Overall Rating Silver - expired
Overall Score 62.77
Liaison Lisa Noriega
Submission Date June 29, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

Yale University
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 2.00 / 2.00 Brianne Mullen
Urban Sustainability Program Associate
Yale Office of Sustainability
"---" 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:

Yale has a variety of parking areas for bikes on campus, both indoor and outdoor. There are over 2,700 bike parking spaces on campus. This includes approximately 20 sheltered bike rack locations across the Central, Medical, and West campuses, eight of which are located inside secure parking garages. In addition, Yale offers shower facilities for bike (and pedestrian) commuters. Students, faculty, and staff can sign up for a free shower pass at the Payne Whitney Gym on Central campus, or use one of eight additional shower facilities in various buildings on the Central, Medical, and West campuses.

For more information: http://to.yale.edu/bike-rack-map.


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

A brief description of the bicycle parking and storage facilities:

Yale has over 2,700 individual bike parking spaces across campus. Undergraduate students have covered bike racks where they can store bicycles throughout the academic year.


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:

In 2017 Yale University developed a Sustainable Transportation Framework Study containing implementable near- and long-term strategies that encourage bicycling, walking, and transit use to connect Yale’s commuting population to its three campuses and to better connect the three campuses to each other. The Study takes a comprehensive, holistic approach to campus transportation planning that considers both the local and regional transportation network to identify strategies, design standards, and new infrastructure needs.The City of New Haven Complete Streets Design Manual was taken into consideration in the creation of this plan.


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:

Yale University has partnered with Noa Technologies (Noa) to provide bikesharing fleet of 50 bikes to the campus community. Founded in 2012, Noa is an expert in transportation and fleet management solutions for large organizations. Noa uses a cloud-based fleet management software to provide real-time bike location, status, alerts, and analytics. Yale students, faculty, and staff members can purchase a bikeshare membership once they have downloaded the Noa Rider App. The App allows users to unlock and lock their bike from a smartphone, which also tracks trips using GPS.


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 Yale University Shuttle provides free transportation between the University campuses, nearby neighborhoods, and the New Haven train stations for students, faculty and staff. Yale also provides a pre-tax savings benefit for employees to receive a discount on their bus or train passes.


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:

All Yale employees registered for carpools, vanpools, or riding transit are eligible for Yale's Guaranteed Ride Home in the event of an emergency, unexpected late workday, or unexpected need because a driver of a carpool/vanpool had to leave due to an emergency.


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:

Yale has partnered with NuRide, an online carpool matching service, to help Yale community members find each other, as well as vRide, where they can join or form vanpools. Carpools receive discounted parking (2-person: 50%, 3-person: 33.3%). Vanpools with three or more Yale employees park for free on campus.


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

A brief description of the car sharing program:

Yale has partnered with Zipcar since 2007. There are over 30 shared-use vehicles in nine locations across campus. There are several additional Zipcar locations within easy walking distance of campus.


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:

Yale has Level 2 chargers in three parking garages where employees and students who purchase parking permits can charge their electric vehicles at no cost.


Does the institution offer a telecommuting program for employees as a matter of policy or as standard practice?:
Yes

A brief description of the telecommuting program:

Yale's Worklife Program offers many resources on Flexible Work Arrangements, including telecommuting, alternative work schedules, and compressed work weeks, to help employees and their supervisors consider ways to work more efficiently and effectively. This includes a Flexible Work Arrangement planning worksheet, FAQs for managers, supervisors, and employees, and policies on information technology appropriate use, among other resources.


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:

Yale's Worklife Program offers many resources on Flexible Work Arrangements, including telecommuting, alternative work schedules, and compressed work weeks, to help employees and their supervisors consider ways to work more efficiently and effectively. This includes a Flexible Work Arrangement planning worksheet, FAQs for managers, supervisors, and employees, and policies on information technology appropriate use, among other resources.


Does the institution have incentives or programs to encourage employees to live close to campus?:
Yes

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

The Yale New Haven Homebuyer Program provides down payment and mortgage payment assistance for employees who purchase homes in selected New Haven neighborhoods, all within walking, biking, and/or transit distance 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)?:
No

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

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.