| Overall Rating | Platinum - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 86.82 |
| Liaison | Richard Demerjian |
| Submission Date | March 28, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of California, Irvine
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Carolyn
Hernandez Sustainable Transportation Manager UCI Transportation & Distribution Services |
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 Anteater Recreation Center (ARC) is a state-of-the-art 110,000 square foot indoor facility provides showers and lockers for all members, including cyclists. These facilities are offered at no charge to UCI students and at a discount for UCI staff and faculty (http://www.campusrec.uci.edu/membership/index.asp).
The ARC provides showers in all locker rooms (male and female). Gender neutral showers are available in Fitwell Services which can be accessed during normal Fitwell hours and through the building manager when Fitwell Services is closed.
The ARC provides the showers and lockers only. The “secure bicycle storage” is not in the same building/facility. UCI has one covered and secured bike parking area (the Bike Vault), with a second installation planned for spring 2018.
New construction on campus includes an indoor bike storage area (Bike Hub) at the East Campus Housing Phase IV-A which will include capacity for 768 bicycles and an additional 263 outdoor racks throughout the community. The expansion of Middle Earth Housing includes a bike parking center adjacent to Rind Mall with parking for 140 bikes.
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:
UCI Transportation has transformed the area near Engineering Tower and Phoenix Grill into a bike parking center featuring more than 300 bike parking spaces, two bike repair stands with air pumps, and storage for skateboards. Developed with sustainability in mind, contractors removed turf to further reduce UCI's water consumption and installed decomposed granite rather than concrete to lessen the "heat island effect". Bi-level LED lighting was installed to increase safety while minimizing energy usage. This much-needed facility has more than doubled the bike parking in the Engineering area and will be home to a future expansion of the ZotWheels bike share system. This bike parking center will serve as a template for several planned bike parking centers around the campus. Visit www.bike.uci.edu for additional information.
UCI is continuously expanding bike parking facilities throughout the campus providing parking for over 2,000 bicycles throughout the campus core, both building entrance adjacent and centralized hubs, with hundreds of additional bike parking spaces in the campus housing communities for long-term storage. The campus uses the post-and-loop standard of bike racks which allows cyclists to lock both wheels with the frame to the parking furniture without removal of the front wheel. UCI also provides and maintains 10 bicycle repair stands with tools attached and air pumps throughout its housing communities and the campus core.
UCI's Bicycle Education and Enforcement Program concentrates efforts to educate campus cyclists on the rights and responsibilities of cyclists on the road, instructs cyclists as to how best secure their bikes, and actively catches campus bike thieves with dozens of arrests to date.
BikeUCI Ambassadors is a new volunteer program that was launched this year to engage campus cyclists from all backgrounds and riding abilities, to mentor and support new cyclists, learn and teach each other, and strengthen our cycling network. The founding group of ambassadors includes 50 students, faculty, and staff cyclists.
The Campus Bike Shop is an added amenity for cyclists. It is a full-service campus bike shop locaed along a main campus thruway.
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:
Bicycle and pedestrian planning is guided by UCI Policy, UCI Long Range Development Plan, City of Irvine Active Transportation Plan, City of Irvine Bicycle Transportation Plan, and the City of Irvine General Plan Circulation Element. The Campus Bike Coordinator works to ensure that the campus continuously improves the facilities on campus to be safer for all users and follows the programs and policies outlined in the following documents.
In addition, UCI Policy Sec 904-13(E) states, “bicycles are considered a means of sustainable transportation and recreation. Bicycle riding is allowed on UCI properties except in campus areas where signage restricts such activity, inside all campus buildings, and on all building decks.”
While every street on the UCI campus either has a bike lane or maintains low enough automobile speeds to make sharing the road comfortable for cyclists, UCI has taken the extra step to add sharrows (shared lane markings) and signage on the narrow roadways without bike lanes to remind road users that cyclists may use the full lane. "Bike wait here" stencils and signage have been added to several intersections. UCI has multiple miles of Class1 bicycle facilities (off-street bike paths) and the pathways throughout campus are shared. To promote safe sharing of pathways, new signage was designed and posted at the major bike and pedestiran entrances to campus reminding users of the speed limit and policies for all users including bicyclists, pedestrians, cart drivers, and skateboarders.
