Blueprint for a Green Campus (2001 Update)

Growing Without Increasing Traffic

The Vision

CU caps traffic at today's levels by growing in such a way that there is no net increase in single occupant vehicle trips by students, faculty and staff.

There has been some discussion in the Blueprint Committee about adopting a modified version of this vision, such as "CU will increase the percentage of trips taken in modes other than single occupant vehicles." There are two key components that would be required to accomplish either of these visions. First, we need to define what "today's levels" are and how they are to be measured. We need to design and implement a process to monitor single occupant vehicle trips and the overall modal split on an ongoing basis. Second, we need to design and implement an integrated travel demand management (TDM) program for the Boulder Campus.

Several studies have been conducted over the years looking at CU Boulder's transportation patterns. In most cases these studies have used different methodologies, leaving us with results that are not comparable over time. The one transportation monitoring instrument that has been used consistently is the survey of faculty/staff Eco Pass use from 1998 to the present.

Progress Towards the Goal

Over the years, CU Boulder has been one of the leading campuses in the area of travel demand management programs. We have many of the pieces needed for a maximum effectiveness TDM program. What is now needed is an assessment of what more can be done and how best to integrate the different aspects. Following is what is currently in place:

Pedestrian

An extensive network of pedestrian pathways on campus and connecting campus with adjacent areas.
A workday pedestrian-transit mall in the center of campus to limit conflicts between automobiles and pedestrians, buses and cyclists in the campus core.
A Night Ride / Night Walk program to provide night-time security for faculty, staff and students walking on campus after dark.
Thirty-one emergency phones on campus.

Bicycle

Bicycle dismount areas to reduce conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists in areas of high pedestrian traffic.
Multi-use paths with separate lanes for bicyclists and pedestrians to reduce modal conflicts.
Seventeen underpasses on the periphery of campus separate bicyclists and pedestrians from cars.
Thirty bicycle paths, lanes and routes connect the campus with the community.
Approximately 7,000 bicycle parking spaces on campus.
A bicycle registration program designed to assist in returning recovered stolen bicycles to their owners.

Transit

Student Bus Pass Program. If "no free parking" is the stick, this is a big carrot. Students have twice voted in favor of a transportation fee to buy bus passes for every student: in 1991 by a 4 to 1 margin and again in 1997 by a 16.5 to 1 margin.
Faculty/Staff Eco Pass Program. This is another big incentive. All our continuing faculty and staff members have access to a free, unlimited-access transit pass.
A high frequency shuttle (the Buff Bus) between the Main Campus and the Smiley Court and Williams Village housing areas.
A high frequency bi-directional shuttle (the HOP) linking campus with the Hill, Newton Court Housing, Downtown, and the Crossroads Mall.
A new high-frequency shuttle (the BOUND) linking Williams Village, Smiley Court and much private student housing to the East Campus, Crossroads Mall, the Base Mar Shopping Center and many other transit services.
A new high-frequency shuttle (the LEAP) linking CU's Pearl-East offices with downtown, Main Campus (via the HOP and SKIP) and East Campus (via the Bound).
Thirteen transit information displays with bus schedules and maps in campus buildings in various locations.
Eight transit information displays with transit maps in residence halls.
A ski bus program providing low cost round trip weekend service to three ski resorts throughout the ski season.
A campus parking map that also shows the location of the 75 bus stops on or near campus.
A new employee orientation that explains the Eco Pass benefit to all new staff employees.
A late night shuttle service (Night HOP I and II) providing service between campus and downtown until 3 AM on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.
A changed habits in parking (CHIP) program to provide discounted one-day parking permits to regular parking permit holders who give up their unlimited access permits. This could be extended to all alt. mode users.

Automobile

No free parking on campus. This is a vital, central component of a TDM program. The price level determines the strength of the incentive created.
Effective parking enforcement. Without effective enforcement the incentive value of paid parking declines.
A carpool parking permit that allows members of a carpool to share the cost of a single permit.

