| Overall Rating | Reporter - expired |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | |
| Liaison | Phil Valko |
| Submission Date | March 6, 2020 |
| Executive Letter | Download |
Washington University in St. Louis
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
Reporter |
Clara
Steyer Sustainability Coordinator Office of Sustainability |
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:
In the fall of 2019, the Active Commuter Hub opened its doors to the WashU community. This new amenity aims to support people commuting by bike, foot, public transit, or other active transportation by providing a place to shower, change, and get ready before the workday. The Hub is also accessible to people wanting to exercise over break or lunchtime. The Hub includes 4 showers (including a ADA shower), 50 lockers, and a bike parts vending machine. More: https://sustainability.wustl.edu/get-involved/alternative-transportation/active-commuter-hub/
In addition, the School of Medicine provides secured bike parking only accessible by card access, totaling a capacity of about 350 bikes. These covered and access controlled bike racks are located underneath the CSRB South Tower, on the south side of BJC Institute of Health and on the south side of Olin Residence Hall. WUSM, BJC, and Children's Hospital employees can all access these spaces for free.
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:
All academic and residential buildings on campus are equipped with bike racks that are easily accessible and strategically located. Some of the bike parking areas are covered allowing for a better preservation of the bikes' conditions. While bike racks located by academic buildings are meant for daily use only, bike racks located in residential areas can be used by residents for long term storage of their bikes.
For long-term storage, Bears Bikes, WashU’s student-owned bike shop, offers options for winter and summer break (http://bearsbikes.com/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?:
A brief description of the bicycle and pedestrian plan or policy:
WashU aspires to design roadways that are safe and accessible to all users, regardless of age, ability, and mode of transportation. As part of the Mobility Plan, the Mobility Framework is a long-term planning document that guides WashU’s efforts to strategically and incrementally improve its mobility infrastructure. A set of new Legibility Guidelines was published alongside the Framework, providing a consistent standard for the design of all future mobility infrastructure, including path markings, signage, and materials. The Mobility Plan has not only created a precedent for planning at WashU but has extended to influence the surrounding municipalities, as the Legibility Guidelines are being followed for projects connecting WashU’s campuses to bordering neighborhoods.
In 2017, a Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety task-force was created to review and address safety issues for pedestrian and cyclists on the Danforth campus. The group spearheaded the creation of an "Electric Scooters & Other Motorized Transportation Devices Policy" that was adopted in the summer of 2019. (more: https://parking.wustl.edu/items/mtd/)
Building on the Mobility Plan and the work of the task-force, an "intersection study" was conducted in the fall of 2019 to identify most critical intersections and propose designs to improve safety and comfort across modes of transportation.
Does the institution have a bicycle-sharing program or participate in a local bicycle-sharing program?:
A brief description of the bicycle sharing program:
In the summer and fall of 2018, the university has partnered with Lime Bike to offer a bike sharing program on the Danforth campus. The program included 26 bikes available on campus daily, and significant ride discounts for students. Starting early 2019, dockless bike share operators in St. Louis started to phase out pedal bikes and increase the deployment of e-scooters. As a result, the university bike share program through Lime Bike was forced to stop.
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:
Washington University in St. Louis and Metro, the regional agency that provides public transportation services, work together on an agreement in which the university pays Metro for the U-Pass program. The U-Pass program provides free Metro passes to full-time students, benefits-eligible faculty and staff, and full-time employees of qualified service providers who perform daily tasks. The U-Pass provides free and unlimited access to the Metrobus system, the MetroLink light-rail system and the Call-A-Ride Paratransit service.
The Danforth campus is well served by public transit: 2 MetroLink train stations and 4 bus lines are directly adjacent to campus, some of them designed specifically for our various campuses and community (#1 Gold, #2 Red, Green Line). The Central West End, at the heart of the Medical campus, is also a transit hub where many bus lines are converging.
