New Mexico State U Named 'Bronze Bicycle Friendly'
The designation from the League of American Bicyclists recognizes the university’s commitment to improving conditions for bicycling through investment in bicycling promotion, education programs, infrastructure and pro-bicycling policies.
New Survey Reveals U Oregon Community Favors Alt Transportation
The survey earlier this year of students, faculty and staff showed that only 18 percent of the campus drives alone to work, with bicycling the top commute choice (21 percent). The survey also found that about 62 percent of students and 72 percent of faculty and staff have bikes and almost half of students live within one mile of campus, significantly reducing the need to drive or own a car.
Yale U Introduces New Bike Share Program
(U.S.): The university has launched a six-month pilot with the bike-sharing company Zagster. The company has provided Yale with 50 bicycles and an online reservation system that is available to current students, faculty and staff. Zagster requires an online registration and a $20 annual membership fee — which will be fully reimbursed for registrants who subsequently complete a Bike Safety class offered by Yale Environmental Health and Safety.
Georgetown U Mobile App Allows Users to Track Buses
The university has debuted a new GPS-tracking feature for campus shuttles. NextGUTS maps the location of the next available Georgetown University Transportation Shuttle (GUTS) in real time, allowing anyone with a mobile device to access estimated times of arrival for the next available shuttles.
U Buffalo Debuts Bike Share Program
The university’s office of Sustainability has partnered with the office of Parking and Transportation Services, Buffalo BikeShare and a New York-based company to launch a beta test of a new bicycle-sharing program. BikeShare harnesses GPS technology, allowing users to track and rent a bicycle with the convenience of a mobile device or computer during the beta test phase. Bicycles can also be rented from the keypad interface on the bicycle.
Harvard U Police Department Converts to Hybrid and Electric Fleet
The university’s police departed has converted its entire fleet of marked patrol cars to hybrid and electric vehicles, in part to address growing concerns about climate change and public health. The move is expected to cut costs for the department by increasing the fleet’s fuel economy by a factor of 10. The fleet conversion was funded by a Harvard Green Revolving Fund interest-fee loan administered by the Office of Sustainability and Campus Services.
SUNY ESF Launches Bicycle Safety Committee
The university has formed a Bicycle Safety Committee to provide a focus on education and improved communication on best practices as well as increasing bike infrastructure on campus. Since its launch, the committee has coordinated the curb removal from campus pathways, obtained a bicycle accident report from the City of Syracuse Police Department and began collaborating with neighborhood groups and city officials about making cycling safer.
Okanagan College Installs EV Charging Stations
The college has begun installing 10 electric vehicle charging stations at four of its campuses. The stations will be available to the public at the same rate as visitor parking fees. The chargers are part of a British Columbia Ministry of Environment’s initiative to have stations installed province-wide.
Moraine Valley CC Installs Electric Vehicle Chargers
(U.S.): Two electric vehicle charging stations are now open to the public at the cost of one dollar per hour. The station infrastructure was fully paid for through the EV Project, a U.S. Department of Energy funded program administered by ECOtality.
Appalachian State U Students Lobby to Legalize Skateboards
The university’s Sustainability Council has begun a campaign to make skateboards legal in the town of Boone and on campus. A transportation study conducted last year showed that among the general population, a significant percentage of students had a strong, positive response toward legalizing this type of eco-friendly transportation.
Northeastern U Installs Bike Repair Station
The university has installed a self-service bike repair stand on campus. The Student Government Association’s Renewable Energy Initiatives Board purchased the stand with money from the Renewable Energy Fund.
Quinnipiac U Partners with CT Rides
The university’s Sustainability Committee has partnered with CT Rides, a program sponsored by CT Department of Transportation, to encourage students to use alternate forms of transportation. Students will have the opportunity to earn rewards and discounts from local restaurants and businesses by riding the shuttles.
