Transportation
From ClimateNetworkWiki
Transportation is a Solutions page in the Knowledge Base that is designed to help the Planning pillar of goBEYOND. Contribute to our Knowledge Base by adding the transportation initiatives, policy, or assessment models that are used on your campus.
"Transportation is responsible for more than 27 per cent of Canada's total greenhouse gas emissions. Unless we reverse some of the following trends in vehicle use, transportation emissions will continue to rise." - David Suzuki Foundation.
This section explores options for campuses to reduce their transportation emissions, including U-Passes, parking management, and cycling infrastructure.
Contents |
Measuring GHGs from Transportation
Under Bill 44 -2007 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Targets Act [1], BC post-secondary institutions, along with the rest of the public service, have been mandated to go carbon neutral by 2010. Most areas of transportation, however, would fall outside the scope of what would be included in "carbon neutrality", with the exception of campus fleet vehicles. Campuses have a great opportunity to go beyond carbon-neutral by generating innovative solutions that benefit the entire region through safe, affordable, and climate-friendly transportation systems. High public-transit user levels on campuses make them good transportation hubs, as well as the fact that schools generally have a large physical land base and considerable economic clout in the region. And the good news is that many colleges and universities have succeeded in making sizeable shifts towards low-emission transportation solutions.
There are a number of ways to find out the extent to which your campus is contibuting to climate change through transportation. Check out the tools below.
Campus Sustainability Assessment Framework
The CSAF is a comprehensive tool that was developed by Lindsay Cole at Royal Roads to measure sustainability at insitutions of higher learning. It has 169 indicators that look at sustainability from the economic, environmental and societal spheres, and has been used by dozens of campuses across Canada since 2003. Below are a number of indicators that pertain to campus transportation. From the indicators, benchmarks can be set and progress tracked. To see the entire framework, as well as details about how each indicator is measured, visit the Sierra Youth Coalition's Resource Centre or contact bc(at)syc-cjs.org.
| Indicator | Description | Page Number |
|---|---|---|
| E-2 | Renewable Energy: Fleet and Grounds Vehicles | Page 76 |
| E-5 | GHG Emissions: Commuting Transport | Page 77 |
| E-6 | GHG Emissions: Fleet and Grounds Vehicles | Page 77 |
| E-7 | GHG Emissions: Campus Travel (Air, Land, Water) | Page 77 |
| E-8 | Reduction in Energy Consumption | Page 78 |
| Indicator | Description | Page Number |
|---|---|---|
| G-1 | Unviersity Gov't Policy: Tranportation Demand Management | Page 35 |
| G-2 | Student Gov't Policy: Tranportation Demand Management | Page 37 |
| G-6 | University Staffing for Sustainability: TDM | Page 41 |
CA-CP GHG Inventory Calculator
Clean Air-Cool Planet has a GHG Inventory Calculator designed especially for campuses to use. It is grounded in World Resources Institute protocol, and is set up as an inter-linked spreadsheet which makes it easy and accessible for non-math-minded people to use, yet transparent and edit-able in the case that more specific emission factors are appropriate for a given context. It has been used by over 150 campuses across North America, and is available through Clean Air-Cool Planet or the Sierra Youth Coalition.
Using the GHG Inventory Calculator makes it relatively simple to calculate emissions from commuter traffic (students, faculty, staff), campus fleet vehicles, and official campus travel including flights. All input data is automatically graphed over time to see how emissions are trending in that area. For more details check out the links above or contact bc(at)syc-cjs.org.
On-Campus Fleets
On-campus fleets, such as vehicles used for campus security, grounds, and maintenance, are “low-hanging fruit” in terms of reducing CO2e emissions, as universities have direct control over how they are run.
There are two complimentary approaches to reducing CO2e emissions from on-campus fleets:
- Reducing the GHG emissions from campus vehicles for each mile traveled
- Reducing VMT's (Vehicle Miles Traveled) by campus fleet vehicles altogether
Many campuses are experimenting with hybrid and alternative fuelled-vehicles, as well as using smaller vehicles such as golf carts. One way some campuses are approaching reducing VMTs is by investing in a fleet of bicycles for use by campus workers. All of these approaches have the potential of reducing costs as well as reducing CO2e emissions through increased efficiency.
BC Case Studies
According to UVic's 2006 Sustainability Report [2], "the facilities management utility vehicle fleet is now more than 90 per cent emissions free. In addition, there is a new hybrid vehicle in the campus motor pool fleet. With these additions, as well as the recent expansion of the staff bicycle fleet in facilities management, the university continues to reduce the need for gas-powered vehicles for operations on campus" (pg 10).
Add your campus initiative here!
Official Campus Travel
BC PSIs can take the lead of the BC government by reducing their business travel through the use of telecommunications, and, when necessary, offsetting the carbon used to fly or drive.
Commuter Traffic
"Many agree that reducing the greenhouse gas emissions that come from personal automobile use is probably the most difficult source to tackle. People love their cars; it's about freedom, convenience, security, status, and fun. Changing the way or how much people use their cars, or what type of car they drive, let alone getting them to forego their use altogether, is a "tough row to hoe."
