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Projects Updates for theme: Transportation

  2. Update on MTD's transition to clean energy vehicles

    Associated Project(s): 
    Support the MTD Bus System

    We currently have 94 hybrids in our fleet of 111 vehicles, which makes us 85% hybrid. However, we have 11 more hybrids being made right now as replacement vehicles that are supposed to start arriving in the next week. At that point, we’ll have 105 hybrids, making up 95% of the fleet. I know that’s starting now and will certainly be done by the end of the year, but I don’t the exact timeline (I would imagine within a few months we’ll have them all, though).

    We did order the two hydrogen buses that will be arriving later this year and then go into service in 2021. We did design that fueling station to be scalable, because we feel really good about this technology and think it holds a lot of promise for us, so if it does work out, the station was designed to be modified and go from accommodating two buses to six or ten or twelve as easily as possible. So, if funding allows, I would be on the look-out for those. - MTD representative to F&S inquiry in April 2020

  3. history note from F&S

    Associated Project(s): 
    Increase use of EVs and other Alternative Service Vehicles

    F&S has used both GEM (8?) and e-Ride (2) electric service vehicles as well as 8 other small, gas powered Low Speed Vehicles (LSVs), 2 each from 4 different manufacturers totaling 8 LSVs. I’ve attached an email that has a link to a story posted on Cars.com about our use. While a variety of vehicles were used they were pretty much all gone in 5-8 years for many reasons including capability, reliability, parts supplies, vendors going out of business and personnel concerns. None in service currently.

     

    From July 2008, by Pete Varney:

    The University did in fact purchase 8 vehicles, we are calling them "mini-trucks."  Chery is one of the OEMs.  We purchased two each of Tiger, Mag Intl, Vantage and Cushman (no longer selling in the US).  The desire is to test their effectiveness as a service vehicle on campus.  We have a large fleet of service vehicles (250+) and the majority of them never travel more that a couple of miles each day and never exceed the campus speed limit, 25 mph.

     

    This has been a long and at sometimes, difficult, project to get rolling, but now includes electric vehicles (E-ride) as well.  All part of the University's goal of conserving energy and increasing sustainability.

    https://www.cars.com/articles/chinese-part-of-mini-truck-mania-1420663272884/

     

     

    Attached Files: 

  6. Car Culture and Climate Change: A Student Op-Ed

    Associated Project(s): 
    Reduce Driving on Campus

     

    ui-parking.png

    Student Op-Ed: Car Culture and Climate Change

    In this opinion piece, undergraduate Shelby Job uses the U of I as a case study to examine the impact of efforts to limit automobile use and enourage biking, walking and public transit on America's "car culture" — especially in lower- and middle-class communities. 

    "Although the campus’ lack of accessibility by automobile might feel like a constraint on individual freedom, using infrastructure to encourage active modes of transportation may be the way forward as we search for solutions to the climate crisis," Job writes.

    But higher parking rates and the scarcity of parking overall raise the question of whether manipulating road systems will lead to a car culture that is only accessible to socioeconomic elites, she writes. "If municipalities begin to restrict auto travel by cutting down on the amount of affordable parking, then the face of an area's car culture is likely to change in a way that excludes those of lower socioeconomic standing."

    The op-ed was originally written for a course in iSEE's Certificate in Environmental Writing (CEW

  10. Transportation SWATeam Meeting: 30 March 2020

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Incorporate Sustainability Principles into Campus Master Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Support Zipcar in Champaign-Urbana
    Encourage Telecommuting

    Attached are the meeting minutes from the Transportation SWATeam meeting on 30 March 2020. 

    The Agenda is as follows:

    Recommendations Review

    • (M. Hubbard) Support CMP by increasing pedestrian safety by reevaluating current pedestrian routes and conducting traffic studies.
    • (S. Prasad) Zip-cars continuity: continue to serve at popular locations and set up a system to maintain Zip-car presence (two options are to set up a fund to pay for Zip-car parking spaces or ask Parking not to charge the department). 
    • (J. Cidell) UI Ride Survey
    • (J. Cidell) Teleconferencing assessment
    • (Y. Ouyang) Faculty/Staff Vanpool Survey

    April Agenda

    • iCAP 2020 Transportation Chapter Review
    Attached Files: 

  14. Meeting minutes from the March 16th meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Crowd Management for Quad Day: Living Lab Project

    Please see attached the meeting minutes from the meeting on March 16th. Also attached are the slides from this meeting.

