Investigating a bicycle share scheme for UJ Students from a local economic development perspective

Abstract: This technical research project falls in the sphere of Local Economic Development (LED). While there are different definitions of LED, there seems to be a common notion of LED being an inclusive process that involves societies’, the private sectors’ and the public sectors’ usage of local resources to gain a competitive advantage. The research project was conducted by surveying students of the University of Johannesburg (UJ). UJ is located in Johannesburg, South Africa’s most densely populated city, with a population of 4 434 827 and comprising an area of 1645 km2, which equals 2696 persons/km2. The city has various cycling lanes with at least 28 km of these lanes located in the UJ university corridor. The university corridor is the largest student corridor in South Africa, comprising three UJ campuses: Auckland Park (APK), the Bunting Campus (APB) and the Doornfontein Campus (DFC). The aim of the research project was to determine the perceptions of UJ students regarding a bicycle share programme, within the context of LED. A survey was conducted at three of UJ’s bus stops located in Auckland Park and Braamfontein. A total of 170 questionnaires were distributed, of which 154 could be used. The main finding was that 67 per cent of the surveyed students had a positive perception regarding a bicycle share programme because of the LED benefits, such as the contribution to a cleaner environment, reduction in traffic and the possible health benefits flowing from the use of a bicycle.M.Com. (Local Economic Development