| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 66.38 |
| Liaison | Olivia Shehan |
| Submission Date | Nov. 13, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Wellesley College
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Dorothea
Von Herder Sustainability Coordinator Facilties |
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:
There are bike racks across campus and outside a majority of buildings for storage. Many of those areas have shelters in case of inclement weather. There are lockers and showers available to commuters at the sports center.
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:
There are short term bicycle racks outside of all major buildings and long-term storage if requested.
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:
This plan is in coordination with the 1998 landscape master plan of the college. Wellesley has made the campus extremely pedestrian oriented, which is also linked with it being bicycle friendly.
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 Bike Share program allows you to check out bikes for 24 hour intervals free for students. Students can check out a bike at any automated check-out station, ride it around, and return it at the same station after 24 hours. There are two check-out stations on-campus with 10 bikes each.
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:
- Two MIT exchange buses that both run 17 hours a day, 5 days a week. Free for students, faculty/staff are charged $3 each way (started in 2008).
- Senate bus runs Friday night from 6pm to midnight and runs all day Saturday and Sunday until 3am. There are typically 2 buses during the day and 4 at night. $3 each way. On Sundays, there is one bus every other hour.
- Natick shuttle runs from campus to the Natick Collection Mall, the AMC Framingham theater and Target. Runs Saturday 11am-9pm. $3 round trip.
- Babson-Olin-Wellesley (BOW) shuttle runs Monday-Friday, 7am-9:30pm.
- Thursday night orchestra shuttle to Brandeis
- Fall and Spring semesters: buses for crew team athletes to Charles River (at 4:00am)
- Wellesley College offers an incentive for faculty and staff to use public transportation via a payroll deduction to pay for transit and parking expense. There are also discounted passes for students.
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:
We have an agreement with several Boston-metro area cab companies that can be called upon to provide transportation back to the College and payment is guaranteed by the College.
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:
On our electronic communication server, there is a carpooling conference where students, faculty, and staff can coordinate carpool matching with each other.
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 college houses 6 zipcars, 3 of which are hybrid vehicles.
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:
The College currently has two electric car charging stations that are capable of servicing a total of four vehicles. The charging stations are free for Wellesley students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The charging stations are located in the Davis parking garage. This has been a catalyst in the decision for several college community members to purchase electric vehicles.
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:
Telecommuting is a departmental based decision for employees.
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:
Yes, this is offered during the academic year to some employees. Summer condensed work week is available to almost all union and non-union staff.
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:
Yes, there is preferred faculty housing offered through the college in the town of Wellesley, mostly on the campus property. There are roughly 100 apartment rooms and houses in faculty housing.
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:
There is a state law that prevents idling - legally, you cannot idle your vehicle in the state of Massachusetts for more than 5 minutes at any given time.
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.