Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 68.71
Liaison Keisha Payson
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Bowdoin College
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.80 / 2.00 Keisha Payson
Sustainability Director
Sustainable Bowdoin
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

Support for Cyclists and Pedestrians 

Does the institution provide secure bicycle storage (not including office space), shower facilities, and lockers for bicycle commuters?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:
There are showers and lockers available for bicycle commuters in the Morrell Gymnasium and Farley Field House.

Does the institution provide short-term bicycle parking for all occupied buildings and makes long-term bicycle storage available for students who live on-site (if applicable)?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:
There is no one building on campus for indoor commuter bike storage, but there are dozens of bicycle racks throughout campus where commuters can park their bikes, including three bike racks that are either covered or under a roof overhang, thus protecting bicycles during inclement weather. Additionally, all of the 8 first-year residence halls and 8 College Houses, as well as several other residence halls around campus, have indoor bike storage facilities.

Does the institution have a bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy (or adhere to a local community plan/policy) that sets standards and practices for campus streets to enable safe access for all users?:
No

A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:
Bowdoin College has a continuous network of dedicated paths that are used by both pedestrians and cyclists, but the institution has not adopted marked lanes.

Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
Yes

A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
Bowdoin students run a Yellow Bicycle Club (YBC) from which members have access to a fleet of bicycles around campus for a small fee. Current YBC membership stands at 80, which is limited by the number of bicycles that can be stored during the winter months and the summer months.

Mass Transit Programs 

Does the institution offer free or reduced price transit passes and/or operate a free campus shuttle for commuters?:
Yes

A brief description of the mass transit programs:
Students traveling around campus can access the Bowdoin Shuttle, the Brunswick Taxi, and the Yellow Bike Club bicycles - all subsidized by Bowdoin Student Government (BSG). SHUTTLE: Sunday – Wednesday: 6 p.m. – 2 a.m. Thursday – Saturday: 6 p.m. – 3 a.m. They have stops at most dorms YELLOW BIKE CLUB: The BSG provides funding for the Yellow Bike Club, a service that allows students to rent bikes for a full semester at a low membership fee. Additionally, members to the club have full access to their bike repair hours. This service is in line with our goals to make Bowdoin a more green and sustainable campus. BRUNSWICK TAXI: Offers free rides anywhere within one mile of campus between 11PM-1AM on Tuesday/Thursday and 11pm-2am on Friday/Saturday CARPOOLING: Rideboard Drivers: post on the Rideshare App and/or the online Rideboard page how many spaces you have in your car, where you're going, and how much you'll charge for gas. Passengers: check the Rideshare / Rideboard postings and sign up For getting out of town, students can utilize the Metro Breeze public bus, the Amtrak Downeaster Train, and the Concord Coach Lines bus. METRO BREEZ BUS: Only $3 per ride. Bus from campus to the Portland Transportation Center with stops at LL Bean in Freeport and Route 1 in Yarmouth. Students can make connections to the Portland International Jetport, other buses, and trains. TRAIN: Amtrak Downeaster Station located in Brunswick Station (near Hannaford) Stops in Maine, southern New Hampshire, northern Mass, and Boston. Students can buy Amtrak discounted student multi-passes BUS: Concord Coach Lines stops at the Brunswick Station (near Hannaford). Provides service to Bangor, Orono, Portland, and Boston. Bowdoin students are eligible for a $5 discount on tickets to Bangor, Portland, Boston and Logan Airport with I.D.

Guaranteed Return Trip Program 

Does the institution offer a guaranteed return trip program to regular users of alternative modes of transportation?:
Yes

A brief description of the guaranteed return trip program:
The sustainability office directs faculty and staff to the Go MAINE commuter program from the sustainability website. One of Go MAINE’s biggest benefits is the Emergency Ride Home program, available, free of charge, to Mainers enrolled in the Go Maine NuRide program. The benefit allows for a free (or reimbursed) taxi ride or rental car home in the event of a workday emergency.

Carpool/Vanpool Programs 

Does the institution participate in a car/vanpool or ride sharing program and/or offer reduced parking fees or preferential parking for car/vanpoolers?:
Yes

A brief description of the carpool/vanpool program:
Bowdoin promotes the Go MAINE carpool matching tool NuRide to facilitate employee carpool matching. NuRide provides an easy method of finding a carpool match as well as calculating the fuel and dollars saved by car pooling. The College also has a student RideShare program where students can request or offer each other student rides.

Car Sharing Program 

Does the institution participate in a car sharing program, such as a commercial car-sharing program, one administered by the institution, or one administered by a regional organization?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the car sharing program:
Bowdoin participates in the ZipCar program and has three ZipCars on campus available to Bowdoin members for use 24-hours-a-day with a membership fee of $15 and a low price of $7.50/hr. - $8.50/hr. or $69 per day. The program is open to the local community as well.

EV Recharging Stations 

Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
Bowdoin has 2 publicly available Level-2 charging stations located in a centrally located campus parking lot.

Telecommuting and Condensed Work Week Programs 

Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
No

None
A brief description of the telecommuting program:
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Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
No

A brief description of the condensed work week option:
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Other Strategies to Reduce the Impacts of Commuting 

Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
No

None
A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
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Does the institution employ other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting (e.g. preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles, cash-out of parking programs)?:
Yes

A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:
Bowdoin has a few FEV parking spaces on campus located close to buildings as incentives for purchasing fuel-efficient vehicles.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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