Santa Monica College Opens Bike Parking Lot
The college has opened a $600,000 bike parking lot that holds up to 400 bicycles. The three-quarter acre parking lot also provides secure skateboard parking and DIY fix-it stations.
Sarah Lawrence College Introduces Car Sharing Program
The college has partnered with Zipcar to offer a car sharing service for students, faculty, staff and members of the community. Students now have the opportunity to participate in the Students With Drive grant program, which provides students with free Zipcar membership and driving credits to support campus student organizations.
U North Carolina Earns ‘Best Workplaces for Commuters’ Honor
The university has been named “Best Workplaces for Commuters” by the National Center for Transit Research for its commitment to innovative sustainable transportation. Alternative transportation initiatives include on-campus car and bicycle sharing services and fare-free public transportation have led to an 8 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions from commuter vehicles since 2008.
U Arizona Creates Bicycling and Pedestrian Committee
Following the recommendations of a Parking and Transportation Services study, the university has created the Bicycle and Pedestrian Committee to improve the bicycle and pedestrian conditions for students, faculty, staff and visitors.
DePaul U Introduces Car Sharing Program
(U.S.): The university has partnered with Zipcar to launch a campus car sharing program for students, faculty, staff and members of the community. The program will initially offer five vehicles on campus.
Fayetteville State U Go Green Initiative Rewards Vehicle Owners
(U.S.): The university has created a program to reward owners of low-emitting and fuel-efficient vehicles. Commuter students and employees who own a vehicle that falls into those categories will be allowed to park in specially marked spaces near the front entrance of certain buildings on campus.
Harvard U Offers Benefits for Bicyclists
(U.S.): The CommuterChoice Program will offer bicyclists tax-free reimbursements for bike-related expenses, including purchase and repair, and will provide Emergency Ride Home services to faculty and staff commuters who do not travel by car.
Florida State U Installs Bike Repair Stations, Safety Lights
The university has installed free-to-use bike repair stations to provide users a variety of tools to fix their broken gears, collapsed chains, and low tires. “Bike boxes,” bright green squares containing a white bicycle logo, have also been installed at campus crosswalks to caution drivers of cyclists sharing the road.
North Central College Debuts First Electric Car Charging Station
The college has installed its first electric vehicle charging station. The station can simultaneously charge two electric vehicles and is free to use for students, faculty or staff. The sustainability coordinator will evaluate the project by collecting data about how often the station is being used and how much greenhouse gases have been reduced.
Triton College Installs Electric Car Charging Stations
The college has installed several new electric car charging stations. Charging rates for electric vehicles are one dollar an hour for students, faculty, and staff and two dollars an hour for the public. The stations were funded by a grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.
Montana State U Promotes Sustainable Transportation
The university’s Campus Sustainability Advisory Council and Western Transportation Institute, along with the City of Bozeman, have announced a challenge to promote more sustainable transportation choices in the greater Bozeman area. The Drive Less-Save More Challenge is a friendly competition between businesses, institutions and government agencies that is intended to help reduce times when employees drive alone. The challenge runs from Jan. 10 through Feb. 10.
Luther College Rideshare Program Expands to Graceland U
(U.S.): The college has expanded its Rideshare program to include Graceland University. A user-friendly new computer program was developed by a computer science student and faculty member to connect drivers in the community with riders looking to carpool to class or work.
Virginia Tech Students Launch Alternative Transportation Project
(U.S.): The institute’s Design for America chapter has launched “The BurgFinder”, a project to make alternative forms of transportation easier for students to access and understand. The group is designing and installing signs that present information regarding biking and walking in a simple and informative format.
Washington U St. Louis Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The Department of Energy, Environmental and Chemical Engineering has installed an electric-car charging station on campus. The university hopes the station will spur a campus trend toward more sustainable vehicles. The WeCar car sharing service has announced that it will soon have an electric car for student use. Implementation of the charging station was based on a sophomore chemical engineering student’s independent study project.
