Overall Rating Gold
Overall Score 69.22
Liaison Leslie Raucher
Submission Date Dec. 11, 2023

STARS v2.2

Barnard College
OP-16: Commute Modal Split

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 4.33 / 5.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Total full-time equivalent student enrollment:
2,995

Full-time equivalent of employees:
871

Part 1. Student commute modal split

Has the institution gathered data about student commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of students that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
85.20

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about student commuting:
In the fall of 2022, 78.89% of students resided in college housing either on campus or within walking distance and were assumed to utilize modes such as walking, biking, taking the bus, or using the campus shuttle.

The zip codes of students living off-campus were provided by the registrar. Approximately 6.31% of students inhabit zip codes within New York City or directly adjacent counties, ensuring a commute time of one hour or less on public transportation. These students are presumed to rely on public transportation due to the following considerations:

Location: Barnard College is situated in New York City, specifically in the borough of Manhattan. The campus has limited space, and the college does not offer parking for students, faculty, or staff. Furthermore, frequent Alternate Side Parking (street cleaning) occurs, making street parking largely unavailable during key class periods.

Time: Rush hour traffic poses a significant concern, leading to potentially inflated commute times. Street parking is scarce and often entails prolonged circling. In the absence of street parking, the nearest "affordable" parking lot is a 20-minute walk away, with the two closest options charging $45 per day.

Cost: Accessing the city by car involves crossing tunnels and bridges such as the Lincoln & Holland tunnels, the George Washington, Bayonne & Goethals bridges, or the Outerbridge Crossing, all of which have tolls ranging from $13.38 to $17.63. Metered street parking with class friendly (early morning) alternate side parking is priced at $1.50 per hour. The most economical parking lot within a 20-minute walk charges $18 per day. Additionally, students incur expenses related to gas.

The zip codes included, beyond NYC, encompass areas in NJ (Bergen, Essex, and Hudson Counties) and NY (Westchester County). However, students in these areas have not been surveyed.

Part 2. Employee commute modal split

Has the institution gathered data about employee commuting behavior?:
Yes

Total percentage of employees that use more sustainable commuting options as their primary mode of transportation:
91.75

A brief description of the method(s) used to gather data about employee commuting:
A survey was sent to every faculty and staff member. Of the 315 responses which included information on communting, 91.75% indicated their primary more of transportation is sustainable. Only 26 respondents commute by car only and work 3 or more days a week on campus.

Optional Fields 

Percentage of students and employees that use the following as their primary mode of transportation:
Percentage of students (0-100) Percentage of employees (0-100)
Single-occupancy vehicle --- ---
Zero-emissions vehicle --- ---
Walk, cycle, or other non-motorized mode --- ---
Vanpool or carpool --- ---
Public transport or campus shuttle --- ---
Motorcycle, motorized scooter/bike, or moped --- ---
Distance education / telecommute --- ---

Website URL where information about student or employee commuting is available:
---

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
---

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.