Western Washington University
Transportation Planning Initiatives Task Force
Alternative Transportation Subcommittee Preliminary Report
December 2005
“The daily movement of people back and forth to campus in automobiles
burning fossil fuels is one of the largest impacts a typical educational
institution imposes on the life support systems of the planet.”
Transportation and Sustainable Campus Communities, Toor & Havlik, 2004
Subcommittee Members
Sharon Miller, Music Department, BUD Union Representative
Rick Brooks, Telecommunications, PTE Union Representative
Fran Maas, Office of Special Events, PSO Representative
Bernard Housen, Asst. Professor, Geology Department, Faculty Senate Representative
John Mc Laughlin, Assoc. Professor, Environmental Sciences, Faculty Senate Representative
Ex officio
Rick Benner, Assistant Director for Planning, Design and Construction Administration,
Facilities Management, ex officio
Carol Berry, WWU Alternative Transportation Coordinator, ex officio
Rick Nicholson, Service Director, Whatcom Transportation Authority, ex officio
James Shaw, University Police Chief/Director, Public Safety, ex officio
Subcommittee meetings: October 31, November 7 and 14, 2005
Overview
Dr. Will Toor visited WWU in September 2005. Dr. Toor is director of the University of Colorado Environmental Center and former mayor of the city of Boulder, and is a widely recognized expert on sustainability and transportation. The subcommittee studied Dr. Toor’s suggestions and compiled a table of Transportation Planning Elements, drawn from Transportation and the Sustainable College Campus (Toor and Havlik, 2004).
Dan Burden provided a bicycle and walking audit of WWU on December 5 and 9, 2005. Burden is an urban designer and former bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the State of Florida’s Department of Transportation. He has provided expert assistance in transportation system design for hundreds of cities in the US and throughout the world. The subcommittee provided suggestions for Dan Burden’s walking and bicycling audit of WWU and attended the audits. The subcommittee and other audit participants completed initial recommendations for walking and bicycling improvements to the campus and connecting city streets.
The observations and recommendations of both Toor and Burden inform and support the recommendations in this report.
Initial Questions/Research Recommendations
Specific recommendations for improvements are difficult without knowing the various ways individuals are getting to campus. In order to determine campus goals and actions for increased use of alternative transportation, the subcommittee recommends research be undertaken to answer the following questions:
· Alternative Transportation
o Where does now WWU stand in use of alternative transportation options?
o What is the transportation mode share split of the university community, both as a whole and segmented into the following groups: students, faculty, staff, administrative leaders, visitors, and community members?
· What are the desired and achievable mode share levels?
· What is the relationship of transportation practices to sustainability of the University overall?
Answers to these questions are essential in determining the transportation practices that should be supported and encouraged by the University, in order to meet University sustainability goals.
The subcommittee recommends the following research in order to provide answers to these questions, and identify goals, objectives and actions for increasing the number of people using transit and non-motorized transportation modes to the campus:
Policy Recommendation: Prioritize Sustainability and Integrate Planning
Transportation of people and goods to and within the university is an essential need. Integrated planning will result in safety and equity for all users and useable access for service providers. The movement of people, goods and services to and within all the areas and buildings must be considered in every aspect of campus planning. Integration of planning and provision for campus activities and growth with transportation planning is essential for a sustainable transportation system.
The subcommittee also recommends prioritization of planning for support of sustainable transportation practices in all areas of the university, including but not limited to: all support services, whether originating from on or off-campus; new buildings; retrofitting of buildings and infrastructure; academic activities; student activities; residential life; performing arts; athletic activities; and. community access.
Challenges
Meeting transportation needs at WWU will require gaining the understanding and on-going collaboration of the entire campus community, including students, faculty, administrators, support staff, outside service providers, and the attending community.
In order to respond to this mutual need, the Alternative Transportation Subcommittee recommends that WWU sponsor an annual Transportation and Parking Fair, for the purpose of providing information and increasing awareness of equitable, sustainable transportation options and benefits for campus stakeholders and the greater community.
Ongoing research and evaluation
Efforts toward understanding and solving the issues of transportation and campus sustainability are taking place at Western outside of Parking and Transportation Services and the Transportation Planning Initiatives Task Force. This involvement is evidence of the seriousness with which members of the WWU community approach the issue of transportation. Integrating these efforts and supporting the participation of the campus community in finding equitable, sustainable solutions to transportation problems is recommended. Continued communication and evaluation, drawing input from all university stakeholders, will be valuable in on-going implementation of sustainable transportation solutions.
For example, research could be used to determine whether increased flexibility in the parking system encourages the reduction of commute trips among employees who drive more than occasionally, but who may be able to eliminate one or more days of SOV commuting per week, and whether the cost of greater flexibility would be balanced by the benefits.
Development of Shared Vision
Shared governance requires development of a mutually agreed upon vision of equitable access for all stakeholder needs. A shared vision, along with transparently available costs and benefits of solution scenarios, will allow the University to develop and implement a sustainable transportation system to meet campus transportation needs in the coming decades. The ability to weigh costs and benefits, in terms of financial requirements, logistics, equity and sustainability of various concrete transportation scenarios, will provide the University with essential stakeholder acceptance of the most mutually agreeable solution.
Ongoing Program Recommendations
WWU should strive to inspire, educate and train all members of the campus community to incorporate sustainable and safe transportation practices into all their activities.
Education Program Outline
· Bicycle Safety Education – Provide orientation and ongoing resources and education for faculty, staff and students, including bicycle mobility, safety, and local way-finding.
· Transportation Orientation – Provide quarterly transportation orientation for all new students, and on-going safety education.
· Transportation and Parking Fair – Provide annual Transportation and Parking Fair to include WWU and the larger community. Include awareness of state and county CTR requirements and support, and recognize opportunities for community collaboration.
· Sustainability – Organize a campus sustainability conference, inviting regional and national experts and community participants.
Conclusion / Short-Term Recommendations
While emphasizing the implementation of research, policy, planning and operations procedures to support a sustainable university transportation system in the decades to come, the subcommittee also presents short-term recommendations in support of the president’s charge of continued encouragement for walking, bicycling, mass transit, vanpool and carpooling. These recommendations include for allocation of resources, development of educational programming, adjustment in parking and transportation policies, and improvements to the campus roadways and infrastructure. These recommendations are supported by Will Toor and Dan Burden’ visits to the campus.
· A name change is recommended for Parking and Transportation Department’s “Alternative Transportation Program” to “Sustainable Transportation Program” or “Transportation Options Program”.
· Create a permanent group to advise on improvements in sustainable transportation options, including safety, infrastructure, policy, operations and educational programming.
· Provide capital funding for infrastructure improvements supporting campus safety and sustainable transportation.
· Continue to evaluate and improve facilities for walking and bicycling.
· Adopt a policy of sustainable transportation practices, including a definition, vision and guiding principles for sustainable transportation.
· Include transportation in systemic planning and implementation of sustainable practices throughout University facilities and programs.
· Sustainable transportation practices should be systematically acknowledged and rewarded by University leadership.
· Identify and allocate sufficient staffing and budget resources to meet on-going university goals, programming and facility improvement needs, in order to continue increasing sustainable transportation options.
· Provide for ongoing periodic data collection for transportation system evaluation.
· Coordinate sustainable transportation operations with campus facilities, linking safety and access with planning, maintenance and construction activities.
· Provide alternative vehicles for campus use.
· Establish or re-evaluate policies to: