Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 73.41
Liaison Jillian Leach
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

California State University, Chico
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Fletcher Alexander
Sustainability Programs Manager
Institute for Sustainable Development
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

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

A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:

The campus has two covered bike parking areas and two sets of six secure bike lockers that are available to rent by the semester. Showers are available for commuters in three different buildings on campus; lockers are available in at least two. In addition, the campus provides air pumps, both mechanical and manual, at a few different locations. The Associated Students runs a Bike Cart that provides maintenance services for all campus riders at low costs and is open in two different locations five days a week.


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

A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:

The 119 acre main campus has nearly 4,500 bike parking stalls spread most parts of the campus. These stalls are of three main types primarily, with Park-A-Bike's University model the current campus standard. The majority of the parking racks are located near the campus perimeter as riding on most parts of the main campus isn't allowed. The majority of campus buildings are on or near the riding perimeter and have racks adjacent; those in the campus core have fewer racks immediately adjacent. All of the campus residence halls have large bike parking areas immediately adjacent to provide long-term storage for residents.


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?:
Yes

A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:

The University Master Plan addresses and sets standards for campus streets and walkways. There is only one main through-campus street open to public vehicle traffic: it includes bi-directional bike lanes and a number of marked pedestrian crossings. Campus walkways are open to pedestrian traffic but not bicycle riders. There is signage to dismount and substantial numbers bike racks at all of the primary campus entry points. On-campus fleet vehicle traffic has been reduced significantly in recent years, with barrier arms installed at three of the primary vehicle entry points. Many campus fleet vehicles have been converted to smaller fully-electric models.


Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
No

A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:

N/A


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:

The Division of Business and Finance and the Associated Students jointly subsidize free bus ridership on all county buses (Butte Regional Transit or "B-Line") for all faculty, staff, and students. A student or staff ID card (Wildcat Card) can be used to access buses, including the B-Line student shuttles that operate while school is in session. This long-standing subsidy has historically seen significant use by the student body and relatively less, but still steady, use by staff and faculty.


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 University Police Department also operates a free campus shuttle - the 'Campus Connection.' The Campus Connection is a shuttle service provided FREE of charge by the University Police Department to all members of the campus community as an alternative to walking on campus at night. Currently, Campus Connection operates every night from 6:00pm until midnight during the fall & spring semesters.


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:

Carpool parking placards are available if you live outside of Chico and have purchased a parking permit. Once you have been issued and display a carpool placard, you may park in designated carpool spaces. Carpool parking spaces are identified on the CSU, Chico campus parking map. Applications for carpool parking are available from the CSU, Chico Police Department (530-898-5555) and must be re-submitted each semester with a minimum of two participants.


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

A brief description of the car sharing program:

The campus has participated in Zipcar car sharing program since 2010. There are currently two Zipcars housed on campus - one near the residence halls and one across the street from the student union building. Membership is open to students, staff, faculty and community members. Zipcar is a membership-based carsharing program providing automobile reservations to its members, billable by the hour or day. Members have 24/7 access to the cars, and reservations come with insurance and gas included. The cars are well-maintained and kept clean.


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

A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:

"RE" (Reserved Electric) permits: This permit is available for use by electric or hybrid vehicles only. RE stalls are located on the top floor of Parking Structure 2, located at the corner of West 2nd and Chestnut Streets. There are nine stalls with charging stations. These permits are available to faculty or staff and are sold at a reduced rate.


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

A brief description of the telecommuting program:

N/A


Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
Yes

A brief description of the condensed work week option:

During the summer months most staff and faculty on campus work four ten-hour days and the campus is closed for the most part on Fridays through June, July and part of August. This measure was instituted primarily as a conservation and cost-saving measure to reduce energy load during peak summer months, but it does have the added benefit of reducing weekly commute miles travelled by staff and faculty roughly 20%.


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

A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:

N/A


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:

California State University, Chico (CSU, Chico), under the
direction of the Department of Facilities Planning in the
Business & Finance Division, conducted a planning effort to
explore the applicability and possible implementation of
transportation demand management (TDM) strategies for the
campus. TDM deals directly with the basic demand for travel by
affecting mode, time of day, frequency, and path of travel. TDM
includes a broad range of synergistic actions to reduce
vehicular travel. These strategies are intended to improve the
efficiency of the existing transportation system by encouraging
use of alternate travel modes to the single-occupancy vehicle
(SOV).


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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