General

A Guaranteed Ride Home program providing faculty and staff who use alternate modes with a free taxi ride home in the event of an emergency.
Commitment to a modal hierarchy. Two master plans, spanning eighteen years, have reinforced our intention that CU Boulder is designed first and foremost as a pedestrian campus. In order of priority after pedestrians, we are committed to supporting bicycling, transit and then automobiles. There is some question whether actual investment priorities follow the hierarchy.
A campus transportation directory on the web and in the campus phone directory.

The above is quite an impressive list! All of the individuals, offices and departments that have worked to create and maintain these programs and facilities deserve a big hand.

Next Steps

In spite of the impressive list above, there are many more things that can be done to help reduce traffic and parking congestion on campus. Several are discrete programs that can be added or improved, but parking pricing is perhaps the most important element because it creates the market and mind-set within which most campus people make their transportation choices on a daily basis.

The Campus Master Plan links additional Main Campus parking development to three requirements. One relevant here is:

"Additional Main Campus parking will be developed at one or both of the two identified parking structures sites … 2) if alternative mode programs do not provide adequate mobility".

This language, along with the modal hierarchy, seems to establish a priority for alternate mode development, over and/or in advance of, automobile parking development. The suggestion is that the university define what its alternative mode programs will be; fully implement those; and then determine if there is "adequate mobility". If yes, no additional parking is needed, if no, additional Main Campus parking is warranted under this requirement.

This suggests that we need to define our view of CU Boulder's fully developed alternative mode programs and develop a timeline for their implementation. Once implemented, if we find that there is unmet demand, that we have the ability to provide additional parking affordably, and that we do not have adequate mobility, we will have satisfied the Master Plan requirements and be in the position to build additional Main Campus parking.

Recommended/Planned TDM additions:

Increase flexibility, convenience and cost incentives of part-time parking options for UCB alternate mode users.
Addition of regional bus service on 28th St. with stops at Bear Creek/Williams Village, and 28th and College by 2002/03.
High frequency STAMPEDE shuttle between Main and East Campus on Colorado. Expected 08/2002.
High frequency DASH shuttles from Boulder Walnut St. Station, along Broadway and South Boulder Road to Lafayette park-n-Ride. expected 09/2002.
Increase park-n-Ride parking along transit routes serving UCB 2001 & 2002
Target outlying communities for UCB alternate modes commuting outreach events.
Provide housing on campus and within Boulder on high frequency transit routes for a higher proportion of students, faculty and staff. The Board of Regents has approved a plan to develop 1900 student beds at Williams Village by 2008.

Overall Planning Recommendations:

Develop a parking and transportation micro-master plan for UCB.
Develop a TDM plan for UCB.
Conduct a survey on approaches to address a potential disparity between parking demand and parking supply. The circumstances around this issue have changed in light of both 1) elevated confirmation rates and more students than either Housing or PTS can accommodate, and, 2) proposals to further increase enrollments while removing additional parking supply and well in advance of our ability to address resulting parking supply/demand mismatch through TDM programs and/or parking construction. Participation from Housing and Admissions desired here.
Develop a range of parking and transportation scenarios examining the interaction of a variety of parking supply and travel demand management/modal shift options for UCB.
Consider joining the US 36 Transportation Management Organization.
Continue development of CU Inter-modal Transportation and Information Center project, with bus station, bike station, Broadway and Euclid underpasses and TEA-21 TIP funding request.
Examine the incentive structure created by the current parking pricing relationships.
Develop a clearer sense of what it costs the University to have a pedestrian, a cyclist, a transit rider, a car-pooler and an SOV user. If we set our pricing to reflect real costs to the University, to the extent that people respond to price signals, their choices will yield a more rational outcome for them and for the University.

Recommended/Planned Bicycle Improvements:

Create dedicated bicycle program with:

A $2/semester student fee for accelerated rack replacement/expansion and other bicycle capital improvements.

A dedicated campus bicycle program coordinator staff position funded with contributions from Parking, Housing and Facilities to match the capital funds provided by the students.

Coordination of bicycle education/outreach/marketing, registration, enforcement and station services.

