| Overall Rating | Gold - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 74.27 |
| Liaison | Konrad Schlarbaum |
| Submission Date | Feb. 15, 2018 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
University of Colorado Colorado Springs
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
2.00 / 2.00 |
Jim
Spice Executive Director of Parking and Transportation Parking and Transportation Services |
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:
Secure bicycle storage, showers, and lockers are co-located in several places on campus. The Recreation Center has bike lockers, showers and individual lockers. Commuters must be signed up for Pedal Perks (free) to access the showers and lockers if they are not members of the Rec Center. University Hall has bike lockers, showers, and individual lockers.
The campus has covered bicycle storage as well as bike lockers at Centennial Hall next to University Center. Showers are available in Centennial Hall and individual lockers are next door in University Center.
Covered bike parking is also located in housing, Village at Alpine Valley, and Summit Village. Showers/changing rooms are available in 9 major buildings and 2 smaller buildings that include secured storage space in a garage and cubbies (Sustainability Demonstration House, Farmhouse). Some are indicated on the UCCS Bike Map (needs update).
All new buildings which are all LEED Gold, provide showers and changing rooms for commuters, except for housing. UCCS has bicycle racks at the entrances to all of the major buildings on campus.
https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/pedalperks/Bicycle%20Commuter%20Brochure%20-%204-5-16_ver5.pdf
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:
Bike storage lockers are available at three locations; one of those locations is near the residence halls. The campus has covered bicycle storage at Centennial Hall in the center of campus as well as in housing, Village at Alpine Valley, and Summit Village. Students are also allowed to bring bicycles into their dorm rooms.
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 works with the City of Colorado Springs Bike Planner to develop bike strategies on campus. A recent Bike Master Plan was completed for the city, which surrounds the UCCS campus. All streets on campus are marked with sharrow signs and pavement markers and vehicles are encouraged to share the road with bicyclists. We have a bike/pedestrian spine that runs through the campus. The UCCS Master Plan designates a safe bike/pedestrian route to connect the East and North campus. There are dismount zones close to buildings where there is significant traffic and large slopes.
"As the campus continues to grow, biking will become an even more important component of the transportation network and new infrastructure proposed in the Master Plan prioritizes bicycle accommodations."
"The Master Plan establishes a circulation system that allows daily traffic to access the Core Campus, the public facilities along North Nevada, and all proposed parking areas. It
acknowledges, however, that daily traffic does not need access to all areas of the campus: the spine between Alpine Village and North Nevada will be reserved for shuttle
transit, pedestrians, and bicyclists only and will close to daily traffic. This supports the most efficient operation of the parking and shuttle systems to reduce dependence on
personal vehicles for travel within the campus."
There is a Bicycle Advisory Committee on campus including staff, faculty and students who provide ideas and feedback on bike issues and designs.
https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/facsrvs/Master%20Plan/Master%20Plan%20-%20UCCS_v8_2014-0715%20pages%207%20and%2085%20updated.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 Recreation Center has a two part bike program, one that consist of commuter bikes that are free for 10 days per semester for students, and one for mountain bikes that has a nominal charge per day.
https://www.uccs.edu/recwellness/campus-rec/outdoor/bike-share-program
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 runs free shuttles throughout the campus and provides service to free perimeter parking.
In 2017, the University paid $5 per student to provide a Metro bus pass to every student. The program is being piloted with Mountain Metro as part of the College Pass. There is a ballot initiative in March 2018 to approve the use of students fees ($5 per semester) to fund the unlimited College bus pass. https://coloradosprings.gov/mountain-metro/page/college-pass-program
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:
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:
UCCS approach to carpooling is to encourage students, faculty, and staff to share a permit and reduce their costs, rather than setting aside parking spaces and incurring patroling and enforcement costs. Parking also offers single day passes so that carpoolers can mix and match.
On the Sustainable Transportation Website -
PARKING PASS-SHARING
Did you know that you can list up to 5 cars on one parking pass? Carpool with your friends and classmates and share the expense of a parking pass!
*Only one vehicle per pass is allowed on campus at any time.
https://www.uccs.edu/sustainabletrans/
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:
UCCS in 2017 switched from U-Haul Car share to Zip Car. There are currently two cars available on campus. Zipcar is now used by all 4 CU campuses.
http://www.zipcar.com/universities/university-of-colorado
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 new parking facility, Alpine Garage, has Level 2 ev charging stations. These are available to students and employee commuters with hub permits. There are also 2 available in the same location for visitors.
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:
The institution provides the opportunity for some employees to tele-commute with approval from supervisor. The program is called Alternative Work Site.
Excerpt from policy: "The University of Colorado Colorado Springs is committed to working smarter and providing efficient and effective services to our students, staff and the public. This includes recognizing our employees’ need for a work/life balance, and our commitment to improving morale, productivity and retention,
job satisfaction and job ownership in a highly competitive work environment."
https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/vcaf/policies/2016/300-004.pdf
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:
The institution offers a condensed work week option of 4 10 hour shifts for some employees. A number of departments participate including most of Public Safety.
The ability to participate is decided by supervisors. The following policy covers this arrangement.
https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/vcaf/policies/2016/300-004.pdf
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:
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 Leave your Car at Home Program for first year students in housing that provides a bike (21 bikes, first come first serve) for students who do not bring a car.
There is a bike repair shop on campus that is part of the recreation center. Student, faculty and staff can get assistance with minor repairs, flat fixes, etc.
There are two permanent bike repair stands with pump, one at University Center, one at Recreation Center, and a pump at Columbine Hall.
Additionally, the library supports bike commuting by having locks available to take out for free if students or employees forget their own locks.
In 2015 UCCS initiated its Pedal Perks program, based on a grant from Kaiser Permanente, to provide incentives to those who commute to the campus by bicycle. https://www.uccs.edu/pedalperks/index.html.
Incentives were provided for two years to those who rode the most miles, number of days, participated in bike clinics, and more. After starting that program, UCCS installed Dero Zap solar bike counters at all of the entrances to campus to start accurately measuring and rewarding bike commuting.
Each year there is a bike month competition in September with prizes to those who commute the most by bikes. There are also multiple bike for bagel events to encourage ridership.
There are designated spots for low-emitting fuel efficient vehicles at a number of newer buildings and parking lots including Alpine Garage and Field, Lane Center, ENT Center, Gallogly Event Center.
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:
Sustainable Transportation Website
https://www.uccs.edu/sustainabletrans/
Alternative Work Site and Compressed Schedules policy
https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/vcaf/policies/2016/300-004.pdf
Mountain Metro College Bus Pass
https://coloradosprings.gov/mountain-metro/page/college-pass-program
Sustainable Transportation Website
https://www.uccs.edu/sustainabletrans/
Alternative Work Site and Compressed Schedules policy
https://www.uccs.edu/Documents/vcaf/policies/2016/300-004.pdf
Mountain Metro College Bus Pass
https://coloradosprings.gov/mountain-metro/page/college-pass-program
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.