See: http://bike.uci.edu/general-info/bicycle-safety-and-operation/
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
UCI's award-winning ZotWheels automated bike share program, subsidized and managed by UCI Transportation, is the first on any of the UC campuses and only the second at a university nationwide. ZotWheels originally launched in October 2009 and is currently being upgraded and expanded to 16 stations throughout the campus core and housing, with 231 ports and 175 custom bikes. The bikes feature airless tires and 7 speeds to make it easy to get up the hills. Membership is still an extremely low $40/year with unlimited rides.
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:
UCI subsidizes the "University Pass" membership, which provides unlimited boardings on the Orange County Transportation Authority (OC Bus) bus system's regular routes, reaching every city throughout Orange County. The membership fee for UCI students, faculty, and staff is only $169 and the monthly usage is paid for by UCI Transportation. The UPass is available to all UCI students and employees who forego a parking permit and employees can elect to have the cost of the UPass deducted from their paycheck pre-tax). The UPass saves transit users $659 per year compared to the OC Bus passes which cost $69/month ($828/year).
UCI Transportation also provides a 20% subsidy on 7-day and monthly train tickets to further incentivize transit use.
UCI Transportation offers employee transit users complimentary occasional-use parking permits (valued at $336).
UCI's Anteater Express is a free shuttle to use on the UCI campus and offers multiple off campus routes for a small fee. Anteater Express provides more than 2 million shuttle rides per year. The Anteater Express is currently transitioning to a full electric fleet, the first of any college in the nation. Students voted to be environmentally responsible and decommission the old shuttles so they don’t end up polluting somewhere else. See: https://news.uci.edu/2017/01/23/big-wheels-in-motion/
The Campus-to-Campus Shuttle is a complimentary service between the UCI Medical Center in Orange and the main academic campus in Irvine. Employees, student volunteers, patients, and community members can use this service at no cost. The shuttle is subsidized in part by UCI Transportation.
As an added amenity, UCI provides round-trip shuttle transportation to the local airport and train station for the Thanksgiving, Winter, and Spring Recesses at no cost to the riders, known as the Holiday Shuttle.
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:
All registered UCI Sustainable Transportation participants are eligible to receive Guaranteed Rides Home (aka guaranteed trips home) in case of illness or emergency. Additionally, the VIP Service program offers Emergency Rides home within a 40 mile radius to all campus affiliates when all other options have been exhausted.
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:
UCI promotes carpooling and vanpooling through its marketing campaigns and the Zimride rideshare matching website (www.zimride.com/uci), and by offering the incentive of complimentary occasional parking permits (valuedat $336 for carpool, $672 for vanpool). Employees who team together in a four-person carpool can park for free. Vanpool groups receive signed/reserved stalls for their vanpools in the lot of their choice.
UCI is offering a new amenity in 2018 that further encourages carpooling. UCI has teamed with Waze Carpool to promote their new app and UCI affiliates benefit from a $2 rider flat rate/driver subsidy up to 54 cents per mile for rides beginning and/or ending in Irvine.
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:
UCI has partnered with Zipcar to provide 17 vehicles available at 7 locations on campus in its carshare program. UCI has approved more than 7,150 Zipcar member and usage jumps from an average of 40% during the week to 50% on the weekends.
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:
UCI has boosted its electric vehicle charging network over the last few years to offer an astounding 158 total ports for both public and employee/student use.
To combat range anxiety, UCI is the first university in the nation to provide an EV rescue truck that provides mobile charging to stranded EVs on campus as needed. The generator, powered by clean-burning propane, provides an electric vehicle with enough energy to reach one of the campus' 158 station-based chargers. Mobile EV charging is the newest addition to our Motorist Assistance Program, which provides complimentary services such as emergency rides home, vehicle jumpstarts, and unlocks, emergency gas delivery, and tire sealant to all UCI affiliates and visitors.
