Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 67.30
Liaison Dianne Anderson
Submission Date Feb. 7, 2020
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

New York University
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.60 / 2.00 Andrew Welch
Program Administrator
Sustainability
"---" 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?:
No

A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:
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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:

NYU provides indoor and outdoor short-term parking for students and faculty residences as well as numerous University buildings across NYC. Additionally, New York City provides short-term bicycle parking near all of NYU's buildings. Below is a NYC map displaying some of these locations.

In addition to NYU's bike parking, NYC's Bicycle Access to Office Buildings Law aims to increase bicycle commuting by providing cyclists with the opportunity to securely park their bicycles in or close to their workplaces.

NYC CityRack Map: http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/includes/maps/cityracks/map.html


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:

NYU follows all NYC laws and policies related to bicycle and pedestrian safety. These include the Vision Zero safety plan to end traffic deaths and injuries, laws such as those that require bicycle lanes are not impeded during construction, and the NYC DOT Street Design Manual which outlays the requirements for bicycle and pedestrian components of street design.


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:

NYU has worked to establish a partnership with Unlimited Biking, where NYU community members can get a generous discount for bike rentals at any of the company's eight New York City locations. Additionally, NYU community members can get a Citi Bike membership for $5 per month as members of the NYU Federal Credit Union.


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 NYU bus system offers seven regular routes free for faculty, staff, alumna, and students during the fall and spring semesters. The routes connect the Washington Square and Brooklyn locations to areas that are beyond a reasonable walking distance from the center of that location. The system operates when classes are in session from 7 a.m. to 12 midnight on weekdays and 10 a.m. to 12 midnight on weekends.

Additionally, NYU offers a Safe Ride program. Safe Ride is a shared ride, on demand van service, intended to provide safe overnight transportation to and from NYU facilities during the fall and spring semesters at times when buses do not operate.


Does the institution offer a guaranteed return trip program to regular users of alternative modes of transportation?:
No

A brief description of the guaranteed return trip program:
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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:

NYU provides a tax-advantaged benefit for employees who commute using car and vanpools, including uberPOOL, through the WageWorks benefit program. This benefit allows employees to use pre-tax income for car and vanpool commuting.

Additionally, NYU has partnered with a local bus transportation provider to offer transportation between major airports during holidays to NYU community members and their guests via bus for a competitive fee compared to car services or a taxi.


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:

NYU partners with ZipCar to provide students with discounted memberships to the car sharing platform. With over 100 locations in NYC, Zipcar provides the opportunity to drive a car without needing to own a personal vehicle and worry about parking. The discounted membership saves each student over 75% on the annual membership fee and wavies the $25 application fee to initiate their account.

Additionally, NYU's Safe Ride program is a University-operated van-sharing program that provides free rides to and from campus locations and public transit hubs from midnight until 7am daily. This service allows students to utilize the University service rather than other car sharing or personal vehicles for late night rides.


Does the institution have one or more Level 2 or Level 3 electric vehicle recharging stations that are accessible to student and employee commuters?:
No

A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:
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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:
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Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
No

A brief description of the condensed work week option:
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Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
Yes

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

NYU provides housing to many University faculty members, much of which is within walking distance to campus. This program is administered by NYU's Office of Faculty Housing and Residential Services, which is a comprehensive housing resource for University faculty. The office works directly with the Provost, faculty, senior staff, University deans, department chairs and other NYU constituents to seamlessly provide housing to NYU Faculty. In 2018, 1,196 NYU faculty resided on-site, reducing the commuting impact of NYU faculty significantly.


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:

As a benefit to employees, NYU offers a tax-advantaged mass transit program via WageWorks which incentivizes employees to use mass transit. This program provides about 30% savings for users who purchase mass transit passes through the program.


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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Additional documentation to support the submission:
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Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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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.