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Projects Updates for theme: Transportation

  1. Transportation SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Counts
    Decrease Emissions from UI Fleet
    Offset Emissions from Plane Trips
    Transportation iCAP Team

    The Transportation SWATeam had it's first meeting of the year. They discussed progress on the Transportation iCAP objectives, the status of related projects and proposals, and their priorities for the year. The team identified the following three areas on which they plan to focus in the coming meetings: 

    1. Exploring options for offsetting air travel emissions

    2. Pursuing a comprehensive intermodal transit survey (one for students and one for faculty)

    3. Assessing the feasibility of various options to reduce emissions from the campus fleet

    The next meeting is on October 12th.

    Attached Files: 

  2. Transportation iCAP efforts in progress

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Use Electric Vehicles (EV)
    Decrease Emissions from UI Fleet
    Install Public Use Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations
    Offset Emissions from Plane Trips
    Increase Public Transportation Use
    Upgrade Bike Parking U-loops
    2014 Campus Bike Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Bike Sharing
    Bike at Illinois Website and Campaign

    Hello Transportation SWATeam members,

    Thank you again for your willingness to help our campus achieve the Climate Leadership Commitments.  There is great value provided by the bi-weekly meetings of student, faculty, and staff representatives evaluating our progress and recommending additional actions campus units could take.

    The following is a list of current activities I am aware of, and suggestions I have about useful next steps.  I am happy to follow up with you on any of these, as needed.

    Thank you very much,

    ~Morgan

    Transportation

    1. EV analysis for department’s assigned vehicles – Hursh Hazari worked with Pete Varney’s data to evaluate the possibility of replacing some fleet vehicles with EVs.  https://icap.sustainability.illinois.edu/project/use-electric-vehicles-ev-campus
    2. Pete Varney has established the F&S fleet as a certified green fleet.  Pete, do you create an annual report for the status of that which you can share?  If not, can you provide an update to the SWATeam and to me? 
    3. Last year the SWATeam discussed encouraging additional campus units to get certified as green fleets.  Your team could submit a recommendation for another unit (or more than one) to pursue that certification. 
    4. New EV Chargers – Scott Willenbrock is working on one at the Illini Union + Phil Krein is interested in getting more Type 1 chargers for the North Campus Parking Deck.
    5. Potential EV Study – At the Oct. 11 Workshop for the Living Lab research connections to iCAP, there will be seed funding offered and the study for transitioning to EVs could collect and use data on campus vehicle use.  Pete has example data, which could be used to support the request for seed funding, which could then possibly fund data collection for the study.
    6. We do not yet have new air travel emission data.  iSEE is working on creating a virtual storeroom to offer carbon offsets to campus units to voluntarily buy air travel offsets.  The storeroom has funding for the first 10,000 offsets, but I understand there was a hurdle on selecting appropriate offsets with additionality.  I recommend asking Ben McCall and Scott Willenbrock about it.
    7. A new Mode split survey is needed as soon as possible.  Lily Wilcock intends to bring this as an item for discussion.  We would appreciate it if you would help define the survey questions, and then iSEE can help distribute the survey to get updated figures. 
    8. Bike Plan – I suggest you ask Stacey DeLorenzo to join one of your meetings to give an overview of the status of the Bike Plan infrastructure upgrades.
    9. Lily has funding for a Bike at Illinois website, which Creative Services will develop in the winter and spring months this fiscal year. 
    10. Lily has worked with MTD to offer bus tours to show campus staff how to use the MTD.  We teach all our new student how to ride, but none of the new employees get the personal introduction.  These tours are very successful, when they are organized with a specific department or location. 
    11. Bike Parking – there is a significant capacity issue, which is noticeable just by looking around campus, especially during class hours in the core area.  Lily has a new website that she can show you, and there is an upcoming Bike Census, which your team members should help with.
    12. Bike Sharing – a handful of dockless bike sharing companies are wanting to come to town/campus.  To manage their impacts (imagine bikes in the boneyard) they will be required to obtain city permits.  Lily is asking the SSC to use the funds they allocated to bike sharing for additional bike parking areas in the heart of campus.
    13. MCORE – this project has several impacts on multi-modal transportation.  You can learn more at http://www.mcoreproject.com/project-construction-updates.

