Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 72.94
Liaison John Alejandro
Submission Date Oct. 13, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of San Diego
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Alison Sanchirico
Sustainability Coordinator
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?:
Yes

A brief description of the facilities for bicycle commuters:

The university recently retrofitted its bicycle infrastructure to raise the number of bike parking spaces to 444 on campus. New bike racks were installed by the company ‘Park a Bike’ in partnership with the Office of Sustainability. These new racks give bike owners the ability to secure their bikes with sturdy, metal U-locks instead of cable locks that could be easily cut and removed by bike thieves. Bike sheds and showering facilities are also available for cyclists and commuters.


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:

The residence hall areas contain designated bike racks for residential students. Bikes are allowed to be parked there for an entire school year. During the summer, we work with Public Safety to remove abandoned bikes so there is room for active bikers to park their bikes. Confiscated bikes are kept with Public Safety for a 90-day period to allow owners to claim their bikes should they choose to do so.


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?:
No

A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:
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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 Outdoor Adventures Office rental bike program offers short-term loaner bicycles. Students, faculty, and staff can check out a bike to ride on or off campus. The Office of Sustainability and Outdoor Adventures also periodically offer campus-wide bike repair as a free service to the university.


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 USD campus tram service is free of charge and runs from 6:45 am until 11:00 pm on weekdays. The service operates full time during the fall and spring semesters and on a limited basis during intersession and summer. Routes connect USD to the Old Town Transit Center, which connects to bus, trolley, and local and Amtrak train services that service the entirety of San Diego. The trams can also be reserved for special events. Additionally, USD offers discounted semester transit passes for students who can use these on any San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bus or trolley service.


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:

USD is a subscriber to iCommute, a local ride sharing program in San Diego. Through this free program, subscribers have a guaranteed free ride home when using alternative transportation.


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:

Carpool spaces are available on campus for commuter students or employees who travel to school with two or more people of legal driving age in the vehicle. A carpool permit may be obtained daily from the Main or West Kiosk. For employees who commute from North County San Diego, a vanpool has been started through USD Parking Services. This vanpool program cuts down the amount of carbon emitted from multiple vehicles commuting to the same location.

Zimride is also available at USD. Zimride is a carpooling network available to the USD community that allows students, faculty, and staff to carpool from adjacent neighborhoods to campus. This free program is secure and versatile, and available for commutes, road trips, or popular events.


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:

Zipcar is a car-sharing program that allows students or staff to have the freedom of transportation when they need it. The Zipcars are on USD campus and available for use at any time, making it easy for people to get around town without every person having a vehicle.


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

A brief description of the electric vehicle recharging stations:

The university has 28 EV charging stations in 4 different parking structures across campus. These spaces are reserved for active EV charging for student resident, student commuters, and employees.


Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
Yes

A brief description of the telecommuting program:

While USD does have a telecommuting practice and process, there is no formal telecommuting policy. USD’s telecommuting program is a voluntary work arrangement in which an eligible employee with supervisor approval works one or more days each work week from home instead of commuting to work. This has to go through an approval process and the employee has to meet certain eligibility requirements.


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:

USD’s Alternative Work Schedule requires strict compliance with California labor codes and the Industrial Welfare Commission wage order. The program allows for staff to have a compressed work week with longer days, but with more time off during the week.


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:

The University of San Diego provides an opportunity for faculty to lease housing for a transitional period of up to two years. These rental opportunities are close to campus and are priced at below-market rental rates. Other programs include: Home Ownership or Rental Subsidy, Faculty Home Buying Assistance Program, and the Relocation Policy.


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:

To encourage the use of alternate transportation, Parking Services has Fresh Air Permits available to staff for free. These permits allow up to sixteen days per semester of free parking on campus for those who otherwise use alternative transportation (carpool, bike, bus, train or trolley).


The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
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.