might expect. Birkbeck’s campuses are well connected via tube and bus, with several nearby mainline train stations and easily available hire bikes throughout central London.
A significant part of Birkbeck’s carbon footprint (almost one-third in 2023-24) comes from travel and transport. This includes business travel, staff and student commuting, and international student journeys. Birkbeck does not own any fleet vehicles, so all our travel emissions sit within Scope 3.
In 2023-24, our carbon footprint from travel and transport was estimated as:
Public transport and travel to Birkbeck
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London Underground
- The following stations are all within about a 20-minute walk of Birkbeck’s Malet Street building:
- Goodge Street
- Russell Square
- Tottenham Court Road
- Euston Square
- Warren Street
- Holborn
- King’s Cross St Pancras
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Train
- Mainline trains can be found at:
- Euston
- King’s Cross
- St Pancras International
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Bus
- Bus stops can be found in numerous locations near Birkbeck, with the closest at Goodge Street Station, Russell Square, Montague Street and Tavistock Square
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Cycling
- Bike hire schemes are available across London. The closest points to Birkbeck’s Malet Street building are:
- Corner of Malet Street and Byng Place
- Santander Cycles on Malet Street
- An extensive network of cycle routes lead to Birkbeck
- There are 52 secured sheltered cycle racks available and accessible immediately in the basement lightwell of the Clore Management building. You will need your Birkbeck ID Card for access. Shower facilities are also available within the Clore building.
- There are also bike parking spaces at the front of Malet Street entrance, opposite the ramp, and also at the front of Birkbeck Central.
- Birkbeck participates in the Cycle to Work scheme, which is available to all staff.
- There is a bike repair stand located at the south-east end of Torrington Square (next to the steps) installed by SOAS’s Students Union. This is free to use by all Bloomsbury college students, staff, and visitors.
- Cycling safety advice is available from Transport for London
- Cycle skills training is available from Transport for London
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Accessibility
- Step-free journey advice is available from Transport for London
- Disabled parking spaces are available close to our Malet Street campus Disabled drivers who hold a Blue Badge must also apply for a Green Badge from Camden Council to park near our Bloomsbury campus
- To obtain a Green Badge you need to complete the form available on Camden's Green Badge web page
- You will need to email the Disability Team to request a supporting letter to enclose with your application
- Please contact the Disability Team if you need help with your application.
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Business travel
- More than a third of Birkbeck’s travel and transport emissions come from business travel
- This includes any trips taken on behalf of Birkbeck – for example, for staff and student attendance at conferences, field trips, or meetings
- A working group has formed to develop a new Business Travel Policy, which will aim to encourage use of lower-carbon transport for business purposes.
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Home working
- Since 2020’s Covid lockdowns, many organisations have seen an increase in the amount of time staff spend working from home.
- Although this is thought to have reduced overall emissions from commuting, some studies estimate that the shift towards home working could have led to a slight increase in emissions due to multiple homes being heated throughout the winter rather than having employees travel to one heated building.
- An initial estimate of the carbon footprint created by staff working from home has been calculated for 2023-24.