California State University, Monterey Bay
IN-4: Innovation 4

CSUMB has been innovative in the last year with its development and implementation of the TRIPwise alternative transportation program.

The mission of TRIPwise is to create and communicate improved alternative transportation options, incentives, and resources at Cal State Monterey Bay.

Purpose of TRIPwise
1. Inform the campus community about alternatives to driving alone in a creative manner using a diverse array of media.
2. Create, conduct and promote programs to encourage the use of alternative transportation modes and better manage our existing transportation system.
3. Evaluate and improve alternative transportation offerings, programs, and resources on campus and beyond.
4. Pursue funding for alternative transportation programs and infrastructure.
5. Plan and implement projects and programs that improve the regional transportation system and campus community’s quality of life.
6. Engage in regional dialogue, public process, and coordination for policy, capital improvements, and emissions reduction efforts that affect transportation infrastructure, including circulation, rail and alternative transportation facilities.

Some major components of the program implemented in the last 18 months include:

Marketing/Identity Development. In 2010, Staff coordinated with students and the campus community to create a logo for all alternative transportation efforts on campus, and create a name for all future efforts of transportation demand management.

Website. The TRIPwise website was developed to help the campus community with a one-stop access to all transportation support information.

Outreach. A significant amount of outreach is performed for all aspects of the TRIPwise program. Outreach is performed in a myriad of methods on campus, including but not limited to: DJ Trip Campus Radio Program with interviews and transportation news (broadcast during the dinner hour, in the dining commons, and accessible on the web and on TV); table tent advertisements at all dining facilities; in-class presentations and lectures, and creation of class projects; outreach and presentations at elderly and youth education programs; support of class projects, including the My Eco Trip campus pledge and survey; tabling and presentations at orientations; specially designed banners in major public areas; email list serve; relevant postings via campus news forums; Facebook page; TRIPwise Thursdays transportation information forums; guided biking events with food and loot; reflective safety sticker giveaways; fluorescent safety t-shirt giveaways; event poster and bicycle storage facility design contests; comic artistic outreach pieces developed by students; video PSA’s; distribution of free community bike map; master TRIPwise brochure, and more.

Bicycle Boulevards. Design charrettes were held on campus with the campus community and the community at large to identify bike boulevard network and improvements. Bicycle Boulevard signage was developed in collaboration with campus partners and presented to the regional transportation agency for jurisdictional adoption, to be determined. Four miles of bicycle boulevards will be implemented in August 2011, and will be the first bicycle boulevards in Monterey County.

Bicycle Garage and Contest. Our campus is a prime destination for recreational, commuter and professional road and off-road cyclists, but our bicycle commuter percentage is extremely low. TRIPwise received a grant for an indoor bicycle storage garage from the local air district to encourage bicycle commuting, overcome a policy against indoor bike storage on campus, and provide a secure weather-proof solution to the severe rust issue since we are located in an extreme maritime climate. TRIPwise hosted a student green building design contest for an indoor bicycle storage garage, open to three schools. Entries were presented at a public event and reception, and judged by a professional and diverse panel including a student, architects, construction manager, recreation coordinator, student life leader, and three LEED accredited professionals. The winner received $350, and will be recognized at a public ceremony. The facility will undergo final designs and budgeting, and be constructed in 2012.

Shuttle and Unlimited Transit Program. Under TRIPwise, the University developed the most cost-effective unlimited transit pass program in North America. The program is designed whereas the transit agency operates the campus shuttle program with an improved 7 minute service frequency, and in turn all students, staff and faculty receive a UPASS (free unlimited universal transit pass anywhere the transit provider services). The UPASS also offers the same benefits to all persons with disabilities. Furthermore, the campus has worked with the Monterey-Salinas Transit to provide late-night services, revised routing to meet student needs, and an additional transit line paid for by the County transportation agency that directly services campus, and acts as a supplemental campus shuttle. We are currently working on an integrated magnetic card access program to perform detailed transit ridership analysis. The data will be used to compare with the bi-annual traffic counts performed by TRIPwise and a traffic consultant.

Electric Vehicle Efforts. See Innovation Credit 3. These efforts stand alone as innovative, but are coordinated under TRIPwise.

Community Bike Map. The TRIPwise program hired a student and worked with seven public agencies to develop the most precise bicycle map of the campus and surrounding communities. The purpose of the map is to provide the campus community with all the best routes for biking, and over 30 destinations that students love, to encourage recreational and commuter cycling. The map is distributed throughout campus and the community, and even more importantly included as a “gift” inside of a master TRIPwise brochure. The TRIPwise brochure is like a Cliff’s notes comprehensive quick reference guide for transportation resources. The student has now developed professional relationships with all seven agencies and is now employed with the local transit agency, gaining professional experience in his educational focus area.

Bicycle Infrastructure Evaluation. TRIPwise worked with students to conduct a bicycle parking analysis, which has now turned into a student capstone project, which will result in capturing multiple years of bicycle rack location, condition, capacity, and saturation for purposes of baseline and comparison analysis over time. This has allowed the University to site new bike racks at appropriate strategic locations, move existing underutilized racks to areas of greatest need, confidently site the indoor bicycle storage garage, and more.

Internal and External Relations. TRIPwise participates on internal committees, and exterior agency committees, to collaborate with all entities affecting transportation issues on campus and within our greater community.

In January 2010 CSUMB Campus Planning and Development hired a Transportation Planner, Megan Tolbert. Since that time, Ms. Tolbert has led the development of the TRIPwise program and collaborated with internal and external partners, focusing on development of the student interest and experience on alternative transportation projects and matters. For this work, Ms. Tolbert received the 2010 Transportation Excellence Award from the Transportation Agency of Monterey County, was nominated for the 1st annual Clean Air Awards by Breathe California Central Coast, and was recognized as a 2011 Local Hero by the Monterey County Weekly.