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:
To foster employee work/life balance, UCI continues to actively support and promote the telecommuting option (working from home or offsite) for UCI employees pending approval from supervisors and managers. UCI's ZotPortal website provides a six-step telecommuting plan to help supervisors and employees determine the type of telecommuting that best meets the needs of the department and employee.
In addition, employees can access the UCInet from off campus through the Virtual Private Network (VPN). The VPN allows you to securely connect to vital campus resources like the UCI Libraries and KFS (Kuali Financial System) by encrypting the information you are sending over the network, protecting your data. In addition, it enables authorized users to mount network file shares from off campus.
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:
To foster employee work/life balance, UCI continues to actively support and promote alternate or flexible work schedule options including 3/36, 4/40, 9/80, modified 9/80, and 3/13:20. UCI's ZotPortal website provides a six-step checklist to help supervisors and employees determine the type of schedule that best meets the needs of the department and employee.
In addition, employees can access the UCInet from off campus through the Virtual Private Network (VPN). The VPN allows you to securely connect to vital campus resources like the UCI Libraries and KFS (Kuali Financial System) by encrypting the information you are sending over the network, protecting your data. In addition, it enables authorized users to mount network file shares from off campus.
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:
UCI offers significant incentives to encourage employees to live within walking distance of the campus's academic core. UCI developed and operates the largest and most successful faculty/staff housing community in the nation. The Irvine Campus Housing Authority (ICHA) is a non-profit housing entity whose mission is focused on developing affordable faculty/staff housing opportunities for UCI affiliates. Through the development of for-sale and rental housing opportunities through ICHA and University-sponsored mortgage program, approximately two-thirds of UCI faculty live on-campus within walking distance to their work. Currently, a new phase of housing (11-2) is under construction in the University Hills community and will provide an additional 42 units for staff and faculty.
Additionally, The Irvine Company, which manages nearly every apartment community in the City of Irvine, offers a $65/month discount on rent and a $99 move-in deal for all full-time UCI employees at specific communities, thus making it easier for UCI employees to live near the campus. Several apartment communities in adjacent cities also offer discounts.
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:
UCI Transportation's Sustainable Transportation (ST) program provides a variety of benefits and incentives to reduce the "car-free" fear that may accompany the adoption of a sustainable mode. UCI has specific programs tailored to reach students and faculty/staff. To connect with Students, UCI begins its ST outreach before the student has even attended his/her first class with presentations at the freshman and transfer student orientations. For employees, the outreach begins with benefit orientation sessions.
UCI's Sustainable Transportation program provides variable amounts of occasional use parking permits per month depending on the mode selected. For example, vanpool commuters are granted 4 daily permits per month and bicycle commuters are granted 5 daily permits per month.
UCI students, staff, and faculty traveling by train may receive a rebate for traveling sustainably. They simply submit their used 10-trip, 7-day, or monthly train passes for a 20% rebate on the cost of the pass. For students, this rebate may be used in addition to the discount offered by Metrolink and Amtrak.
UCI annually hosts two high-profile bike-focused education and encouragement festivals wherein students, staff, and faculty learn about bicycle safety, rights, maintenance, as well as take part in used bike sales and tricycle races.
Recognizing the importance of education in promoting safety, UCI regularly hosts Smart Cycling classes taught by certified staff League of American Bicyclist Cycling Instructors, where students, faculty, staff, and immediate family members can learn to ride safely and confidently alongside traffic and earn a certification in the process.
New to the campus in 2018, UCI's BikeUCI Ambassadors volunteer program engages experienced campus cyclists to encourage new cyclists, teach and learn, and strengthen our bike community. Ambassadors also assist with education festivals, Smart Cycling, and safety campaigns.
UCI annually promotes safe bicycling with helmet and bike light giveaways which also prove to be a valuable assistance to those students who otherwise could not afford the items.
UCI Transportation Services teams up with the UCI Police Department via the Bicycle Education and Enforcement Program (BEEP) to provide bicycle education, policy enforcement, theft deterrence, and free bicycle registration for the community.
UCI's Bike Anti-Theft Instantaneous Tracking (BAIT) program uses GPS- and RFID (Radio Frequency Identification)-enabled bicycles to catch bike thieves on the UCI campus. The program has resulted in over 25 arrests and a marked decrease in the number of monthly bike thefts on campus.
