Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 69.47
Liaison Sally DeLeon
Submission Date Feb. 28, 2019
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Maryland, College Park
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Sally DeLeon
Acting Manager
Environmental Safety, Sustainability and Risk
"---" 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:
The Department of Transportation Services and the Department of Recreation and Wellness partner to offer the Bicycle Commuter Incentive program, which offers registered bicyclists and motorized scooterists free covered and secured bike parking and access to shower facilities in campus recreation.

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:
A map of short term bicycle parking is available on the campus online map by opening the campus transportation layer checkboxes on the left and clicking "UMD Bike Racks" at http://maps.umd.edu/map/ Covered and secured bicycle parking is available for free. Bike storage is also available for rental. For more information on bicycle parking, storage and other resources and infrastructure to support biking see https://www.transportation.umd.edu/sustainable-transportation/bikeumd/bike-resources

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:
The Facilities Master Plan Update contains bicycle safety elements and the 2009 Campus Bicycle Study outlines strategies for physical and programmatic changes to enable safe access for bicyclists and pedestrians. Many of these strategies have now been implemented. For more information see http://www.transportation.umd.edu/bike_resources.html

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 mBike program offers 23 stations across the campus and College Park and a fleet of 184 bikes, including various adaptable bicycles.

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:
Shuttle-UM is one of the nation’s largest University transit services. With a fleet of over 60 vehicles, including hybrids and clean diesel models, Shuttle-UM provides free transit service to university faculty, staff and students on and around the University of Maryland Campus to more than 2.6 million riders a year. Service to and from the College Park metro station is free for campus visitors as well.

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:
The Department of Transportation Services promotes the guaranteed ride program run by WMATA. There is also NITE Ride, after hours bus service provided by Shuttle-UM.

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 Smart Commute program run by UMD's Department of Transportation Services includes benefits for registered Carpools and Vanpools. Preferential parking is offered for both registered carpoolers and vanpoolers. Carpoolers receive a 50% discount on parking registration and vanpools receive free parking. More information is available at http://www.transportation.umd.edu/smartcommute/carpool.html and http://www.transportation.umd.edu/smartcommute/vanpool.html

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?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the car sharing program:
Faculty, staff, and students can take mass transit to campus and have the flexibility of running errands during the day. The ZipCar program allows any member of the campus community to conveniently borrow a car when needed (reservation required). Gas, insurance, and maintenance are included. More informations is available at http://www.transportation.umd.edu/smartcommute/carshare.html

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:
There are more than 20 EV charging stations on campus. Some of the stations charge two vehicles per station. One port provides 110 volts and takes 8 hours to charge a typical electric vehicle and the other port provides 220 volts and takes 4 hours to charge.

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:
Eligible employees in suitable positions are given the opportunity to telework. The UMD Telework Guidelines and more information about the program is available online at https://uhr.umd.edu/telework/

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:
The Division of Student Affairs offers a Flextime work program. Flextime pertains to variable daily/weekly start and end times and can include a compressed work week. Flextime can be applied to certain positions (i.e., those that allow for more variance in their schedules), but not all positions. Student affairs also provides an option for compressed work schedules, implementing either 4 ten hour days or 4 nine hour days and 1 four hour day.

Other Strategies to Reduce the Impacts of Commuting 

Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
Yes

None
A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:
Administered by the College Park Housing Authority and the College Park City-University Partnership, the WORK & LIVE COLLEGE PARK program provides affordable home ownership opportunities for people working in College Park while minimizing the number of foreclosed homes in the area. Through this program, buyers may be eligible to receive 10% of the purchase price (up to $35,000) in down payment and closing cost assistance towards a foreclosed home in College Park.

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:
UMD offers a 20% parking registration discount for low-emissions vehicles and parking bundle packs (10 daily parking passes) to assist commuters in making the transition to more sustainable modes commuting while still having the option to drive some days. Sustainable transportation incentives are summarized online at http://www.transportation.umd.edu/smartcommute/incentives.html

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
http://www.transportation.umd.edu/smartcommute.html

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.