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  2. Daily Illini article: UI updates partnership with Veo Cosmo trial

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bike Share with Veo

    Read the article online at: https://dailyillini.com/news-stories/campus-life/2023/11/14/ui-partnersh.... This article was published on November 14. 2023.

     

    UI updates partnership with Veo Cosmo trial By Mary Piacente, Staff Writer • November 14, 2023 Veo+bikes+sit+in+front+of+Wohlers+Hall+on+Nov.+10.     Anh-Khoi Pham Veo bikes sit in front of Wohlers Hall on Nov. 10.    

    After the positive feedback surrounding Veo’s campus pilot program introduced in May, the University will continue its partnership with the transportation service and promote e-bike safety on campus.

    The University began its partnership with Veo Micromobility, a bike-share company promoting the availability of clean transportation, in 2019. The partnership allowed students to pay to use bikes and scooters through the Veo app.

    Over the summer, stemming from community demand, Veo launched a campus pilot project to introduce motorized class 2 e-bikes. Also known as Cosmo models, these bikes were meant to expand upon the University’s existing rideshare program.

    According to an article posted by the bike company Aventon, class 2 e-bikes differ from the previously offered bikes and scooters by providing “assistance when pedaling” and having “a maximum speed of 20 mph with a throttle.”

    Sarthak Prasad, sustainable transportation assistant at Facilities & Services, said that the partnership has improved transportation accessibility both on and off campus.

    “Veo is providing a service to campus for our students, whether it’s for general use, recreational use or fun,” Prasad said. “For the community outside the University, they have added a value for lower-income families.”

    However, Aidan Joyce, sophomore in LAS, said that the pricing of Veo rentals prevents him from using the service more.

    “I think that if (Veo) actually lowered the prices, then more people would use the new bikes,” Joyce said.

    Since the introduction of the Cosmo e-bikes, Prasad said that minimal safety and vandalism issues have been noticed by the University administration. Despite this, certain questions about e-bike safety for pedestrians on campus have arisen. 

    “There have been a few minor safety concerns, and we’re working with Veo on those things,” Prasad said. “It’s not just Veo — it’s with the increase in the number of e-bikes and e-scooters that we see on campus.”

    Prasad emphasized that the University is currently working on educational campaigns that promote bicycle, e-bike and e-scooter safety, including how to safely ride your bicycle while being aware of your surroundings. 

    Another issue that has arisen from the introduction of the Cosmo bikes has been the protection of public spaces for non-Veo cyclists. 

    Geofencing, the GPS technology Veo uses to ensure bikes do not enter specific “no-ride zones,” has also failed to prevent certain inconveniences for typical bikers on campus.

    “There are a couple of issues that we have seen with the geofencing restrictions,” Prasad said. “If Cosmo e-bikes are taking up all or a lot of the spaces, then there’s not enough room for people with personal bicycles to park in that area.”

    However, despite these minor issues resulting from the introduction of class 2 e-bikes, Prasad said that the response surrounding the campus pilot program was overall favorable.

    “There was a community feedback request back at the end of summer, and the response was very positive from the community towards this program,” Prasad said. 

     

    marypp2@dailyillini.com

  3. The Urbana Campus Renews Its Bicycle Friendly University Certification

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Friendly University Status

    Please see announcement online here: https://fs.illinois.edu/News/campus-renews-its-bicycle-friendly-universi...

     

    Campus Renews Its Bicycle Friendly University Certification

    Nov 16, 2023 | 11:54 am

    The Urbana Campus Extends Its Bicycle Friendly University Status Through 2027

    For over a decade, the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has been recognized as a Bicycle Friendly University (BFU) by the League of American Bicyclists (LAB) for its unwavering devotion to promoting and providing a bike-friendly environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors.

    Recently, the LAB renewed the university’s designation through 2027, based on continued efforts and achievements in advancing and enabling safe, accessible, and transformative bicycling opportunities on campus. The Urbana campus is among a select group of 221 colleges and universities in 46 states and the District of Columbia that are taking action to address the health and environmental challenges facing the nation by creating campuses more welcoming to people who bike.

    Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director of Facilities & Services Ehab Kamarah said, “We want to encourage even more individuals to regularly ride their bikes on our campus as a primary means of transportation. Being a Bike Friendly University exemplifies our commitment to making that possible by enhancing safety for active transportation modes, modernizing infrastructure, and supporting programs that make it easy, affordable, fun for everybody to bike.”