  3. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, The big event for last week was an unruly member who I had to kick out of the shop on Wednesday. Other than that, the week went smoothly.

    Lily and I tabled at the Volunteer Fair in the Union on Tuesday. We got a dozen or so signatures (maybe more?) for general volunteer interest in the Campus Bike Center and help with Light The Night.

    On Wednesday, I got a count of the bikes that we’ll be donating from the Bike Warehouse to Working Bikes. This year a portion of the bikes will be going to Houston to help with hurricane relief. Tally for the bikes was 332, give or take.  I will be coordinating with Working Bikes and Parking this week to finalize a date.

    This week is Light The Night on Tuesday. I will close the shop for the event. The signs for the event were dropped off on Friday.

    The numbers:

    Visitors: 131
    Sales: $1,584.85
    Memberships:  24 for $720
    Bikes (Build-a-Bikes): 2 for $171
    Bikes (Refurbished): 0
    Tires/Tubes: 36 for $196

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  4. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week’s big news was the implementation of a new sign-in system that expedites the process and allows for better tracking of our members’ status (expired or current memberships). The new system scans membership cards, I-cards, and drivers’ licenses, tracks first visits, and requires zero interaction with a keyboard, saving minutes of valuable time and keeps things from bottlenecking at the entrance to the space when people are arriving. While there is a learning curve, those who’re familiar scan and record their visit in about 5 seconds as opposed to the usual 15-30 with our previous system.

    The program is still in development and kinks/concerns are addressed with the developer as they arise. The system does not track names, however, unless you are in our database system already. If that is a problem, as far as the University is concerned, please let me know so I can correct it.

    To the numbers:
    Visitors: 129
    Sales (overall): $2,200.20
    Bikes (refurb): 3 for $620Bikes (B-a-B): 3 for $304
    Memberships: 20 for $635
    Tires/Tubes: 40 for $208

    This week I will build bikes, attend a Volunteer Fair on Tuesday, and coordinate/organize for Light The Night. I anticipate continued high visitor numbers, as the weather continues its summer ways.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  5. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was fine. The student workers are getting into the swing of things. Those that were away for the summer are remembering how everything works and that in turn makes them a more helpful. Our suspension of “First Visit Free” has been received well; most people are amenable to the membership fee, even if they only have a very small repair. Only a couple instances of people complaining and they leave unhappy but on the whole I consider it a success. We’ve had a lot of people who’ve had to wait significantly for stand time even with the membership-required policy. It’s unfortunate, but also speaks to our success and the demand for the space. I’ll count it as a positive and a negative both.

    Visitors for the week: 154

    Last Friday we had a good-sized ride from the CBC totaling about 8 or so people. This time of year is especially well-suited for riding, which I hope translates to more interest.

    Last Tuesday was the first Fix-a-Flat class that Simon and Lily ran. From the both of them, it sounded like a success. This week 12-14 people have signed up, most appear to be grad students (not a bad thing).

    This week I will continue to publicize and talk up LTN as well as print off some basic text fliers for the event to hand out in advance. Funnily enough the younglings with their smartphones have been asking for fliers for the event! I’ll build bikes and organize, per usual, as well.


    Sales (overall): $1,533.10
    Bikes (refurb): 0 for $0 (we have two for sale!)
    Bikes (B-a-B): 2 for $143
    Memberships: 24 for $720
    Tire/Tubes: 47 for $283

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  6. Article: Cyclists have same rights as cars

    Associated Project(s): 
    Enforcement for Safe Cycling
    Issue Press Releases and Sustainability Reports

    Parkland students may want to consider biking, as it affords them an opportunity to exercise and is an ecofriendly way of getting around. There are dangers associated with cycling though, and there are laws that must be followed to ensure your safety while cycling.

    Link to the article: http://www.prospectusnews.com/2017/09/06/cyclists-have-same-rights-as-cars/

    Attached Files: 

  7. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was a blur! According to our sign-in data, we had 277 visitors. That seems high but numbers don’t lie. We were pretty much all-stands-full within the first half an hour. Unfortunately that means some members have had to wait for stands to work on their build-a-bikes. Nothing we can do about that, unfortunately.