    Attended by: Yanfeng Ouyang, Shelly Zhang, Morgan White, Stacey DeLorenzo, Sarthak Prasad, Weichen Li, Rui Feng She, Barb Robbins, Paul Jensen, Gina Lee-Olukoya, Dementro Powell.

    Attached Files: 

  15. Bike Month plans for 2020 cancelled

    Associated Project(s): 
    Encourage Bicycle Use

    Hi All,

     

    I think we have reached a working consensus: postpone the major events of CU Bike Month 2020 (Bike to Work Day, Bike to School Day, etc.). I think Urbana’s Market at the Square is going to different as well, especially in May.  So likely no Bike to Market, no Spring Bike Rodeos, etc.

     

    I think we can find ways to stay in contact with our participants from the last few years and encourage them that going out on bike rides could be a very healthy and life giving activity this spring. The links below are from a post today by another cycling advocate:

     

    I think the message that cycling can reduce stress is a positive message while we navigate this pandemic.

    We are in unprecedented times. Our thoughts go out to the people who have been affected by this global health crisis, and we are humbled by those on the front lines who are working tirelessly to contain the coronavirus. 

    https://la.streetsblog.org/2020/03/13/bicycling-during-the-coronavirus-pandemic/

     

    https://www.bicycling.com/news/a31469228/cycling-during-coronavirus/

     


    We have time to look at the fall and think about how to schedule and balance our programs and energies.  So no need to do a lot of that at the moment.

     

     

    So, let’s ponder this decision to cancel the organized parts of CU Bike Month 2020 overnight and touch base again tomorrow in the early afternoon to finalize our decision, or consider an alternative.  Check with your colleagues, read the news, look at your calendars, and either Gabe or I will start a group email after lunch.

     

    Jeff

  16. Survey results from the event

    Associated Project(s): 
    It's Your MTD Too!

    We performed a pre-workshop and a post-workshop survey for the "It's Your MTD Too!" event. Attached are the results from the surveys.

    Attached Files: 

  18. Veo Dec 19, Jan 20, Feb 20 ridership overview

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bike Share with Veo

    Please see data for the winter months along with heat maps. Only 100 e-bikes in operation.

    Ridership for December:1979

    • Users Added: 84
    • Reports from app: 49 (Repairs and lock issues)
    • Reports from Customer Service: 8 (Bike removal from property)

    Ridership for January: 452

    • Users Added: 60
    • Reports from app: 9
    • Reports from Customer Service: 3 (Bike removal from property)

    Ridership for February:321

    • Users Added: 74
    • Reports from app: 0
    • Reports from Customer Service: 2 (Bike removal from property)
    Attached Files: 

  19. It's Your MTD Too! final event

    Associated Project(s): 
    It's Your MTD Too!

    On March 12, 2020, we held the "It's Your MTD Too!" event at the NCSA conference room 1040 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak, there were only 6 attendees and we proceeded with the workshop as planned. The event was very casual because of the low attendance, but it helped us figure out some of the points that we can do better.

    Please see attached the final powerpoint presentation document.

    Click here to see the structure of the workshop.

    Attached Files: 

  20. Weekly Update - Bicycle Safety, Social Hack

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, Truncated week for me as I was out of the shop on Wed – Fri recuperating. On Tuesday night I was hit by a car on my bike ride home. No injuries beyond some scrapes and sore muscles. I was very lucky it wasn’t much worse.
    Ultimately, we  have a long way to go when someone who rides as defensively and as safely as I do can get hit by a car on a quiet residential street.
    This week I’ll be meeting with my newly-hired Program Assistant to work out his schedule and responsibilities. I’ll be picking up more bikes from the warehouse, meeting with a student design group for transportation/climate issues (Design For America’s “Social Hack”), and building/scrapping bikes as needed.

    The numbers:
    Visitors: 63
    Sales: $32

    Thanks!

    Jacob Benjamin
    Manager, Campus Bike Center

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