UCI's Sustainable Transportation program encourages and facilitates more sustainable commutes via custom commute planning, regular information sessions and tabling at all student (undergraduate, graduate, international student) orientations and major staff-focused events.
UCI's innovative Pump2Plug program provides special negotiated pricing for the purchase or lease of electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles. UCI staff and faculty who swap their gasoline commute vehicle for an EV or plug-in hybrid, could qualify for up to three years of complimentary Level 1 charging on campus. The 158 charging stalls throughout campus are located in preferred parking areas.
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:
UCI is constantly expanding and improving sustainable transportation services to meet the needs of the ever-growing campus with innovative programs and initiatives for walking and biking to electric shuttles and charging infrastructure. Below is a brief synopsis of the most notable activities and accomplishments from the past year.
Electrify UCI - greening the fleet
Electrify UCI has become both a mantra and a mission statement in all aspects of the operation and acquisition of UCI's deployment of clean energy transportation methods. In addition, UCI's Hydrogen station continues to be the highest volume publicly accessed fueling station in the United States. Over one third of our entire fleet is now powered by pure electric drivetrains, an additional 6 percent operate on B20 Bio Diesel, 5 percent are Hybrid-electric vehicles, one Hydrogen Fuel Cell car and a Hydrogen Fuel Bus, and 7 CNG or propane vehicles round off the rest of our fleet.
By the end of this academic year, UCI will have eliminated all the Diesel bus fleet. The Electrify UCI fleet plan will bring UCI in compliance with the UC Fleet Sustainability Implementation plan to be carbon neutral by year 2025. This mission has included adapting users to smaller vehicles wherever possible in an effort to both provide cleaner platforms and to prepare for the smaller available offerings form manufacturers of electric vehicles. Where utility vehicles may not have been in existence UCI has modified what is available into utility vehicles that all departments can begin to use in their daily routines and job functions.
Pump2Plug - EV incentives
UCI Transportation's Pump2Plug EV Showcase event in December successfully provided UCI faculty, staff, and students the ability to explore zero emission vehicles in one convenient, on-campus location. Local dealerships from Tesla, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW assisted in sharing the positive impact zero emission vehicles have for the environment and ChargePoint shared a charging demonstration.
Following this celebratory event, 30 additional Anteaters purchased or leased new electric vehicles. These new EV drivers are joining over 200 faculty and staff members who are part of Pump2Plug, an innovative program offering benefits including discounted charging for up to three years on campus. UCI Transportation continues to negotiate discounts exclusive to UCI for 2018 EV purchases and leases through the Pump2Plug program.
With the influx of EVs on campus, we have installed additional level 1 and level 2 charging ports in the East Campus Parking Structure. This allows convenient charging for residents of American Campus Communities and patrons of the Anteater Recreation Center. With this expansion, UCI now hosts 158 charging ports throughout the campus.
BikeUCI Ambassadors - encouragement and education
UCI Transportation recently launched BikeUCI Ambassadors, a volunteer program established exclusively for campus cyclists. The first of its kind for a university in California, the BikeUCI Ambassador Program was established to celebrate the joys of riding, mentor and support new bicyclists, make new friends and most of all - have fun! Already over 50 faculty, staff, and students have become Ambassadors. These cyclists are encouraging safe riding techniques, assisting in tire replacement demonstrations, volunteering at educational classes, and distributing bike lights to cyclists on campus. Join the growing bike community at UCI and become an Ambassador.
Bike Infrastructure - parking expansion and bike vault
UCI's bicycle infrastructure has helped solidify the campus as a Gold Level Bike Friendly University, one of only twenty in the United States. This past fall more secure post and loop bike racks were installed increasing the amount of bicycle parking near the Student Center, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and other campus locations, bringing the total number to over 6,000 bike parking spaces. Additionally, new signage was designed and installed to assist cyclists, pedestrians, and cart drivers in safely navigating shared UCI pathways. This spring we will be installing a second bike vault to provide secure, covered bike parking for commuters.
