Factors associated with driving alone decisions and campus parking behaviors among rural university commuters

This paper aimed to evaluate the factors influencing students' decisions to drive alone and their parking behaviors at rural universities to achieve a sustainable campus environment. This study utilized quantitative analysis and regression models to comprehend student parking demands and needs on rural campuses. This methodology was accomplished in two phases; the first phase consisted of a parking occupancy survey and a web-based survey. During the second phase, logistic regression analysis was used to examine the most influential factors that affect driving decisions and parking behaviors. A sample of 1252 students at Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST) in Irbid, Jordan, collected through a web-based survey, was used. Findings showed that students' decisions to drive alone on rural campuses were influenced by several critical socioeconomic and psychological factors, including gender, marital status, age, residential location, trip cost, and the number of private vehicles per household. Moreover, the ability to find a parking space was critically influenced by psychological variables and perceptions, such as the number of parking days per week, the arrival time at the parking lot, the amount of time spent searching for parking spaces, being late to class while searching for a parking space, and trip chaining. Evaluating these variables is crucial to reducing students' reliance on private vehicles to achieve a sustainable campus environment and identifying techniques that may increase their awareness of other modes of transportation. Comprehensive parking management strategies are critical on rural campuses, as alternative modes of transportation are limited due to the campuses' isolation from cities and settlement areas.