| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 81.34 |
| Liaison | Mary Whitney |
| Submission Date | Nov. 26, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Chatham University
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Mary
Whitney University Sustainability Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
Does the institution provide secure bicycle storage (not including office space), shower facilities, and lockers for bicycle commuters?:
A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:
Chatham Bike Works is located on the lower level of Woodland Hall. It combines indoor bike parking with a bike workshop and classroom. There are lockers reserved only for bike commuters. Showers are located at the AFC, about 50 feet away. Eastside bike facilities include lockers and showers. Eden Hall has bike parking at every building, showers and lockers at the Lodge.
https://www.chatham.edu/outreach/sustainability/bikeworks.cfm
Eastside only has outdoor bike parking, but does have lockers and showers.
Chatham's Eden Hall campus has outdoor bike racks on campus by the dormitory building, main campus building (EBC) and campus cafe (Dairy Barn). The outdoor bike rack located outside the dormitory build is covered.
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)?:
A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:
Long-term bike storage is available for students at Chatham Bike Works over breaks, on a first-come first s-served basis until slots are full (We can take 16.)
All residence halls (not all apartments) have bicycle parking within 30 feet or much less. Occupied non-residential buildings have bike parking nearby, although not always within 50 feet. There is bike parking at the library, cafe, dining hall, and main administration building. Chatham's Shadyside campus is compact, and it is possible to walk from one end to the far other end of campus in about 15 minutes. Our parking lots for cars are at the edge of campus, and people walk once arriving on campus. This is no different for cyclists. There is bike parking at centralized locations at the Eden Hall campus in similar fashion as explained above. Eastside bike parking is less than 50 feet from the main entrance.
https://www.chatham.edu/outreach/sustainability/bikeworks.cfm
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?:
A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:
We have a bike plan as part of the Institutional Master Plan (see PA2) and also use the American League of Cyclists and Bike Pgh assessments/recommendations as our plan.
Chatham has walk/bike-only paths through campus, with no cars allowed on them. We only have one road on the Shadyside campus, and the same at Eden Hall.
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
Chatham rents bicycles at $85 per semester or $135 per year to any Chatham member. This rental comes with helmet, emergency tool kit, front/rear blinking lights and a seat-cover for rain. Maintenance can be scheduled with the Bike Works coordinator. There are 20 bikes available now, and can add more as demand increases. We partner with a local bike organization, Free Ride, to build or upgrade new bikes as we need them.
The Eden Hall campus has 5 free bicycles that are available for student use at any time.
Chatham University has also been recognized as a Bike Friendly Employer by BikePGH, and received Bronze as a Bicycle Friendly University and Employer by the League of American Bicyclists.
https://www.chatham.edu/outreach/sustainability/bikeworks.cfm
Does the institution offer free or reduced price transit passes and/or operate a free campus shuttle for commuters?:
A brief description of the mass transit programs:
Chatham University offers a free campus shuttle for students, faculty and staff to transport students between Chatham's three campuses: Shadyside, East Side, and Eden Hall. Three shuttles operate daily. Chatham Eastside Shuttle loops every 30 minutes between 7am to 11pm, Monday-Friday. Oakland Shuttle loops every 30 minutes Monday-Friday between 8:30am to 4:30pm.
The Eden Hall Campus shuttle travels between the Eden Hall campus in Richland Township and the Chatham Shadyside campus from Monday-Friday from 7am-10pm.
***Approximately 2,808 riders per month participate in the Chatham Shuttle program while classes are in session.
Additionally, students, staff and faculty are eligible to ride the University of Pittsburgh shuttles at no cost throughout the South Side, Oakland, and University of Pittsburgh students are eligible to ride our shuttles at no cost as well. Riders must present their valid Chatham Photo ID. There are nine Pitt Shuttles which operate under regular schedules, seven days per week, throughout the year.
Free Public Transportation
Pittsburgh Port Authority Transit (PAT) offers free transportation for students, staff and faculty aboard its buses, Monongahela Incline and light rail system within any PAT zone via its Port Authority U-Pass program. Riders must present a valid, unexpired Chatham University photo ID and are free to ride at any time on any day. An estimated 935 student/faculty utilize public transportation per month, estimating about 17 rides per person per month.
Free Safe Rider Van:
Chatham participates in the University of Pittsburgh's Safe Rider Van Service which provides free evening and early morning transportation to students, faculty and staff where and when buses and shuttles are not available. Transportation service is limited to two categories: intercampus, between local residences and campus buildings. Riders are limited to 20 trips per semester. Trips are scheduled with a dispatcher during evening and early morning hours.
Does the institution offer a guaranteed return trip program to regular users of alternative modes of transportation?:
A brief description of the guaranteed return trip program:
Chatham works in conjunction with the City of Pittsburgh and the other universities (Pitt, CMU, Duquesne, Carlow) to offer a coordinated guaranteed ride program. Students can get guaranteed rides from the Downtown, Oakland, Shadyside and Squirrel Hill areas from any of the campus police departments. This program also provides non-emergency medical transportation. In the event that a rider or cyclist is stranded further out, we have reciprocal agreements with regional municipalities in similar fashion.
Does the institution participate in a car/vanpool or ride sharing program and/or offer reduced parking fees or preferential parking for car/vanpoolers?:
A brief description of the carpool/vanpool program:
Chatham participates in the Southwest PA Commission CommuteInfo program, which coordinates vanpool, carpool and now bikepool riders across the region. This information is shared with faculty, staff, and students in entry materials.
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?:
A brief description of the car sharing program:
Chatham had Zipcar for many years, but when they left the university program, we scrambled to find a replacement. We looked at many alternatives, and eventually decided to have our own program. We have a fleet of minivans that are reservable by faculty, staff and students for activities. (21 and over). We will be implementing a reserve/swipe/unlock system in 2019 to make this process faster.
Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
While we are reluctant to add charging stations where we do not have PV installations (as research has shown that electric charging stations that draw the power from the grid may increase emissions in the PJM region) we do have two charging stations at Eden Hall, where they are fed by the solar array.
Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
A brief description of the telecommuting program:
Chatham University supports telecommuting conferences using the program called Zoom, which is a video conferencing software. This is used to reduce travel between campuses for meetings, information sessions, etc.
Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
A brief description of the condensed work week option:
Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
Chatham owns and rents at reasonable rates many houses and apartments on and near campus, with preference given to faculty and staff. The university provides housing for many Student Affairs staff, as well as Academic Affairs staff, whose jobs require them to be on campus throughout the day and evening.
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)?:
A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:
The Eden Hall Campus has preferred parking for low emission vehicles in the main parking lot. Eastside campus has no/low ev preferential parking area with about 15 spots.
The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.