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    Highlights of the university’s significant accomplishments include the following:

    Engineering

    • Completed 100 percent of the high-priority and 72 percent of the medium-priority infrastructure projects outlined in the 2014 Campus Bicycle Master Plan.
    • Installed an enclosed bicycle shelter that accommodates 96 bicycles near student residence halls in 2021.
    • Established automatic pedestrian and bicycle counters (Eco-Counter) at five traffic locations to better assess current bike land and pathway usage trends.

    Education

    • Created new bicycle educational videos with closed-captioning that are available for the entire campus community to view.
    • Organized a free “Learn How to Ride” bike rodeo class for university students.

    Encouragement

    • Launched a community-wide dockless bike share program, operated by Veo, which currently provides 750 bicycles on campus and in the cities of Champaign and Urbana.

    Equity

    • Partnered with the U of I’s Disability Resources and Educational Services unit to review all new construction, renovation, or maintenance projects to ensure that there is an accessible path available in and around impacted areas, including for bicycle navigation. Information about closures is also posted at https://go.fs.illinois.edu/Closures and shared by university social media accounts.

    Education & Planning

    • Joined a national bicycle registration system (Project 529) in July 2020, which is now available to all university faculty, students, and staff, as well as Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy residents.
    • Collaborated with the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD), City of Champaign, and City of Urbana to improve mobility in the core areas of the community through a federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant. The $47M MCORE Project transformed key corridors into “complete streets” with redesigned street configurations that emphasized dedicated bike lanes, added access to public transformation, and reduced multimodal conflicts.
    • Incorporated bike objectives and metrics into the Campus Landscape Master Plan in 2022.

    The university’s bike efforts and outreach are chronicled at https://bike.illinois.edu. More information about the BFU program is available at https://bikeleague.org/university. For questions, contact Sarthak Prasad sprasad9@illinois.edu, 217-300-9575.

  4. Task Report for Tushar Kokitkar from 10/3 to 11/15

    Associated Project(s): 
    Appropriately Staff Sustainable Transportation Efforts

    Here is a list of tasks I have worked on and continue to work on:

    Tasks completed

    • SSC Application for ‘Shipping containers for bike storage’ (in progress)
      • Drafted and submitted the step 1 application
      • Attended SSC working group meeting
      • Currently working on step 2 application
      • Prepared the site plan and internal layout for the project
    • ‘Learn how to ride a bike’ event:
      • Supervised and helped organizing the event
      • Documented and prepared a report and presentation about the event held on 10/07/2023
    • Events attended:
      • All-Employee Expo and helped set up F&S booth
      • Green Quad day and helped set up Bike at Illinois booth
      • Green Infrastructure and Erosion Control Conference
    • iCAP portal:
      • Read the iCAP 2020 plan
      • Added a project update about the ‘Learn How to Ride a Bike’ event
      • Updated eco-counter metrics on the portal
      • Updated ‘Campus Sustainability Tour’ project
      • Added a new project ‘Sustainability tour on bike’ (in progress)
      • Attended iCAP portal bi-weekly meeting
    • Sustainability Tour on Bike: in progress
      • Created the map showing the route for the tour
    • Documented and prepared a report about the condition of three bike paths within campus.
    • Eco-counters:
      • Collected the data for October 2023 and updated the metrics on iCAP portal
      • Collected the data for November 2023
    • Readings:
      • iCAP 2020
      • Bicycle Facilities Standard
      • 2014 Campus Bike Plan
      • Progress reports of 2019, 2022, and 2023 for the Campus Bike Plan.
      • 2023 Bicycle Friendly University application
      • TDM plan and FY22 TDM plan achievement report
    • Bike racks for Arcade building and Talbot Laboratory:
      • Documented the bike parking area
      • Prepared bike rack layouts on AutoCAD for both the buildings.

    Current tasks

    • 2024 campus bike plan draft
    • Working on the SSC step 2 application

  5. East Central Illinois Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Build Resilience with Our Local Community

     

    All,

     

    I had to change the date on our next COAD Meeting.  We will be having our East Central Illinois Community Organizations Active in Disasters (COAD) meeting on December 7th at 2:30 pm at the ILEAS Training Center, 1701 E. Main St, in Urbana.  I have attached the agenda for your review.  Feel free to forward the invite to others that may want to be part of our group.

     

    I hope to see you all on the 7th.  Thank you.

     

    Sincerely,

    John

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

    Attached Files: 

  6. Weekly Update: Kids bike giveaway, Cranksgiving

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Busy week on the sales floor as the weather warmed up and we sold a few bikes. Also, got a half dozen or so kids bikes repaired for the KBG event in December.

    Over the weekend the Bike Project held their Cranksgiving bike food drive. Riders were able to collect ~400 lbs of donations to Faith UMC Food Pantry!

