Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 46.90
Liaison Hannes Gerhardt
Submission Date March 30, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of West Georgia
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.20 / 2.00 Hannes Gerhardt
Sustainability Director
Department of Geosciences
"---" 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's state of the art Campus Center includes amenities that allow students, staff and faculty to shower, store personal items and safely store bicycles.


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)?:
No

A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:

Basic bike racks are provided in very close proximity to every building. There are no special long term biking options for students living on site, as there is not really a season that biking is not possible (i.e. there is practically never snow).


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:

Campus Planning and Facilities has actively partnered with Parking and Transportation Services, community stakeholders, and design partners to develop safe and efficient infrastructure for biking on campus. At this time, we have a dedicated system of paths and lanes that safely connect our entire campus.

Standards and Practices can be found here:
https://www.westga.edu/academics/cosm/sustainability/bike_uwg.php


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:

Recently, Carrollton partnered up with Zagster Inc. to start a bike sharing program. You may have noticed some of the new biking stations around campus. Students have the option of paying per ride, with the first hour being free and paying $3 for every additional hour you have a bike checked out. Students also have the option to join the program and pay for monthly or yearly passes. To ride one of the bikes, all you need is the Zagster Mobile App, which you can download onto your phone. This app will allow you to find available bikes to ride. You can also find out where available bikes are on

http://bike.zagster.com/carrollton/.

On the bike you choose, there will be a one of a kind number that you must enter into the app. The app will then give you a code that you can use to unlock the lock box with a key. Because of the lock and included key, you don't have to plan your trip around where the stations are located. The on-bike lock will allow you to secure your bike wherever you go so you don't have to worry about anyone taking it. You can go wherever you need to go locally, and because the bikes have baskets on them, you only have to take one trip. When you are finished with your bike, all you have to do is return it to a Zagster station (any station is fine) and your rental will end. “This bike-share program is a tremendous tool toward promoting active lifestyles in our community, so we’re pleased to partner with Zagster and these great local organizations to improve the quality of life for all our residents,” says Community Development Director, Erica Studdard. So get on out there and smell the roses.


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 University of West Georgia's Dept. of Parking and Transportation provides a free shuttle service for the entire campus. It is our hope that this service allows campus members to not use a motorized vehicle once they are on the campus. For example, first year students are required to park at the stadium, and 24-hour shuttle service is provided to/from the stadium lot. Also, the campus shuttle is available for use by faculty and staff to discourage driving once they arrive on campus.

Students who live on or near campus are provided an apartment shuttle that transports to and from five adjacent apartment complexes to campus and city retail. There is also a shuttle that regularly moved between the main campus and the sattelite campus in Newnan, as well as shuttles for shopping at the main shopping center. This service is paid for by the mandatory transportation fee.


Does the institution offer a guaranteed return trip program to regular users of alternative modes of transportation?:
No

A brief description of the guaranteed return trip program:

n/a


Does the institution participate in a car/vanpool or ride sharing program and/or offer reduced parking fees or preferential parking for car/vanpoolers?:
No

A brief description of the carpool/vanpool program:

n/a


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?:
No

A brief description of the car sharing program:

n/a


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:

UWG has a Level 2 Charge Point station on campus in the TLC/Pafford lot. This station has the ability to charge two cars at once. This unit contains the capability to reserve a spot in que if there is a wait to charge your vehicle.

Additionally the university has a single unit level 2 charge station, (Arrow Environment), that is exclusively for use by the Facilitie's university fleet vehicle that is all electric, (Nissan Leaf).


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

A brief description of the telecommuting program:

n/a


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:

Both the University of West Georgia and the overall University System of Georgia have flex-time policies. These policies can be implemented as a departmental option, but they not considered a “worker right”. Institutions may implement teleworking or flextime as a work option as long as procedures are consistently applied throughout the department.

Currently there are several departments throughout the university who provide a (4) ten hour a day work week or similar variations to the standard five day work week.

USG’s flex time policy: http://www.usg.edu/hr/manual/teleworking_flextime_policy

UWG’s flex time policy can be found on page 39 of the employee handbook:
https://www.westga.edu/hr/assets-hrpay/docs/employee-handbook-2015.pdf


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

A brief description of the incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus:

n/a


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)?:
No

A brief description of other strategies to reduce the impact of commuting:

n/a


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.