UCI Transportation was honored for the eighth consecutive year with the Race to Excellence Best Workplaces for Commuters by the National Center for Transit Research. This award identifies UCI as one of the top universities taking exemplary steps in customer focused transportation services such as vanpool, carpool, and transit options for employees.
UCI is constantly expanding and improving sustainable transportation services to meet the needs of the ever-growing campus with innovative programs and initiatives for walking and biking to electric shuttles and charging infrastructure. Below is a brief synopsis of the most notable activities and accomplishments from the past year.
Electrify UCI - greening the fleet
Electrify UCI has become both a mantra and a mission statement in all aspects of the operation and acquisition of UCI's deployment of clean energy transportation methods. In addition, UCI's Hydrogen station continues to be the highest volume publicly accessed fueling station in the United States. Over one third of our entire fleet is now powered by pure electric drivetrains, an additional 6 percent operate on B20 Bio Diesel, 5 percent are Hybrid-electric vehicles, one Hydrogen Fuel Cell car and a Hydrogen Fuel Bus, and 7 CNG or propane vehicles round off the rest of our fleet.
By the end of this academic year, UCI will have eliminated all the Diesel bus fleet. The Electrify UCI fleet plan will bring UCI in compliance with the UC Fleet Sustainability Implementation plan to be carbon neutral by year 2025. This mission has included adapting users to smaller vehicles wherever possible in an effort to both provide cleaner platforms and to prepare for the smaller available offerings form manufacturers of electric vehicles. Where utility vehicles may not have been in existence UCI has modified what is available into utility vehicles that all departments can begin to use in their daily routines and job functions.
Pump2Plug - EV incentives
UCI Transportation's Pump2Plug EV Showcase event in December successfully provided UCI faculty, staff, and students the ability to explore zero emission vehicles in one convenient, on-campus location. Local dealerships from Tesla, Nissan, Honda, Mercedes-Benz, and BMW assisted in sharing the positive impact zero emission vehicles have for the environment and ChargePoint shared a charging demonstration.
Following this celebratory event, 30 additional Anteaters purchased or leased new electric vehicles. These new EV drivers are joining over 200 faculty and staff members who are part of Pump2Plug, an innovative program offering benefits including discounted charging for up to three years on campus. UCI Transportation continues to negotiate discounts exclusive to UCI for 2018 EV purchases and leases through the Pump2Plug program.
With the influx of EVs on campus, we have installed additional level 1 and level 2 charging ports in the East Campus Parking Structure. This allows convenient charging for residents of American Campus Communities and patrons of the Anteater Recreation Center. With this expansion, UCI now hosts 158 charging ports throughout the campus.
BikeUCI Ambassadors - encouragement and education
UCI Transportation recently launched BikeUCI Ambassadors, a volunteer program established exclusively for campus cyclists. The first of its kind for a university in California, the BikeUCI Ambassador Program was established to celebrate the joys of riding, mentor and support new bicyclists, make new friends and most of all - have fun! Already over 50 faculty, staff, and students have become Ambassadors. These cyclists are encouraging safe riding techniques, assisting in tire replacement demonstrations, volunteering at educational classes, and distributing bike lights to cyclists on campus. Join the growing bike community at UCI and become an Ambassador.
Bike Infrastructure - parking expansion and bike vault
UCI's bicycle infrastructure has helped solidify the campus as a Gold Level Bike Friendly University, one of only twenty in the United States. This past fall more secure post and loop bike racks were installed increasing the amount of bicycle parking near the Student Center, Biological Sciences, Physical Sciences, and other campus locations, bringing the total number to over 6,000 bike parking spaces. Additionally, new signage was designed and installed to assist cyclists, pedestrians, and cart drivers in safely navigating shared UCI pathways. This spring we will be installing a second bike vault to provide secure, covered bike parking for commuters.
UCI Transportation was honored for the eighth consecutive year with the Race to Excellence Best Workplaces for Commuters by the National Center for Transit Research. This award identifies UCI as one of the top universities taking exemplary steps in customer focused transportation services such as vanpool, carpool, and transit options for employees.
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.