| Overall Rating | Silver - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 52.36 |
| Liaison | Matthew Williams |
| Submission Date | Dec. 4, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Florida
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Jacob
Adams Office Manager 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:
UF offers shower facilities in buildings throughout campus for bicycle commuters and a few of these have lockers. We do not have a location designed for indoor bicycle storage, although employees may store their bicycles indoors with their supervisor's permission.
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:
We have bicycle racks within 50 feet of nearly every building on campus (both residential and non-residential)
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:
Bicycling is incorporated into planning on campus through the Master Plan and Sustainability Implementation Plans for Transportation. Per Master Plan, UF adheres to the FDOT street design standards; FDOT uses Complete Streets standards for road design (https://www.fdot.gov/roadway/csi/default.shtm). Both include promoting bicycling on campus, including infrastructure and education/outreach. Showers and bicycle racks are included in all plans for new buildings on campus. http://www.facilities.ufl.edu/plan/mp.html
FTBSEP: http://hhp.ufl.edu/safety/about/
The Florida Traffic & Bicycle Safety Education Program (FTBSEP) is a statewide, comprehensive training program that teaches individuals how to be more competent and safer pedestrians and bicyclists. The FTBSEP is funded by the Florida Department of Transportation’s Safety Office and is administered through the University of Florida. In addition to training individuals, the FTBSEP uses a train-the-trainer model to teach training workshop participants (e.g., school teachers, law enforcement, fire rescue/EMS, municipal parks and recreation staff, community professionals) how to teach pedestrian and bicycle safety education to others (children, other adults, and seniors). Therefore, the purpose of the FTBSEP is to deliver high quality, comprehensive pedestrian and bicycle safety trainings to individuals who will learn how to be safer and more competent, but will also be prepared to teach pedestrian and bicycle safety to others in Florida.
Campus Master Plan - Transportation Element: http://www.facilities.ufl.edu/plan/docs/elements/Transportation.pdf
The university has committed to actively considering pedestrian safety and access in all relevant infrastructure and planning development. Additionally the university has committed to work with the city of Gainesville, MTPOD, FDDOT, Alachua County, Gainesville Community Redevelopment Agency and Regional Transit System to insure cooperation around pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure decisions and to engage in safety and awareness campaigns focused on pedestrians and bicyclists. (Policy 1.1.5, 1.3.2)
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
We have a departmental bicycle program for faculty & staff on campus by request. There are over 60 bikes currently in use by departments; the Office of Sustainability provides no-cost maintenance on request. Additionally, we have a student bike rental program that allows students to rent a bike for a semester or year. 200 bikes are now rented out each semester after growth from an initial launch with 100 bikes in Fall 2015.
http://bikes.ufl.edu/
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:
Gainesville's Regional Transit System partners with the University's Student Government in order to provide free transportation to students, faculty and staff around campus as throughout Gainesville. The majority of RTS routes serve campus and student residential areas surrounding campus.
RTS provides more than 10 million rides a year- and a number of days of record ridership have occurred in 2012-13.
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 allows participants in the Carpool Program to leave campus in the event of an unexpected personal or family emergency. A member of the TAPS or UFPD staff will drive you home in an official vehicle, or TAPS will reimburse you for cab fare home upon submission of a valid receipt, as approved by TAPS (please obtain cab fare approval prior to 4:00 PM). http://parking.ufl.edu/transit-commuting/carpool-program/
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:
The Carpool Program encourages eligible University of Florida and Shands faculty and staff members to share the ride to and from campus. Each two-person Carpool group is assigned to a reserved carpool area for parking. Carpool decals will not be honored in any other decal-restricted area. http://parking.ufl.edu/transit-commuting/carpool-program/
Additionally, Zimride allows students, faculty and staff to set up their own carpools to fit their commuting needs by posting a ride on Zimride. This is a great opportunity to split the cost of travel to and from University of Florida. Save through splitting the costs of a parking permit, gas, tolls and car maintenance. http://www.zimride.com/ufl
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:
UF offers the ZipCar carsharing program on campus. ZipCar automobiles have reserved spots throughout campus for both student and faculty/staff access. http://www.zipcar.com/ufl
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:
22 Electric vehicle recharging stations are available at 7 locations across campus.
http://parking.ufl.edu/parking-at-uf/electric-vehicle-charging-stations-map/
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:
UF allows telecommuting contingent upon an employee's Eligibility is contingent upon the employee’s current position description and classification. Working at
an approved alternate location cannot be permitted if the employee cannot perform all essential functions of his or her assigned duties, including his or her contact with customers, coworkers, or students, as determined by the employee’s supervisor in conjunction with the appropriate University of Florida Dean
or Director—with final approval by the appropriate Vice President.
https://hr.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/UFHR_EmployeeHandbook_2019_Digital.pdf
https://hr.ufl.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/alternate.pdf
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:
Flextime is a work option when an employee of the university works an approved alternate work schedule that enables completion of the traditional 40 hours per week in fewer or more than five full workdays. Flextime may include varying the time of day an employee works, the days of the week an employee works, or both. Departments must ensure that flextime is administered consistently and equitably within the department and that flextime arrangements conform to university policy and collective bargaining agreements.
The University of Florida supports the concept and use of flexible scheduling of employee work hours. In establishing flextime, the department has the discretion to determine if staffing coverage is adequate and sufficient to meet the operating requirements of the department. Flextime should not cause a reduction in the levels of service presently being provided.
https://benefits.hr.ufl.edu/time-away/flextime/
Some UF programs, such as the graduate business school operate 4 day schedules year-round. Many faculty choose to have a 2 or 3 day teaching schedule and telecommuting is common with IT staff on 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:
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:
Campus Cab taxi service provides free point-to-point transportation for University of Florida Faculty and Staff on the Main Campus, East Campus, and some UF facilities in Alachua County.
The Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol (SNAP) was implemented in 1976 to provide safe, nighttime transportation on the University of Florida campus. The ""buddy system"" has long been recognized as a means of enhancing personal safety and security. SNAP provides an on-call ""buddy"" ready to escort university students, staff and visitors.
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.