Nevertheless, the adverse social consequences of unbridled personal automobile use - pollution, congestion, unproductive time, "road rage," land use issues, social inequity, etc. have become obvious over the past 30 years. And, notwithstanding the above, colleges and universities have MANY different vehicles (pardon the pun!) for influencing the transportation options and choices available to their faculty and staff. These include:
- Parking Availability/Proximity
- Parking Cost
- Campus Shuttle bus system
- Municipal public transportation system
- RideShare/Carpooling systems
- Bicycling Infrastructure and Programs
Some campuses have restrictions on undergraduate vehicle use or even access (i.e. won't permit freshman to bring cars to campus); others try to discourage private vehicle use through the set-up of campus (pedestrian-friendly, car-unfriendly). Increased future reliance on distance education (via the internet) may also have some potential as a useful tool for campuses weighing their options for cutting GHG emissions." - Clean Air-Cool Planet
Transportation Demand Management
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is “a wide range of policies, programs, services and products that influence how, why, when and where people travel to make travel behaviours more sustainable” (Transport Canada, 2007) [3]
Transportation planners, including university and college planners, are increasingly shifting their focus from increasing supply of transportation infrastructure to managing demand. Campuses who have adopted TDM have had success in decreasing single occupancy vehicle trips and increasing the use of public and alternative forms of transportation, as well as reducing the infrastructure costs associated with private vehicle use. Tools for TDM include modifications to parking supply and pricing, public transit service and access enhancements, and improved cycling and pedestrian infrastructure.
BC Case Studies
For the past ten years, UBC has been working to reduce automobile trips to and from UBC, and encourage the use of other modes of transportation, including transit, carpooling, cycling and walking. (UBC, Fall 2007 Transportation Status Report.) These efforts have had a remarkable effect. Between 1997 and 2007, the number of daily single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips decreased by 14%, even with a 32% increase in the daytime population on campus, while transit ridership tripled during the same period (UBC, Fall 2007 Transportation Status Report pg. 8).
At the University of Victoria, Transportation Demand Management has resulted in a substantial decrease in single occupancy vehicles (SOVs), while there has been a marked increase in transit ridership, cyclist, and pedestrian access to campus. In the case of transit ridership, there has been an increase of 38% between 1992 and 2004, while single-occupancy vehicle trips have decreased by 7%, even while the campus has grown at an average of 2% per year. This means that UVic has been able to avoid costly parkade construction, and may be able to do so indefinitely (UVic TDM Study).
Add your campus initiative here!
For Further Reading:
Transport Canada's TDM Database[4] contains profiles and results for 92 projects from around the world that enhance energy efficiency, sustainable development, accessibility and increased productivity.
Parking Management
Most universities operate parking services that demand more resources annually and consume campus land that could be put to much better use as space for academic facilities (Daggett and Gutkowski. 2003, p. 42).
Managing the supply and pricing of parking, in combination with providing alternative transportation options, is a highly effective means to influence travel behaviour to campus. One successful approach to changing parking demand is to shift pricing from a fixed cost to a marginal cost (Brown et al. 2001). For example, parking passes are normally sold for a fixed time period (eg: by semester), but some universities have switched to selling parking debit cards, where users pay for the time they use, and no more. This “marginal-cost-but-no-fixed-cost arrangement” (Brown et al. 2001 pg 261) provides an incentive to reduce the use of parking. This pricing tool for parking is especially effective when combined with a U-Pass or similar system that creates a fixed cost without marginal cost for transit use.
BC Case Studies
“UBC has eliminated more than 3,000 commuter parking stalls on campus since 1997 — a reduction in the commuter parking supply of approximately 25%. At the same time, the price of parking on campus has increased (UBC does not provide any free parking spaces on campus for commuters)”
(UBC, Fall 2007 Transportation Status Report.)
Add your campus initiative here!
Alternative Transportation
Making alternative transportation accessible and convenient must occur while providing disincentives for driving. Below are some initiatives that are happening in order to make it easier for our communities to make that behavioural shift.
Public Transit
The Universal Bus Pass (UPass) has been hugely successful in increasing public transit ridership at the universities where it has been implemented. The next challenge is getting the UPass implemented in all institutions of higher learning across the province and extending the UPass to staff and faculty. The Canadian Federation of Students has launched the We Ride Campaign to ensure better transit for students across the province, including the implementation of UPasses across the board.
Which campuses across Canada have the UPass? Find out at [http://www.transitwiki.ca/wiki/U-Pass Transitwiki.ca
The Mobility Pass is an idea proposed in Common Energy UVic's strategy for moving UVic beyond climate-neutral that would build on the U-Pass to integrate the components of a sustainable transportation network into a single system that makes personal automobile ownership obsolete in urban areas.
Carpooling
Carpooling, ridesharing, and short-term vehicle rental programs like Zipcars and car-share coops are becoming increasingly popular at many schools across North America. UBC offers Carpooling and vehicle rental programs, along with Emergency rides home for those who do not travel by single-occupancy vehicles. See UBC's Transportation Research and Report page for more detailed information.
Cycling Infrastructure
Infrastructure like designated cycling lanes to campus, as well as end-of-trip infrastructure like covered bike racks, showers, and access to air and tools, can all help encourage cycling. Many schools also have discounted or free bikes for students in order to encourage this healthy and sustainable activity.
Case Studies At Simon Fraser University, the SFPIRG runs a bike tool coop at offers free access to bicycle tools, and volunteer bike mechanics assist cyclists with repairs.
Ripon College was facing a serious parking shortage, so they decided to give free bikes, helmets, and locks to freshmen who promised not to drive to campus [5].
Other
- The University of Victoria increased on-campus residences so that more students could live on campus rather than commute.
- In response to rising fuel costs, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College in Virginia is scheduling classes for their part-timer students only on Friday so that students only have to drive to campus once a week [6].