U Vermont Hosts First Bike Summit
The university has held its first annual Bike Summit in an effort to raise awareness about bike visibility on campus. The participants of the summit discussed options such as more bike racks around campus, more bike lanes downtown and a shop on campus to help with bike repairs.
Georgia Tech Creates Bike Sustainability Map
The Bicycle Infrastructure Improvement Committee, in partnership with Capital Planning and Space Management, has released the campus' first Bike Suitability Map. The map highlights trails based on level of difficulty and displays campus multi-use paths.
Bellevue College Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The college has installed a DC fast charger for electric vehicles on campus. The new charger utilizes direct current to provide an 80 percent charge in approximately 30 minutes. Four conventional chargers have also been installed at the college in recent months, and all five stations are available to the public for a fee.
Vanderbilt U Goes Solar with Electric Vehicle Charging Station
(U.S.): The university’s solar-powered electric vehicle charging station can accommodate 10 vehicles and joins five other stations scattered across the university campus and medical center. The Smart Modal Area Recharge Terminal station is a joint project of the university, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and the Electric Power Research Institute.
U Michigan Installs Bike Pump and Service Stations
In celebration of bike week, the university has installed two bicycle tire pumps and a repair stand on campus. Officials and student bike ambassadors explained how to use the repair and pump stations during Bike Fest, the university’s first bicycle resource fair.
Humboldt State U Connects to Hydrogen Highway
A newly completed upgrade to the university’s hydrogen fueling station has connected the campus to California’s Hydrogen Highway. A new compressor allows hydrogen-fueled vehicles to travel up to 400 miles nonstop, linking them to other hydrogen fueling stations in the region. The state-funded station upgrade is one of several initiatives aimed at creating the fueling infrastructure necessary to support the broad-scale adoption of hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles.
League of American Bicyclists Names Bike-Friendly Universities
The League of American Bicyclists has designated nine new schools to its "Bicycle Friendly Universities" list, bringing the total to 44 institutions in 25 states. The newly recognized institutions include Eastern Mennonite University, Pennsylvania State University, Princeton University, Rochester Institute of Technology, State University of New York at Buffalo, University of Denver, University of Kentucky, University of Utah, and Yale University.
Parkland College Purchases Hybrid Car, Installs Charging Station
The college has purchased a hybrid car for its Department of Public Safety and has begun installing an electric vehicle charging station that will be available for public use. The college’s Sustainable Campus Committee spearheaded the charging station project.
U North Texas Installs Electric Vehicle Charging Stations
Six electric vehicle charging stations are being built on campus as a result of a student-proposed idea. The We Mean Green Fund committee purchased the stations for $65,737, while ECOtality provided the university with an additional $13,500.
Pittsburg State U Staff to Use Ride Share Program
(U.S.): To show support for the university’s sustainability efforts, the Unclassified Staff Senate has begun promoting ride sharing. Staff will be able to use a shared Zimbra to find others with corresponding campus commutes.
Queen’s U Introduces Car Sharing Program
(Canada): The university has partnered with VRTUCAR to offer a new car sharing program that will provide the campus community with an alternative transportation option and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This initiative will include one shared car and the car-sharing company will cover the cost of insurance, gas, maintenance and snow tires.
U California Berkeley Installs DIY Bike Repair Station
(U.S.): The do-it-yourself repair station is the first of three planned by the university’s Office of Parking and Transportation as part of a wider effort to accommodate increasing demand for bicycle services on campus. The station is equipped with screwdrivers, a tire pump and a reference code to access detailed repair instructions on Internet-enabled phones.
Virginia Tech Ambassadors Build Biking Community
(U.S.): The university’s Alternative Transportation Program has implemented the Bicycle Ambassador Program in an effort to encourage safe, responsible bicycle usage among students and faculty. Student ambassadors volunteer their time each week in order to teach cyclists of all skill levels about appropriate bicycling behavior. The ambassadors plan to hold bicycle repair workshops and registration drives, and gather feedback regarding what students want out of biking services on campus.