Implement long-discussed E - W bicycle corridor along Pleasant Street through to Colorado.
Work with City to extend bike lanes/paths from 18th to 30th on Colorado.
Promotion of legislation to clarify and improve the status of bicyclists' right of way.
Develop a bicycle master plan for UCB.

F/S Eco Pass/Student Bus Pass Recommendations:

Combine faculty/staff Eco Pass marketing and outreach with Student Bus Pass Program marketing and outreach within the existing F/S Eco Pass Services Coordinator PDQ -- with Environmental Center budget support.

Automobile-Related Recommendations:

Increase UCB carpooling through enhanced incentives for car-poolers and improved ride-matching services.
Develop on-campus rental car services for UCB students -- to reduce the need to bring cars to campus and store them here full-time.

We need to take a hard look at the incentive structure created by the current pricing relationships. We need to develop a clearer sense of what it costs the University to have a pedestrian, a cyclist, a transit rider, a car-pooler and an SOV user. If we set our pricing to reflect real costs to the University, to the extent that people respond to price signals, their choices will yield a more rational outcome for them and for the University.

Emerging Issues

The Colorado Commission on Higher Education has proposed a set of guidelines for the creation of campus master plans which emphasizes the provision of parking, with almost no mention of transit, bicycles, or pedestrian access. This could affect campus planning in the long term.

As part of the development of Williams Village, CU will need to determine the amount of land to allocate to parking. The draft program plan suggested 0.75 parking space/person. There is a wide range at other schools, ranging from the University of California-Berkeley, which provides essentially no parking for residence halls, to Cornell University, which provides 0.15-0.25 spaces, up to some schools which provide 1 space/person. There is also an open question on whether students will be charged separately to cover the costs of providing parking, which could be very substantial, or whether all student residents there will subsidize parking through their rents.

Transportation Trends

The following are taken from the February 2001 "Modal Shift in the Boulder Valley" report, issued by the National Research Center and the City of Boulder:

Modal split of the student commute to campus: 1990-2000

Private Car

Walk

Bicycle

Transit

Williams Village Bus

1990

13.4%

53.8%

24.0%

2.1%

6.9%

2000

10.9%

54.7%

22.6%

6.5%

3.8%

Modal split for all student trips

Private Car

Walk

Bicycle

Transit

1990

54.9%

22.4%

19.7%

2.0%

2000

37.9%

18.9%

31.1%

12.1%

This modal split is dramatically different from the rest of the Boulder population, and even more different from national average modal splits (taken from the National Personal Transportation Survey conducted by the US Department of Transportation). For comparison,

Private Car

Walk

Bicycle

Transit

Boulder

65.3%

19.8%

10.0%

4.9%

National

86.1%

5.4%

0.7%

3.5%

The following information is taken from the May 2000 Faculty/Staff Bus Pass Tracking Survey conducted by RTD:

In May 2000, 31% of Buff OneCard holders used the bus at least one day per week to commute to work, unchanged from the prior year. For the equivalent base of respondents, 17% used the bus at least once a week prior to the introduction of the Buff OneCard.
Twenty-seven percent of all respondents ride the bus to work at least one day during a typical week. This number remains unchanged from last year but has increased from 24% in March 1998. The percentage of faculty who use the bus at least one day per week continued to rise, from 18% in March to 23% last year and 30% this year.
Fifty-nine percent of all respondents had a CU parking permit before the Buff OneCard was available to them. By this year, this percentage showed a significant decrease to 49%.
The percentage of faculty respondents with a CU parking permit decreased slightly from prior to the Buff OneCard program until May 2000, from 71% to 64%. For staff respondents, it decreased significantly from 56% prior to the introduction of the Buff OneCard to 45% in May 2000.
On average, respondents traveled 10.6 miles one-way on their commute to work, up from 9.0 miles a year ago. As in previous surveys, the commute was longer for respondents with a CU parking permit, with 12.7 miles on average, than for respondents without a parking permit, with 8.6 miles.

What's New?

Blueprint for a Green Campus (2001 Update)

Growing Without Increasing Traffic

The Vision

Progress Towards the Goal

Next Steps

Emerging Issues