The university also provides an extensive shuttle system, free for all university members (more: https://parking.wustl.edu/campus-shuttle-system/)
> Campus Circulator
> Campus2Home Shuttle
> DeBaliviere Place Shuttle
> Delmar Loop Shuttle
> Medical Escort Service
> North-West Express Shuttle
> Skinker-DeBaliviere Shuttle
> South Campus Shuttle
> West Campus Shuttle
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:
To support the use of transportation methods other than driving to campus every day, Washington University is a participating employer in the Guaranteed Ride Home program. The program provides up to four one-way rides home from work per year in the case of an emergency, sickness or unscheduled overtime.
> Commuters who use public transportation, walk, or ride a bicycle to work/school as their main commute method can enroll and receive reimbursement for 80% up to $60 of their cab or Uber ride or Enterprise Rent-A-Car rental home.
> Registered carpoolers can enroll and receive reimbursement for 100% up to $125 of their cab ride home in case of an emergency. Carpoolers can use this program for unscheduled overtime, sudden illness or emergency, early daycare/school/work release or unanticipated absence of driver or vehicle.
For more information, please visit: https://parking.wustl.edu/items/guaranteed-ride-home/
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:
In the fall of 2019, the University's Parking & Transportation Services launched a new commuter platform to facilitate carpool matches among the WashU community. "WashU Rides" is powered by Ride Amigos. More: https://parking.wustl.edu/items/washurides/
Parking & Transportation Services also offer discounted parking permits to carpoolers. By joining the Bearly Drivers program, carpoolers benefit from reduced permit costs (the more people in the carpool, the lower the cost), one free daily permit per month for non-primary drivers, designated parking spaces that are available only to Bearly Drivers members, and more.
All registered Bearly Drivers program members are automatically registered for the RideFinders Guaranteed Ride Home program. This program provides reimbursement for a taxi ride home if members or immediate family members become sick or if members have unexpected, unscheduled overtime with no advance warning.
For more information, please visit: https://parking.wustl.edu/items/bearly-driver-carpool/
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 partners with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to provide a car sharing program service to the campus community. Students, faculty, and staff over the age of 18 can rent vehicles at an hourly rate from a number of convenient locations on campus. The vehicles are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and can be reserved online within minutes of need.
For more information, please visit: https://parking.wustl.edu/items/enterprise-carshare/
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 university has two level 2 charging stations that can accommodate up to four vehicles on the main campus. On the Medical School campus, the University has one level 2 charging station that can accommodate one electric vehicle.
For more information, please visit: https://sustainability.wustl.edu/get-involved/alternative-transportation/electric-vehicle-charging-locations/
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:
While in general the University believes that patients, students and constituents can best be served when employees are physically at work, it also recognizes that flexible work arrangements such as telecommuting can be an important part of meeting departmental and university needs. Any such formal arrangement must be defined in writing prior to the start of the assignment and signed by the employee and the department.
For more information, please visit: https://hr.wustl.edu/items/telecommuting/
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 university offers a four-day, forty hour work week option for specific academic departments.
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:
Forgivable loans are offered to eligible employees seeking housing in select neighborhoods close to the university's campuses. Qualified employees who purchase a home as a primary residence in one of the eligible neighborhoods will receive the lesser of five percent of the home’s purchase price (up to $12,500), to be used to pay either part of the down payment or the closing cost on a home purchase. The loan is forgiven if the employee remains in the home for five years.
For more information, please visit: https://sustainability.wustl.edu/get-involved/alternative-transportation/live-near-your-work/
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 Occasional Parking Program (OPP) is intended to support commuters who don’t have an annual permit and use alternative transportation, like riding public transit, biking, and/or walking, as their primary commute mode by providing a low-cost option for the occasional times they’re unable to use alternative transportation.
OPP permits come preloaded with a set amount of hours based on the selected option (between 120 and 480 hours) and are valid in an individual’s one assigned parking area.
For more information, please visit: https://parking.wustl.edu/items/occasional-parking-program/
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.