    The numbers:
    Sales (overall): $1,867.60

    Bikes (refurbished): 1 for $180
    Bikes (B-a-B): 1 for $46
    Memberships: 26 for $780
    Tires/tubes: 47 for $244

    This week sees the beginning of the fix-a-flat class that Lily has shepherded into existence (Thanks, Lily!). I already have told people about that to much positive interest. There also is a community ride happening in the middle of the week that I will attend. I will also help with LTN preparations this week. A couple new student workers are starting this week, too, which will be good.

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  8. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was—according to the visitor numbers—an unprecedentedly busy week. According to our tracker for visitors we had 239 people into the shop last week. I pored over the list of visitors and cut down two duplicate sign-ins from the original 241, but other than that the numbers bear out: we averaged about 50 sign-ins per day. Most must have been those looking for bikes and since we’re sold out, moved on quickly, because the shop never felt unbearably busy.

    Sales: Overall: $1,865.70; refurbished bikes: 3 for $440; B-a-Bs: 3 for $199; memberships: 17 for $510; tires/tubes: for 31 for $147.

    Yesterday was Quad Day. I think it went very well. We handed out bike registration flyers and successfully registered a few people’s bikes thanks to the iPad Lily brought. I will be interested to see how many people show up for registration stickers this week (hopefully a lot). Most people did not realize it was required to register your bike on campus.

    On Friday, Lily, Scott (from Parking), Officer Briggs from UIPD and I had a meeting to discuss theft and removal of abandoned bikes on campus. We will have a follow up meeting at a TBD date to discuss ways to streamline removal of abandoned bikes without advertising that fact to thieves and the like as well as how to better educate students about bike registration and locking technique.

    This week I will build bikes, have volunteers count and sort all the Light The Night light sets, and attend the TBP member meeting. I will brainstorm ways to expedite the registration sticker procurement process here at CBC, as last week we had a long line of people who didn’t understand (despite many announcements) that they could do the majority of the registration process on their phones beforehand.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  9. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, most notable thing last week: Everyone was very good about leaving in a timely manner. Two or three times the stands were empty and staff were cleaning up with a solid 10 minutes left for open hours. That was a pleasant surprise.

    The bulk of the LTN lights arrived last week. I will have a volunteer this week get a tally on total units received. Todd, TBP volunteer, came and picked up scrap on short notice, which was very helpful.

    Sales were good. Overall: $1,163.50; 2 refurbished bikes for $310; 3 B-a-Bs for $174; 6 memberships for $180; and 12 tires/tubes (used and new) for $131.

    This week I will build bikes, work on organization, and did I mention building bikes? There has been a strong demand for them. And while I love selling bikes, the retention rate on B-a-Bs is getting better, I think. The majority still abandon them but there have been a considerable number of people who stick with it and express an enjoyment and interest in working on bikes because of it. That’s a win in my book.

    This week I will also meet with Parking and UIPD about abandoned bikes on campus.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  10. MTD Newsletter for August 2017

    Associated Project(s): 
    Support the MTD Bus System
    Multimodal Corridor Enhancement Project (MCORE) [ARCHIVED]

    Welcome to MTD's Fall 2017 Service Year

    MTD’s 2017-18 service year began yesterday and new Maps & Schedules books are now available on our buses and at Illinois Terminal. Pick up yours today & let us know if you have any questions-just call 217.384.8188 or email us.

    In addition to a few timetable and routing adjustments, our passengers and the public should be aware of several larger changes this year: MTD has moved to a Designated Stops system, Round Barn Road in Champaign is now the main transfer point for routes in west Champaign, and MCORE project work will continue to cause reroutes in and around Campustown.
     
    School trips for Unit 4 and District 116 middle and high schoolers will begin this Wednesday, August 16, and just prior to University of Illinois classes beginning Monday, August 28, all summer service reductions will end on Friday, August 25. 

    See you soon on the bus, trail, sidewalk or at Illinois Terminal!

    Introducing Designated Stops

    MTD's Fall 2017 Service Year began on Sunday, August 13, 2017, the same day our new Maps & Schedules book went into effect. 

    One major change this fall is the introduction of system-wide designated stops. Several Open Houses were held to solicit input from the public, and MTD staff compiled and incorporated the comments into our planning process. A full list of designated stops locations and maps are available at cumtd.com in our "Documents" section under Designated Stops Fall 2017.

