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Improved Commuting

Category: Improved Commuting, Transportation

Improved commuting programs seek to transition students, faculty, and staff from single occupancy vehicles to public transportation and carpooling. Common areas of focus include better bus lines to campus, carpool lots, and subsidizing public transit passes.

Benefits

  • Makes getting to campus less stressful and more accessible for students, faculty and staff
  • Can promote better community relationships by addressing regional traffic and transportation issues
  • Alleviates parking and traffic constraints

Challenges

  • There is no guarantee individuals will change their commuting behavior even with incentives
  • Typically involves capital-intensive transportation infrastructure upgrades
  • Overcoming cultural/social stigmas associated with public transportation/lots of marketing

Impacts

  • GHG Impact

    Low

    Commuting is often the largest single source of emissions for campuses with a large commuter population.

  • Economic Impact

    Small Net Cost

    Avoided construction of parking stalls is the most common avoided cost.

  • Feasibility

    Difficult

    Getting people to change their commuting preferences is easier said than done.

  • Timeline

    1-2 years

    Some programs can be rolled out quickly, but changing transportation culture is a long-term project.

  • Maintenance

    High

    Staff need to run awareness campaigns, manage regional partnerships and perform analysis of commuting patterns.

  • Publicity

    Under the radar

    Carpooling is not likely to grab headlines. But things like shared campus bikes or lime/bird scooters get people more interested

Resources

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