Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 70.79
Liaison Yumiko Jakobcic
Submission Date March 1, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Grand Valley State University
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Yumiko Jakobcic
Campus Sustainability Coordinator
Office of Sustainability Practices
"---" 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:
Full shower and locker room facilities are located in the Fieldhouse in Allendale, the L. William Seidman Center in Grand Rapids, and Winter Hall in Grand Rapids. Information is on our website under the bike section.

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:
The University offers short-term racks and also offers a bike rental program.

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:
GVSU's Master Plan includes a biking and pedestrian component. The purpose of those sections are to accommodate non-motorized modes of travel on GVSU's Allendale Campus and between the campus and the surrounding community. Key issues include preventing conflicts between pedestrians and vehicles on frequently used campus roads, and providing safe non-motorized links between campus and off-campus housing.

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:
The University refurbishes damaged bicycles from campus, and then makes them available to students. The bikes are available for a fee which pays for general maintenance of the bikes. Approximately 70 bikes are currently in circulation.

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:
Grand Valley State University offers four separate routes for students, faculty, and staff. All Grand Valley and Rapid routes are free to ride with your student or faculty/staff ID card. All Grand Valley routes are listed below. Please view additional routes at ridetherapid.org.

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:
All trips are free.

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:
The University is a member of the West Michigan Ride Share program.

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?:
No

None
A brief description of the car sharing program:
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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:
Some of the charging stations are dual mode and some are single mode. Stations provided at the Allendale and Pew Campuses and at GVSU's Muskegon Innovation Hub.

Telecommuting and Condensed Work Week Programs 

Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the telecommuting program:
The university program is called Flexible Work Arrangement (FWA). There are many instances of FWAs at GVSU today, however, FWAs may or may not work in every area of the university.  The GVSU FWA Toolkit provides appointing officers, supervisors and staff members assistance in making an informed decision to determine if workplace flexibility is suitable for the department and for the individual staff member.

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:
We have a flexible work arrangements program through the human resources office; one of the options is a condensed work week.

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:
There are no specific incentives, although employees can ride the bus for free which may be encouraging to some people.

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:
Special parking spaces are available for hybrid and electric cars.

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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