    We're here to help you with this new system. To find or verify your nearest designated stop, give us a call at 217.384.8188 or send us an email. 

    State of the (Illini) Union

    MCORE Project work in front of the Illini Union is progressing and reroutes are ongoing. Follow MTD on Facebook or Twitter for reroute information & updates, like this drone footage from Overhead Ag.

    Illinois Terminal Expansion Announced

    Developer Hans Grotelueschen’s major downtown Champaign project once sited at Washington and Walnut streets will move several blocks south and east to merge with a planned expansion of Illinois Terminal by the Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District (MTD).

    As part of a new vision for this development, Grotelueschen and MTD officials are also evaluating a hockey arena and athletics event center for approximately 5000 spectators. In so doing, they hope to partner with the University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics (DIA), which recently announced that it was studying the feasibility of adding Division I ice hockey. Read More>

    In the News

    Did you happen to catch MTD Grant Manager Jane Sullivan's Getting Personal piece in yesterday's News-Gazette or WCIA's recent story on Operator Goodrich? We're proud of our people! Take a few minutes to learn more about who drives MTD. 

  12. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was fairly busy. We had a few days wherein there was extended waiting times for free stands. We had been averaging about 100 people in the space per week but this week we were at 117, and I’m sure there were half a dozen who we missed. As it nears the Great Student Migration we’ll see more and more visitors.

    Sales: Overall: $1,661.20; refurbished bikes: 6 for $860; Build-a-Bikes: 2 for $220; memberships: 4 for $120; tire/tubes (new and used): 20 for $117.

    On Friday a Bike Project volunteer and I went to the warehouse and picked up about 20 bikes for refurbishment, 3 of which were Neutral Cycle rental bikes that were mistakenly confiscated. I coordinated with their manager to return them. As I was leaving the warehouse two college-aged kids walked up asking if they could “get a bike for $10”. It was a little suspicious.

    This week I will process and hopefully build up a lot of the bikes we pulled from the warehouse. With more and more people returning to campus, demand for bikes is ramping up. On the one hand, when we are low on for-sale bikes, it curbs the entitled customer corporate/retail space idea that a lot of people have when they come here. On the other hand, less bikes available for people who want to ride is definitely a bad thing.

    I plan to deactivate our “One Free Visit For One Small Repair” policy this week, as demand for stands and space is approaching its yearly zenith. This was successful last year and was agreed upon at the last Bike Project meeting. I’ll reinstate One Free Visit sometime in October when we are no longer operating beyond capacity.

    Sincerely,

    - Jake Benjamin
    Campus Bike Center Manager

  13. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was pretty relaxed. We only had 87 visitors into the space. Our sales were: $1,072 (overall); refurbed bikes: 5 for $640; memberships: 5 for $150; tires/tubes (new & used): 9 for $38.

    This week I have a meeting with a prospective student employee. I will also scrap the deluge of bikes that have been donated. Last week we received at least a dozen junk frames/broken bikes. A rare few of these bikes are salvageable, unfortunately. I will build bikes and continue to organize, clean, and otherwise prepare for the deluge of returning students in the coming weeks.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  14. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was slow at the beginning every day of the week but by around 4pm things would pick up drastically and we’d be “All Stands Full” for the last hour or so. I used to blame the uptick around 4pm on class schedules but it’s summer so now I have no idea why we get busier then.

    Visitors count was at 100 even (for the second week in a row, I believe).

    Total sales: $1,363.10; refurbished bike sales: 3 for $430; Build-a-Bikes: 3 for $250; memberships: 11 for $330; consumables (cables/housing, tires/tubes): 27 between the four of those, totaling $85.10.

    Last week was the conclusion of having Kameron, the high school student, helping here at the CBC. He really warmed up to being here, I think (or so I tell myself) and was much more comfortable organizing and sorting small esoteric bike parts than doing anything bigger like stripping or building up bicycles.

    On  Friday I made a bike run to the warehouse and picked up 10 bikes. I saw a great number of decent and capable commuter bikes, dotted amongst the majority of WalMart-level junk. It was good to get an injection of new bike blood into the crop of bikes available here.

    I also put the final touches on the ECS bike share bikes and outfitted them with baskets.

