Bowling Green State University
OP-17: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
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Reporter |
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
The BGSU Bike rental program is BGSU’s community bike share program, available for an extremely moderate cost to any current student (undergraduate or graduate), faculty or staff member during the time period applicable to this application. It is operated by the Office of Campus Sustainability out of a garage/workshop area in a university warehouse just half a block from campus. Bicycles, provided to the program by University Police from the collection of lost, stolen and abandoned bikes each year, are repaired and assigned a fleet number to identify them as a program bike. An undergraduate student bike mechanic does regular maintenance on and continuously adds bikes to the fleet and provides routine maintenance to renters. The maintenance, as well as a new bike helmet are provided free with the cost of the rental. The garage is open 5 days a week for renters to bring in their bikes, if they need to. The program owns over 75 bikes, It encourages “emissions-free” transportation across campus as its primary customers are those who will use the bike as their primary form of transportation to and from as well as on campus, and because no new bikes are ever purchased. No new bikes are ever purchased.
Does the institution participate in a car sharing program?:
BGSU has contracted with Enterprise Car Rental, which has an office less than a mile from the BGSU campus, for various car rental services at discounted rates. This was done in connection with the overall reduction in the number of fleet vehicles across campus, especially vans and larger vehicles for spring break and weekend service and educational trips for classes and otherwise. Additionally, permanent spaces for two automobiles were created in spring, 2017 in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union parking lot that are available as part of the BGSU Enterprise Car Share program, which is available for students, faculty and staff.
Does the institution offer preferential parking or other incentives for fuel efficient vehicles?:
A brief description of the incentives for fuel efficient vehicles:
Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
Parking Lot A
Two new Chargepoint EV charging stations next to The Maurer Center. Both Chargepoint stations have the capacity to charge two cars simultaneously.
Parking Lot E
Next to the BGSU Heat Plant and railroad tracks, across the street from Bowen-Thompson Student Union on Thurstin St.
Parking Lot 8
Behind the Falcon Heights residence hall, on the corner of East Merry and Thurstin St.
Parking Lot 20
Just south of the BGSU Welcome Center.
Quick Facts:
- Parking is reserved for drivers who are actively charging their electric vehicles.
- No special permits are required to park and charge regardless of the parking lot.
- Drivers only need to pay for the meter ($1.00 for one hour, for a max of up to two hours).
- Parking space/meter is enforced 24/7 (including weekends and holidays).
Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
Does the institution have other programs or initiatives to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation and/or reduce the impact of student and employee commuting?:
A brief description of other programs or initiatives to encourage more sustainable modes of transportation and/or reduce the impact of student and employee commuting:
The BGSU Campus Shuttle operates 4 routes that allow anyone in Bowling Green to ride free of charge. Two routes are on campus and traverse all of the Residence Halls, Dining Halls, worksites such as Campus Operations, the Student Recreation Center, Jerome Library, and athletics locations. Students can also use the BGSU Shuttles to get to the high-density college rental area south of campus as well as Meijer for groceries without having to own a car or walk a long distance.
It is well known that the more people utilize public transportation, the more individual trips decrease and the emissions of one single vehicle is shared by more people. The Campus Shuttles have routes that cover campus and beyond so that students don’t have to drive. The shuttles can be tracked live on their routes during the academic year at https://bgsu.transloc.com/ or on the BGSU Transloc App, available for download on Apple and Android phones. Six BGSU Campus Shuttles were converted to run on propane, which burns cleaner than diesel and has led to the reduction of up to 24% of the greenhouse gas emissions that the shuttles have produced since their implementation in 2017.
Optional Fields
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.