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 43
    Sales: $1,173.75
    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $530
    Memberships: 7 for $210
    Tires/tubes: 26 for $229

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Coordinator -- Campus Bike Center

  7. Apprentice program for electrical work

    Associated Project(s): 
    Solar Power on Campus

    Hi Josh,

     

    Do you know if we could request apprentices work on the 15kw solar install?  That could potentially bump us from a tax credit of ~$5500 to $33,000 if this goes through.

     

    Best,
    Tim

     

    ---------------------

    How much of the labor has to be apprentice? 

    Joshua Robin

    ----------------------

    15%  thanks!

    Morgan White

    ---------------------

    Thanks Morgan!

     

    With a small crew, if they had one apprentice, that might catch what we need. 

     

    I overestimated below at 6x the base $5500, where apprentice would make it 5x, so only 27,500. 

     

    Best,
    Tim

    ------------------------

    Thanks all. The contractor can put one apprentice on there.  Tech services and in house work would not have an apprentice most likely.  Is there a dollar value required for the apprentice labor or just 15 percent of total hours worked?  Are certified payrolls needed?

     

    Thank you

     

    Josh

  8. iCAP Resilience Team Meeting 11-10-23

    Associated Project(s): 
    Resilience iCAP Team
    Urban Biodiversity Master Plan
    Utilize Carbon Credits
    Vision Zero
    Air Quality Monitoring Station

    The iCAP Resilience Team Meeting met on November 10th, 2023 to discuss current project statuses, review the 2016 resilience commitment, and further discuss the mission and goals of the team.

    Meeting minutes, a supplemental slideshow, and recording is attached.

    Meeting recording: https://uofi.box.com/s/7xow5bqoe8zz0xk3qxyctdxi1duvg0mf

    Powerpoint: https://uofi.box.com/s/7ysynolap0ykpcaoxboxojaieispjn8a

    Attached Files: 

  9. Illinois EPA Announces $27 Million NOFO for Public Light-Duty Electric Vehicle Fast Charging Infrastructure

    Associated Project(s): 
    Install Public Use Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations

    Today, through its Driving a Cleaner Illinois program, the Illinois EPA announced the Driving a Cleaner Illinois – Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) EV Charging Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for the purchase and installation of new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) light-duty electric vehicle charging stations at publicly accessible locations. This $27 million opportunity is being made available through Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan for electric vehicle projects authorized under CEJA. The NOFO and related documents have been posted to the Illinois EPA website. Applications must be submitted to EPA.EVCharging@Illinois.gov by 5:00 pm CT on December 22, 2023.

    -------------------------------

    Hi Scott,

     

    I was just talking with Morgan, and we wondered if you know of any businesses in Urbana that would be interested in this program to fund the purchase and installation of fast chargers? If so, please let us know.

     

    Thanks,

    Jen

  10. Illinois Street Residence Hall Grind2Energy Tour

    Associated Project(s): 
    Grind2Energy
    Reduce Foodwaste

    Members from the ISC, ZeroWaste Interns, as well as Daphne Hulse and Codie Sterner attended a tour of the Illinois Street Residence Halls and their Grind2Energy system today.

    Attached Files: 

  15. RECs for small solar rooftop arrays

    Associated Project(s): 
    Rooftop Solar Potential
    Solar Power on Campus
    ECE Net-Zero Energy Building
    ECE Rooftop Solar PVs

    Hi Rob and Tony,

     

    Tim Mies asked me who “owns” the RECs from small scale solar arrays at individual buildings.  I said I’d have to check into it.

     

    At first I thought all RECs are owned by central campus (UES), but then I questioned myself.  For a rooftop solar array, we don’t include it in the M-RETS program, and at ECE, we only “sold” them the solar farm 2.0 RECs.  We let them count their rooftop solar directly and they have the DOR accordingly. 

     

    So is it appropriate to tell him that the RECs associated with the 14.7 kW array he is planning to install at the Energy Farm (not the SCAPES project) will be considered “used” at the Energy Farm?

     

    I would caution that we do not want individual departments to get into selling RECs, without a much broader discussion.  So perhaps we should say that he can use/retire them at his site, but he cannot sell them without further discussion?

     

    What do you recommend?

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -----------------------------

    Good questions. I think that if the department “owns” the REC, then they should also be able to sell the REC. I am interested in others views on the topic, and agree that it would lend to a much broader discussion.

    Rob Roman

    ----------------------------

    I agree that a broader discussion would be helpful.

