Boston University
OP-21: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Boston University has nine indoor bicycle parking facilities. Five are in dorms located on the Charles River Campus at 504 Park Drive, 33 Harry Agganis Way, 10 Buick Street, and 700 Commonwealth Avenue with a total capacity for more than 550 bicycles. The 33 Harry Agganis Way location also provides shower facilities and lockers for cyclists. The Boston University Medical Campus has two indoor bicycle cages located at 710 Albany St and 88 East Newton Street; combined the cages hold 372 bikes. Cyclists also can take advantage of amenities like our 3 bike pumps and bike tools in the bike cage and, if they forget their lock, they can borrow one for 48 hours.

There are over 4,100 bike spaces along the Charles River campus; 600 of which are found within bike rooms throughout the campus with the remaining spaces within bike racks strategically placed in courtyards, beside buildings, along pedestrian malls as well as along Commonwealth Ave. A map of these spaces can be found by visiting our bike safety website at bu.edu/bikesafety. If bikers discover a location with insufficient bicycle parking, they are encouraged to inform Parking & Transportation Services of that location in an email. Parking & Transportation Services quickly evaluate and respond to all suggestions. There are also several bike racks located on the BUMC campus including racks at the 610 & 710 Albany Street Garages which are sheltered from the weather. Other locations for racks are: BMC Menino Pavilion, Albany St. outside the Boston Medican Center Emergency Entrance, East Concord St. in front of the Medical School and East Concord St. close to the Talbot building. The 8 bike racks can hold a total of 137 bikes.

Boston University is an active partner with the City of Boston's Boston Bikes and MassBike.org; promoting City and State laws and initiatives.  In addition to a Bike Safety Committee comprised of students, faculty and staff, the University maintains a Bike Safety website (www.bu.edu/bikesafety) which promotes safety education and awareness, safety and advanced riding classes, racks & routes interactive Google maps, and community cycling events and activities. The University stenciled "Look Left for Bikes" in every crosswalk and enhanced the City's bike lanes with florescent green paint and reflectors in the leading edge of the lanes.  Lastly, the University sponsors an annual Bike & Pedestrian Safety Day (5,000+ average attendance) and distribute materials with local cycling laws and cycling safety tips to over 11,000 on-campus undergrads. The City of Boston has installed bike lanes on Albany Street which borders BUMC. The campus has sidewalks and pathways for walking between buildings. TranSComm is also a member of WalkBoston which promotes walking safer and easier in Massachusetts to encourage better health, a cleaner environment and vibrant communities.

In August 2011 the City of Boston’s Hubway program was launched with more than 600 bicycles at 61 stations located widely throughout Boston. Six Hubway stations are located on the Charles River Campus and one is located at the Medical Campus. In 2012, Hubway expanded into surrounding neighborhoods and communities, creating a more robust regional system.

Boston's annual Bike Friendly Business Awards recognize companies that incorporate bike-friendly practices that encourage their employees or customers to ride their bikes.. Each year, more Boston companies apply for “bicycle-friendly” status. Gold, Silver, and Bronze awards are distributed according to the number and scope of bike friendly practices a company undertakes. Basic practices include installation of outdoor bike racks, financial incentives for bike commuters, or frequent use of bike messengers. More significant steps are recognized at a higher level, such as providing secure covered bike parking, offering shower facilities for commuter employees, or making Hubway corporate memberships available. In 2014, The Charles River Campus received a Bronze Medal.

The Charles River Campus is organized along the MBTA’s B Line with nine campus stops along Commonwealth Avenue. The C and D lines serve South Campus. Boston’s mass transit network extends beyond its subway and trolley system with four bus lines that serve the Charles River Campus. Boston University also runs the Boston University Shuttle: “The BUS”, a free inter-campus shuttle service between the Charles River Campus and the Medical Campus which now incorporates 13 stops. Service has continuously been upgraded with buses added, and hours extended, including late night and evening shuttle service along the Charles River Campus. The BUS operates on a 10 to 20 minute frequency on a daily basis depending on the time of day and has real time tracking available on mobile devices. The MIT shuttle bus provides a link between the Charles River and MIT campuses. The Medical Campus (BUMC) has eight bus routes which connect the University with twelve neighboring communities. The MBTA offers a Semester T-Pass program through the University and BUMC, which provides an 11% discount. Monthly T-Passes are available with pre-tax dollars for faculty and staff on the CRC through the Employee MBTA Pass Program, and on the the BUMC campus, through the BUMC Parking and Transportation Office (TranSComm).

Any BU CRC employee who uses public transportation, carpools, vanpools, bikes, or walks to work at least three days per week may use through our affiliation with the AB TMA. Employees are eligible for up to six rides per year. When enrolled in the program and an emergency arises, you can simply make a phone call and the AB TMA will cover all costs for your trip including gas, tolls and gratuity, with no distance limits.

The BU Rideshare Database was developed to help interested members of the Boston University Community coordinate carpooling with like-minded colleagues. The Rideshare Database requires secure access with a username and password in order to log into the system. On BUMC, carpoolers get preferential parking as they are allowed to park on the first floor of the 610 Albany St garage. BU currently has over 100 active carpoolers.

Boston University supports car sharing through its partnership with Zipcar, where students, faculty and staff can receive discounted memberships. Nine Zipcar vehicles are located on the Charles River Campus and the Medical Campus has four conveniently situated Zipcar locations, two on campus and two across the street. Members can choose between hybrids and other low emissions vehicles, all of which have been SmartWay Certified by the Environmental Protection Agency. Students, faculty, and staff can join Zipcar for only $25 per year, pay no application fee, no monthly minimum, and no membership deposit.

On the Charles River Campus there are 4- Dual ChargePoint EV Stations allowing for up to 8 vehicles to be charged at any given time located in 4 different parking lots. On the Medical Campus there are 4 240V-charging stations which can accommodate 8 cars at once, and 2 120V charging stations which can accomodate 2 cars at once for a total of 10 EV parking spots.

The Office of Rental Property Management offers and promotes On Campus Housing to Faculty and Staff. Discounted MBTA passes, the BUS and Zipcar discounts with thirteen Zipcars on campus are a few other incentives and programs to encourage employees to live close to campus.

BU prohibits idling. Massachusetts State regulation of a five minute limit for idling is enforced at Boston University. The Medical Campus has “no idling” signs posted. Academy Bus, the company that manages the Boston University Shuttle complies with the Massachusetts State regulation. If The BUS is idling beyond 5 minutes, the bus automatically turns off.

http://www.bu.edu/parking/ These are the websites for the Parking and Transportation Services office at BU, who also oversees the campus shuttle system and the bike safety website which promotes cycling and safety. These other services' websites are also located within these websites.