    This week I will process and build some of the new bikes as demand for for-sale bikes is increasing. I have begun to hear back from returning student staffers about possible scheduling, which is helpful, so I will continue to plan for that.  

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  15. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week was abbreviated: first by the weather on Wednesday (95° was the afternoon high, so I did not have open hours for safety reasons); and then on Friday as I was out of town for my  grandmother’s funeral. We only totaled 62 visitors for the week. Sales were $368 net for the week. We didn’t sell any refurbished bikes. We sold one build-a-bike for $43; four memberships for $120; 10 tires/tubes (used/new) for $41.

    This week I plan to build more bikes, organize parts with Kameron (the high school student), and work on scheduling for the Fall semester. It projects to be very hot the tail end of the week so I will explore options and ways of trying to keep the Bike Center from being dangerously hot so we don’t have to shutter the doors again.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  16. Weekly Update

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center

    All, last week felt on the slow side but I suspect that is a false memory, as our visitor numbers were at 102. That’s about on par for this time of year.

    Sales for the week were: $795.50 overall; one refurbed bike ($210); one B-a-B ($41); one family and three standard memberships ($155); and 21 tires/tubes ($136).  Also of note: $94 in lock sales.

    Last week I had Kameron, the high schooler, come in again. He has really taken to organizing and his efforts are paying off. The shop is overall still a mess, but the small parts are being meticulously organized which helps everyone find what they’re looking for—used parts-wise—that much faster. He will be joining me a couple days this week in the mornings as well.

    We had another Friday Community Ride organized by the student staffers. It went well; we rode to the Urbana First Friday event.

    This week I plan to process the donations we received over the weekend here, work with Kameron in the mornings on organizing and scrapping some of the junk that is cluttering up the space, and build more bikes.

    Sincerely,

    • Jake Benjamin
      Campus Bike Center Manager

  17. Funding Letter - Bike Registration RFID

    Associated Project(s): 
    Bicycle Registration
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts

    This project funds an opt-in bike tracking system for all registered campus bikes working toward two goals: 1) Collecting useful data on where cyclists are biking on campus for more accurate and timely information than the perennial bike census; and 2) Providing incentives for people who bike to campus, in the form of points toward or drawings for gift certificates for local dining options near campus. When students and faculty of the University register their bikes, they will each receive a tag for their bike with a personal ID number. With the data collected about their individual biking habits, students and faculty will be able to track how often they bike and earn rewards through an online interface and incentive system. The interface will show the number of times biked, the rewards an individual can earn, and offer the ability to submit reports since bikers often see needed improvements before planners and engineers. This system is being developed entirely in-house by a team of women engineers. This proposal directly funds: 1) Supplies for creating the system 2) Two interns to assist with logistics 3) Mounting equipment and RFID tags.

    Attached Files: 

  18. EV Car Charging Pilot Study Agreement

    Associated Project(s): 
    Install Public Use Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)

    Campus currently has a scarcity of EV Charging Stations on campus, with only eight public and nine permit-required charging stations on campus utilizing level 1 chargers, and only two level 2 chargers on the far east side of campus. Level 1 chargers take significantly longer to charge than Level 2, and there is distinct room for campus to grow in this regard. This project will expand the number of level 2 chargers on campus to promote the utilization of more electric vehicles. Initially, 1-2 stations will be installed, with metering equipment included in order to track utilization and demand. This proposal directly funds: 1) Up to two Electric Vehicle chargers 2) Installation costs from Facilities and Services.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Funding Letter - Bike Maintenance Instructor

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Bike Center
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Mechanics Classes at the Campus Bike Center

    Since 2010, The Bike Project has been collaborating with the University of Illinois to provide an educational space on campus. Bicycle education taught through that space encourages the campus community to ride bicycles for transportation because the bicycles sold and worked on at the Campus Bike Center are reliable and safe. While some people are willing to volunteer to teach advanced level bicycle repair classes at the Bike Center, few are willing to teach very basic entry-level classes addressing such issues as adjusting brakes, lubricating chains, and fixing flat tires. This project funds two semesters of stipend for an instructor to teach classes at the Bike Center covering these topics. Combined class capacity over the two semesters would exceed 200 new cyclists. This proposal directly funds: 1) Two semesters of labor for a beginner-level bicycle class.

    Attached Files: 

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