| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 65.89 |
| Liaison | Julie Newman |
| Submission Date | Oct. 23, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
MIT
Office of Sustainability Director 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:
The MIT Parking & Transportation Office administers bicycle compounds located in the rear of Building 13, in the West Garage, and under Building E53 in the Hermann Garage. Cards to access to the compounds can be requested by sending an email to commuting@mit.edu. Each bicycle must be registered with the MIT Parking & Transportation Office in order to gain access to a secure bike compound. Shower facilities are available on a department-by-department basis. The MIT fitness facilities also offer a low-cost membership designed specifically for bike commuters who wish to shower before work. If you are an MIT employee that bikes to work, you can access the gym between 6am-9am on weekdays. In addition, there are eight bicycle fix-it stations on the main campus. Each station is equipped with an air pump and basic hand tools (such as screwdrivers, wrenches, and tire levers) to help commuters maintain their bikes for more efficient and safe commuting.
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:
MIT maintains over 5,000 bike parking spaces across campus. All bike racks have been located with a focus on providing secure, accessible, well-lit spaces close to building entrances and placed indoors or in covered areas where possible. MIT offers bike racks at 188 locations and indoor bike storage at 37 locations across the main campus. 46 of MIT's 123 occupied, non-residential buildings have bike racks within 50 feet, and 13 of MIT's 28 residence halls have indoor bike storage within 330 feet.
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:
MIT works closely with the City of Cambridge and others to promote safe pedestrian and bicycle access. As an urban university, MIT does not own or control many of the streets running through it. However, the Institute has made a great effort to be involved in area road improvements to improve pedestrian access and include bicycle facilities. The Institute also funded and constructed 2 lane miles of uni-directional cycle track running in both directions on Vassar St, a main public street running through campus.
Additionally, MIT has representatives on all transportation-related City committees, including the Cambridge Bicycle Committee, Pedestrian Committee and Transit Committee. The Institute works to align its policies with the Cambridge Bicycle Plan and Cambridge Pedestrian Plan developed by these committees. MIT is very conscious of the bicycle community in its planning efforts. Indoor bike rooms and shower facilities are considered in all new construction projects. Bike parking is strategically placed as close as possible to all building entrances. Paths through campus are designed with both pedestrians and bicyclists in mind. Several bicycle repair and maintenance stands have also been placed strategically around campus for use by the community, these stands have been installed both outdoors and indoors for convenience and weather considerations.
The Transportation and Planning Departments are also very responsive to requests from both staff and students for additional bike parking on campus. MIT works hard to encourage biking, providing facilities and incentives. It's efforts have resulted in a very large bike community with 19% of commuters using a bike to get to work and over 2,000 MIT Hubway members. In 2014. The League of American Bicyclists recognized MIT with a Silver Bicycle Friendly University award for successfully promoting a safe, well managed bike culture around campus.
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
MIT sponsors four Hubway stations with a total of 102 docks on campus. MIT has also participated in Hubway winter operations the past three years and has agreed to participate each winter going forward. In addition to sponsoring Hubway stations, MIT subsidizes annual Hubway memberships for all MIT students, staff, and faculty. Additional Hubway stations are located near campus, and sponsored by other organizations.
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:
MIT provides its employee commuters with free, unrestricted use of the MBTA subway and local bus systems for benefits-eligible Cambridge campus MIT faculty, staff, and postdoctoral scholars (fellows and associates). MIT also provides a 60% commuter rail subsidy, and a 50% subsidy for parking at MBTA stations, up to $100 per month. MIT subsidizes 50% of the cost of MBTA monthly passes for students. Campus shuttles, operated by the Parking and Transportation Office, are also available to the MIT community as an alternate mode of transportation.
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:
The Emergency Ride Home program provides eligible employees, who forego commuting alone in a car, with cab service in case of personal or family emergencies. Any MIT employee who uses public transportation, carpools, vanpools, bikes, or walks to work at least three days per week may use the program. Participants in the ERH Program may obtain a ride one time per month up to six times per year.
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:
MIT offers discounted parking permits for carpoolers and partners with vRide to provide discounted, affordable vanpools.
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:
MIT partners with Zip Car to provide low cost carsharing services on campus. MIT hosts 13 Zipcars on campus and sponsors Zipcar memberships for staff and students. An MIT sponsored member pays no application fee, no security deposit and just a $25.00 annual fee.
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:
MIT students, faculty, staff, and visitors can charge electric vehicles while parked on campus. There are currently 20 Level-2 charging-station spaces available.
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:
MIT's HR website explains that telework opportunities include:
- Regularly scheduled work at home part of the week, as negotiated with the employee's supervisor.
- Regularly scheduled work at another work location, as negotiated with the employee’s supervisor
- Occasional work at home to address a personal need, such as a home repair or transportation issues.
- Occasional work at home to focus on a specific project, such as writing a final report.
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:
According to the HR website, a compressed workweek allows employees to maintain full-time hours with a schedule that is less than five full days per week. For example, a full-time employee may work four 10-hour days in a week. Another type of compressed workweek is sometimes instituted during the summer months: an employee may work longer hours Monday through Thursday and shorter hours on Friday.
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:
MIT has a faculty assistance housing program, which is a tax-efficient, minimum interest, second mortgage program to assist newly hired or recently tenured faculty in purchasing a home in the expensive local area housing market (within 50 miles of campus).
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:
MIT has a Transportation Committee by the President, which holds the responsibility for policy development. In 2016, the Committee set a goal of reducing parking demand on campus by 10 percent over 2 years, by incentivizing commuters to take public transit or other alternative modes. The Committee meets regularly to discuss and recommend new strategies for reducing the impact of commuting.
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:
Commuting:
http://web.mit.edu/facilities/transportation/
Faculty Housing Assistance:
http://web.mit.edu/provost/faculty_housing.html
Job Flexibility:
http://hrweb.mit.edu/jobflex
Cambridge Bicycle Plan: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Transportation/bikesincambridge/bicyclenetworkplan
Commuting:
http://web.mit.edu/facilities/transportation/
Faculty Housing Assistance:
http://web.mit.edu/provost/faculty_housing.html
Job Flexibility:
http://hrweb.mit.edu/jobflex
Cambridge Bicycle Plan: http://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/Transportation/bikesincambridge/bicyclenetworkplan
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.