| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.30 |
| Liaison | Andrea Trimble |
| Submission Date | March 1, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Virginia
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Jonathan
Monceaux Assistant Director for Transportation Services Parking and Transportation |
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 Aquatic and Fitness Center (AFC) has indoor bike storage for employees. The rack is located in a storage area that is only accessible by employees. The AFC also has male and female shower facilities, and access to lockers. The indoor bike parking is used by Intramural-Recreational Sports fulltime staff to travel around Grounds and for commuting.
The Alderman Library, one of the largest and most frequently visited libraries, provides secured indoor parking for their employees.
The Department of Parking and Transportation has installed bike parking racks in some of the University parking garages to provide sheltered parking. This includes the Central Grounds Garage, 11th Street Garage, Darden School Garage, and the Stadium West Shelf.
A bike parking shelter was installed outside the University Health System's Primary Care Center in 2013. This shelter is frequently used by the very large population of Health System employee bike 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)?:
A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:
Virtually all buildings on Grounds have bike racks within close proximity. A map of existing bike racks may be found at http://www.virginia.edu/parking/documents/maps/Bike_Map_Web.pdf
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:
The University's Office of the Architect created a Bicycle Master Plan in 1993 that was updated in 2007. Additionally, the University created a Transportation Demand Management Plan in 2007 that was updated in 2009.
http://www.officearchitect.virginia.edu/pdfs/BicycleMasterPlan.pdf
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
The University of Virginia operates a 120 bike Social Bicycles bike share system called UBike. The system launched on January 20, 2015 after years of planning and applying for TEP grants. The program is open to all members of the University, the surrounding community, and visitors (users must be over the age of 18).
Users may select a subscription plan to access bikes for up to 90 minutes of free time per day. The bikes are GPS enabled, allowing the University to track rides, create density maps, and reduce theft. Users can reserve bikes online, on a mobile app, or by interacting with the keypad controller that is on each bike. The bikes are solar powered, with additional energy generated by the bikes dynamo system.
The University partnered with a locally owned bike shop, Blue Ridge Cyclery, to provide maintenance and redistribution of the system.
More information may be found at ubike.virginia.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:
The University operates its own transit system, the University Transit Service (UTS), which is fare-free to all faculty, staff, students, and members of the community. The operating cost of this service is funded by student fees, a subsidy from the University Health System for staff commuter routes, and by a private property management firm for a route that serves their residential housing area. UTS operates 9 fixed routes with varying levels of service year round. www.virginia.edu/parking/uts/
The University partnered with Transloc to offer real time bus locations and arrival predictions. uva.transloc.com
The University also pays a subsidy to the Charlottesville Area Transit (CAT) service to allow University students, faculty, and staff to ride their system fare-free.
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 University partners with the local RideShare agency to offer a Guaranteed Ride Home program to users of alternative transportation. This program allows up to 5 free rides home per year.
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 University has partnered with Zimride by Enterprise to offer instant online ride matching services since 2011.
Additionally, the regional RideShare service provides online ride matching services and a Guaranteed Ride Home Program.
All of these ride matching services are free to the commuter.
The Department of Parking and Transportation offers permit parking discounts to registered carpools. The discount percentage increases with the number of riders in the carpool arrangement. Vanpool permits are discounted 100%. All carpool permits may be used in up to 2 different locations to help facilitate rotating drivers. For more information: www.virginia.edu/parking/TDM
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:
The University has partnered with Zipcar since 2009. The University currently has 7 Zipcars on Grounds.
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:
There is a publicly accessible Level 2 electric vehicle charging station in the Central Grounds Garage, which is centrally located and the primary parking location for visitors.
There is a non-public Level 1 charging station in the Emmet/Ivy Garage that is used for research studies by the School of Engineering.
Both of these stations are tied to solar panel arrays to help offset energy consumption.
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:
Employees interested in telecommuting for an alternative work location can work with their supervisor to determine if their position is suited for telecommuting. Employees should complete a "Telecommuting Needs Assessment" to help determine this. If it is mutually agreed that telecommuting is appropriate, a "Telecommuting Plan" must be approved by the supervisor and department head, and recorded with Human Resources.
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:
Employees may apply for "Alternative Work Schedules (AWS)" which include condensed work weeks. AWSs are determined on a case by case basis; final decisions rest with the supervisor and department head and can be rescinded by supervisor or employee at any time.
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:
The University of Virginia Housing Division offers on-campus housing to faculty and staff. All full-time, tenure-track faculty members receive priority assignments but the program is available to all full-time staff members. The main housing area, Piedmont Faculty Housing, is served by the University Transit Service.
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:
The University hired a dedicated, full-time, TDM Outreach Coordinator in 2014 to increase alternative transportation program awareness and participation. This full-time employee is certified as a League Certified Instructor by the League of American Bicyclists.
The Department of Parking and Transportation began the Bike UVA program in 2012. This program offers bike maintenance workshops twice per month at no cost to participants. Participants are taught bike maintenance skills and tips. The Department also hosts Bike Commuting 101 "lunch and learns", as well as Vanpool formation meetings and other educational opportunities to encourage alternative transportation use.
The Department of Parking and Transportation works closely with the Office of the Architect to achieve land use goals. Parking permit pricing is largely based on meeting those needs, so close-in parking is priced hirer than those on the edges of Grounds.
The University's Human Resources Department, in conjunction with Health Insurance provider Aetna, operate the Hoo's Well program that educates and encourages health lifestyles. This program promotes walking as an alternative, and leads group fitness classes and group walks. Employees can also receive Health Insurance discounts by participating in biometric screenings.
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.