Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 65.01
Liaison Paul Mathisen
Submission Date May 23, 2017
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Worcester Polytechnic Institute
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Liz Tomaszewski
Facilities Systems Manager/Sustainability Coordinator
Facilities Department
"---" 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:
WPI offers covered and secure bicycled storage facilities in the East Hall residence hall as well as the Park Avenue Parking Garage. There is also a bicycle fix-it station at the Park Avenue Garage and Faraday Hall Courtyard. Changing room and showers for commuter are available in Morgan Hall and in the Sports & Recreation Center. Winter bicycle storage is available in a secure area of East Hall.

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:
Exterior bicycle storage racks are available adjacent to all academic and residential WPI buildings. Secure storage is available in East Hall for winter bicycle storage.

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:
WPI and the city of Worcester collaborated to have lighted pedestrian crossing signs at key locations around campus. In addition, also in collaboration with the city, WPI identified key areas around the perimeter of campus to locate curb cuts, preventing vehicles from parking close to entrances to parking lots and intersections, thus allowing more visibility to pedestrians. The Gompei's Gears bikeshare team educate and wrote a description about bike safety here https://www.wpi.edu/offices/sustainability/gompeis-gears-bike-share

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:
Gompei's Gears is a 16 bike bikeshare program located in 4 sites around WPI's campus. Bikes can be borrowed for free by any WPI community member. The bicycles purchased by WPI are provided by On Bike Share, and can be checked out through a mobile app. Two additional bikes will be added in the spring of 2017.

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:
Gateway Shuttle: The Gateway Shuttle provides safe and no-cost transportation to all the WPI Community. There are five (5) Gateway Shuttle van stops. Hours of operation are Monday through Friday, from 8:30AM to 5:30PM. The Shuttle service is provided on holidays and during recess/breaks except on Thanksgiving and Christmas recess. CityRide: This Friday and Saturday night shuttle service shared with four other campuses will bring students to desirable spots for foods, shopping, and entertainment. CityRide is a free service for a full time undergraduate student from WPI with their student ID. WRTA: The Worcester Regional Transit Authority offers semester and discounted passes for college students. With 42 routes around the city, this safe, easy, and affordable mode of transportation will allow anyone to get to a local festival, movie, or shopping location. Union Station: Union Station is home to Amtrak, the commuter rail service to Boston, as well as buses for Greyhound, Peter Pan, and the WRTA. These transportation options are available all year. Students passes are available and WPI partners with Amtrak Downeaster to offer students 6 one-way trips for only $86.

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 program is offered through MassRIDES Emergency Ride Home program

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:
WPI offers reserved parking spots in East Hall Parking garage for car poolers. WPI also provides a carpool matching program through CarpoolWorld.

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:
WPI students and employees are offered discounted membership in Zipcar's carsharing service, which has cars located in several locations around campus.

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:
WPI has three dual port Chargepoint Electric Vehicle charging stations located in the Park Ave Garage that are available to members of the WPI community as well as visiting vendors and Worcester community members

Telecommuting and Condensed Work Week Programs 

Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
No

None
A brief description of the telecommuting program:
Departments may offer telecommuting under certain circumstances.

Does the institution offer a condensed work week option that reduces employee commuting (as a matter of policy or standard practice)?:
No

A brief description of the condensed work week option:
---

Other Strategies to Reduce the Impacts of Commuting 

Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
No

None
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)?:
Yes

A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:
Some of the most convenient parking spots in WPI's parking garage are those with electric vehicle charging stations! WPI offers numerous alternatives to community members to reduce the impact of commuting. Carpoolworld, a ride share program, ZipCar, vanpool, shuttle service, and a free bike-share program are offered. NuRides offers incentives to members of the community to take alterantive transportation. NuRide Guanteed Ride Home is available for staff and faculty.

Optional Fields 

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
https://www.wpi.edu/offices/police/snap2.html

Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
additional transportation information can be found here: http://www.wpi.edu/about/worcester-transportation.html https://www.wpi.edu/offices/sustainability/gompeis-gears-bike-share https://www.wpi.edu/about/worcester/visiting http://www.zipcar.com/universities/worcester-polytechnic-institute

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