     

    Best,

     

    Tony

  16. Task Report for Sam Wuebbles from 10/2 to 11/7

    Associated Project(s): 
    Appropriately Staff Sustainable Transportation Efforts

    Here are the things I have been working on:

    • Material Research Lab bicycle rack design - in progress 
    • First social media post flyer (needs approval) - in progress
    • Other social media topics
      • 11/14 - bike fun facts
      • 11/21 - Fall Break
      • 11/28 - proper way to ride
      • 12/5 - (finals) proper way to store bicycle over break
      • *other events, topics, or positive bike riding examples* (I just remember you saying that you wanted a post a week)
    • Field work
      • bicycle rack placements
      • eco counter
    • Eco Counter
      • collected data
      • updated data in metrix
    • Created survey for dangerous areas / cautions for congestion bike paths / sidewalks on campus
    • iCAP
      •  
    • Readings
      • comp plans and informational bike readings
        • Examples: 5 E's, Campus Bike Plan (old and new), Bike at Illinois, etc.
    • ADA complaint
      • on the backside of learning about and understanding the complaint and seeing future takes.
    • worked for the staff information meeting at State Farm
    • attended the "Green Infrastructure and Erosion Control" (10/24)

  17. Student Let Project SegBin.ai Feasibility

    Associated Project(s): 
    Install Appropriate Waste Collection Infrastructure
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Hey Morgan,

     

    The SSC has moved to fund this; I would like to get the go-ahead on it.

     

    Improper waste segregation poses significant environmental and financial challenges. In colleges, even students often need to pay more attention to separate waste correctly, leading to damaged recyclables, increased landfill waste, and the labor-intensive task of sorting improperly discarded waste. This issue extends beyond universities, indicating a larger problem with waste management globally. The current approach of replacing traditional single-bin systems with costly three-bin recycling bins has improved diversion rates but falls short of expectations. Financial burdens arise from the need to hire workers for manual waste sorting. To address this problem, we developed a cost-effective solution that ensures minimal damage to recyclables by sorting waste at the point of disposal.

    The project's use of AI, and revenue optimization contributes to more efficient waste management practices. This not only minimizes contamination and reduces landfill waste but also optimizes the recovery of recyclable materials. The data analysis dashboard provides users with valuable insights into disposal trends and waste composition. This empowers users to make informed decisions about waste management, promoting responsible practices. Additionally the lower cost of switching to SegBin.Ai than conventional 3 bin dustbins by over 50% significantly reduces spend on waste management infrastructure and it also has a major boost in waste diversion rates.


    I don’t like the budgeted amount of $1,600.00 for CAD and Software, it is confusing, it appears the students are paying themselves. I would like clarification on this.
    Codie

    --------------------------

    Hi Codie,

     

    Can you point me to the full file for this?  Are they just developing a software program, or building some sort of AI robot system for sorting mail?

     

    Thanks,

    Morgan

    -------------------------------

    Hey Morgan,

    This is the link for the project application and Excel application, I cc’d Daphne Hulse in the email as she is the advisor and can help with clarification questions. I always appreciate your time,

    ------------------------------

    Hi Morgan,

     

    The student group here is developing both a software system and physical prototype to place on top of existing recycling bins (the ones that are not the 3-stream bins). They are piloting sorting system at the recycling bin for the software to distinguish different types of objects and tell the user which stream to place it in (trash, paper, bottles/cans, etc.). They are planning to pilot this at PPSB and Garage & Carpool, with the understanding that it needs to be feasible for BSWs.

     

    Thank you,
    Daphne

  18. Weekly Update: Cranksgiving, Halloween last week

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Halloween was last week, and we are still awash in candy and Halloween-themed cellophane.

    Weather bumped back up, too, and we had a wait for stands on Friday. As the mercury goes, so do we. Accordingly, Monday and Wednesday project to be busy. 

    Getting some bikes on the sales floor and tackling some organizational projects; will continue to do so this week. Will also tackle some more kids bikes as we ramp up production for that.

    This coming Saturday (11/11) the Bike Project is hosting Cranksgiving, a bicycle ride/food drive to collect donations for a local food pantry. I’ll mention it to my staff and patrons this week.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 43
    Sales: $484
    Memberships: 9 for $270
    Tires/tubes: 8 for $59

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Coordinator -- Campus Bike Center

  20. Land & Water iCAP Team November 2023 Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Meadow at Orchard Downs
    Cover Crops on South Farms
    Land and Water iCAP Team

    The Land & Water iCAP team met on Teams from 1-2 PM on Friday, November 3rd. The team discussed permeable pavers at State Farm Center, the meadow at Orchard Downs, cover crops on the South Farm, and the iCAP 2025 rewrite of the Land & Water chapter. Meeting minutes are attached.

    Attached Files: 

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