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Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study
Melville, C. 2025. Investigating the Long-term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Travel for Higher Education Institutions: The Stellenbosch University Case Study. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/1e68793b-4ae8-40e...
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| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2025
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| _version_ | 1867613778702499840 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Melville, Carolynne |
| author2 | Bruwer, M. M. |
| author_browse | Bruwer, M. M. Melville, Carolynne |
| author_facet | Bruwer, M. M. Melville, Carolynne |
| author_sort | Melville, Carolynne |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Melville, C. 2025. Investigating the Long-term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Travel for Higher Education Institutions: The Stellenbosch University Case Study. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/1e68793b-4ae8-40eb-80d3-60d89c3d7cb7 |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132246 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:41:32.562Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| publishDateRange | 2025 |
| publishDateSort | 2025 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/132246 Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study Melville, Carolynne Bruwer, M. M. Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Engineering. Dept. of Civil Engineering. Universities and colleges -- Employees -- South Africa COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 -- Social aspects -- South Africa Commuting -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa Telecommuting -- South Africa Transportation -- Planning -- South Africa UCTD Melville, C. 2025. Investigating the Long-term Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Travel for Higher Education Institutions: The Stellenbosch University Case Study. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/1e68793b-4ae8-40eb-80d3-60d89c3d7cb7 Thesis (MEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly impacted global travel behaviour and economic structures, necessitating a reevaluation of Work-From-Home (WFH) policies across various sectors. Initial lockdown measures led to a dramatic decline in international and domestic travel, with many countries enforcing strict restrictions to curb virus transmission, resulting in many employers being forced to adapt to remote work arrangements in order to continue with production. Stellenbosch University staff (similar to many other higher education institutions) made use of online teaching platforms as well as online meeting platforms. Although the option to return to the "old normal" is available it was anticipated that many staff would be able to structure their workday to suit their commuting and lifestyle needs, thus continuing with some form of "new normal". Thus, is the so-called "new normal" actually new or have the WFH = policies and workday flexibility that is available not changed how people travel within higher education institutions? This information will be important because it will impact how transportation professionals will make decisions regarding transportation planning in the future. It could also impact how cities and towns are planned spatially. The methodology in this study integrates psychological frameworks and quantitative travel data metrics to comprehensively assess shifts in travel patterns, motivations, and behaviours among higher education employees. This study found that although staff reported experiencing a more flexible workday and work-week and this was supported by their commuting patterns, there seemed to be very little corroboration to this from the analysed traffic data. This is likely because the surveys in this study focused on the higher education institution, Stellenbosch University, while the traffic data used for this study was for the whole of Stellenbosch. When considering the traffic data in isolation, an initial drop in congestion (measured via Speed Reduction Index(SRI)) occurred when the ALs were first introduced. However, traffic congestion has steadily progressed and in 2024 the congestion levels throughout the day as well as during the peak periods have surpassed their pre-COVID-19 levels. Thus it seems that there is a "new normal" for work-related travel in higher education institutions but perhaps not outside of that industry. AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die COVID-19-pandemie het ’n groot impak op wêreldwye reisgedrag en ekonomiese strukture gehad, wat ’n herevaluering van werk-van-huis-beleid (WVH) oor verskeie sektore genoodsaak het. Aanvanklike inperkingsmaatreëls het gelei tot ’n dramatiese afname in internasionale en binnelandse reise, met baie lande wat streng beperkings afgedwing het om virusoordrag te bekamp, wat daartoe gelei het dat baie werkgewers gedwing is om by afgeleë werkreëlings aan te pas om met produksie voort te gaan. Universiteit Stellenbosch-personeel (soortgelyk aan baie ander hoëronderwysinstellings) het van aanlyn onderrigplatforms sowel as aanlyn ontmoetingsplatforms gebruik gemaak. Alhoewel die opsie om terug te keer na die "ou normaal" beskikbaar is, was daar voorsiening dat baie personeel hul werksdag sou kon struktureer om by hul pendel- en leefstylbehoeftes te pas, en sodoende voort te gaan met een of ander vorm van "nuwe normaal". Dus, is die sogenaamde "nuwe normaal" eintlik nuut of het die WFH-beleide en werksdagbuigsaamheid wat beskikbaar is, nie verander hoe mense binne hoëronderwysinstellings reis nie? Hierdie inligting sal belangrik wees omdat dit ’n impak sal hê op hoe professionele vervoerpersoneel besluite sal neem oor vervoerbeplanning in die toekoms. Dit kan ook ’n impak hê op hoe stede en dorpe ruimtelik beplan word. Die metodologie in hierdie studie integreer sielkundige raamwerke en kwantitatiewe reisdatamaatstawwe om verskuiwings in reispatrone, motiverings en gedrag onder hoëronderwyswerknemers omvattend te assesseer. Hierdie studie het bevind dat alhoewel personeel gerapporteer het dat hulle ’n meer buigsame werksdag en werksweek ervaar het, dit blykbaar baie min bevestiging hiervoor was uit die ontleedde verkeersdata. Dit het gelyk of ’n aanvanklike daling in opeenhoping (gemeet via Spoed Vermindering Indeks (SVI)) plaasgevind het, in baie gevalle het die SRI oor die spitstye teruggekeer na hul voor-COVID-19-vlakke. Masters 2025-05-30T12:50:23Z 2025-05-30T12:50:23Z 2025-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132246 en Stellenbosch University xiv, 170 pages : illustrations application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Universities and colleges -- Employees -- South Africa COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 -- Social aspects -- South Africa Commuting -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa Telecommuting -- South Africa Transportation -- Planning -- South Africa UCTD Melville, Carolynne Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study |
| title | Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study |
| title_full | Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study |
| title_short | Investigating the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions: the Stellenbosch University case study |
| title_sort | investigating the long term impact of the covid 19 pandemic on travel for higher education institutions the stellenbosch university case study |
| topic | Universities and colleges -- Employees -- South Africa COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020 -- Social aspects -- South Africa Commuting -- Psychological aspects -- South Africa Telecommuting -- South Africa Transportation -- Planning -- South Africa UCTD |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/132246 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT melvillecarolynne investigatingthelongtermimpactofthecovid19pandemicontravelforhighereducationinstitutionsthestellenboschuniversitycasestudy |