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Projects Updates for Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

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  1. Feb. 10th Transportation Team Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    2024 Campus Bike Plan
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    Transportation iCAP Team

    The iCAP Transportation Team had our first meeting of the spring semester on Monday, Feb. 10th.

    There were a lot of exciting updates - the 2025 Campus Bike Plan has been published, student's research projects are progressing as they look into systems and infrastructures other universities have in place to encourage active and less environmentally impactful methods of transit, and we are working on finalizing the Campus Transportation Survey to send out in the next couple of weeks.

    Attached Files: 

  2. Transportation Team Student Research

    Associated Project(s): 
    Student Mobility on and around the Illinois campus
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Install Public Use Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    This past week, Sarthak and I met with the students on the Transportation Team to discuss their various research projects for the rest of this semester and the upcoming semester. We met with Pun Siripun on Nov. 11th, at 12pm; Charles Okoli on Nov. 14th, 12pn; Sebastian Vega on Nov. 15th, at 11am; and Mitchell Bryant on Nov. 15th at 1pm.

    The goal is to have each student conduct research on 30 or so universities in regards to various elements of transportation infrastructure, then present a final report on findings and recommendations for Illinois. The hope is that the schools are widespread, spanning from similar Midwest contexts as us to east and west coast.

    Pun will be examining EV Charging available at other schools and whether extending that in Urbana Champaign would be economically feasible and environmentally beneficial.

    Charles is reviewing Micro mobility. The goal is to promote micro mobility as alternative modes of transit, but to avoid enforcement costs and the safety of all (pedestrians and users). How have other schools done that well?

    Sebastian is studying the commuter program at Illinois and how other universities have implemented it successfully. How did they incentivize it? How did they fund it?

    Mitchell is researching the storage of micro mobility devices and how they can be expanded on campus. 

    Looking forward to hearing about their research and their suggestions for Illinois!

  3. Transportation iCAP Team October Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of University-owned pavement
    2024 Campus Bike Plan
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    The Transportation iCAP Team had their first meeting for the fall semester! Exciting to review projects where they were left off and pick them back up. The minutes are attached. We introduced the projects for the year and discussed what next steps look like for them.

    Attached Files: 

  4. Priority Area for Transportation iCAP Team 2023-24

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    The 2023-24 charge letter identified the Commuter Program as a priority area for the Transportation iCAP team.

    The pilot commuter program ran in Spring 2023 and celebrated those already choosing active modes of transportation but struggled to incentivize people to relinquish their parking passes. The Transportation Team will begin to brainstorm ways to incentivize and encourage people to relinquish their parking passes. The team also wants to establish an emergency ride-home program. This program would be made available to those who do not have a parking pass and need to return home in case of an emergency. 

  5. Emergency Ride Home program information: University of Wisconsin-Madison

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Following is some information from University of Wisconsin-Madison regarding their Emergency Ride Home program:

    UW Madison's Emergency Ride Home Program is intended to provide another incentive to employees who opt NOT do drive alone to campus, so it is not available to any employee with an annual (car) parking permit. https://transportation.wisc.edu/commuter-solutions/emergency-ride-home/. They use a voucher based system for their ERH program with an annual budget of $1,600. They have less than 2 dozen people use the ERH program every year and they give 3 vouchers for Lyft to those enrolled in this program. UW Madison still sees a desire for this program, because as they said, “the point is that the rides are free.”

    • How often an employee can use this service in a year?
      • ERH can be used up to three times every six months.
    • How do you fund the ERH program? Do you use your departmental funds or is there another funding source available?
      • ERH is funded through parking revenue
    • How often do employees use this program? What is the annual cost that you have to reimburse (in general)?
      • Annual budget is $1,600
    • does the $1,600 per year budget includes administrative cost?

      • No, but there essentially are not any administrative cost. The program takes very little time and it is folded into my existing duties

    • Who has the administrative responsibility for this program?

      • I do. It is a UW Transportation Services program.

    • I understand that the employees need to not pay the taxi and just provide the driver with the ERH form. Does the taxi company file for reimbursement? How does that system look like?

      • We have a contract with the cab companies and they invoice us and include a copy of the form with the invoice.

    • I am a bit confused about the Lyft option. The website says that users will get 3 codes to use per six months after submitting the form, but how do you ensure that the users are not using this code for personal use?

      • We assume good faith use. To get the Lyft code you click a box that says you agree to our policies. In theory if someone abused the program they might be subject to disciplinary action (or at least a nasty letter and/or being banned from future use).

    • Would you be able to connect me with the Lyft point of contact that you have for the ERH program?
    • Employees only get either 3 codes by Lyft or 3 taxi fares, right?

      • The policy is 3 total rides per 6 months, but it would be possible to cheat that and do both (or use more than 3 cab rides). It is up to me to monitor for abuse. In the 16 years that I have managed the program I have had ONE case of abuse.  We literally goes months sometimes with no one using the program and there’s never more than half a dozen rides in a single month.

  6. Emergency Ride Home program information: Indiana University Bloomington

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Following is some information from Anna Dragovich from Indiana University Bloomington regarding their Emergency Ride Home program:

    • What is the current budget to run this program?
      • It’s not much – maybe $1,000-$2,000/year. I don’t have a set budget – it’s just whatever people use, is what I reimburse. It hasn’t gotten out of hand enough for me to apply any more restrictions than what we already have in place. Surprisingly, not many take advantage of it.
    • I see that you use Chrome River for users to get reimbursement. I seem to recall that your department used to pay for this system. Is this still the case?
      • Yes, this is still the case. We use Chrome River to facilitate that reimbursement. We have the steps outlined here on our website (scroll down a little).
    • How many people are enrolled in this program?
      • ERH is eligible only for people who are enrolled in our commuter program which is about 800.
    • How many people use it?
      • I’ve had only about 10 people use it in the last year.
    • How do you confirm if the users availed this service for a legitimate reason?
      • We have them attest that they used it for legitimate reasons when they submit in Chrome River.
    • Have you evaluated the program recently and whether there is still a desire/demand for ERH now that there are Uber/Lyft and other ride share programs available?
      • We encourage them to use Uber/Lyft and are reimbursing those expenses. A few years ago, they could only use taxi companies in town but with taxi’s going out of business and Uber/Lyft taking their place, we switched.

  7. Meeting with Jen and Morgan - Commuter Program and Emergency Ride Home

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Please see attached the meeting notes from our meeting on May 22, 2023. Attended by: Morgan White, Stacey DeLorenzo, Sarthak Prasad, Jennifer Fraterrigo

    Major talking points:

    • Emergency/Guaranteed Ride Home program is like an insurance program
    • Concern - program funding for itself
    • Ride sharing
    • Carpool options
    • Three types of programs:
      • Celebrate those who active mode of transportation
      • Those who relinquish their parking pass (Commuter Program)
      • Emergency Ride Home Program

    Action items for Sarthak:

    • Ask Maria McMullen (Parking) – if there is a carpool permit and how does it work
    • Ask Yanfeng about the Vanpool survey
    • Have other universities done a study or a review of the ERH program
      • Whether there is a desire/demand for ERH now that there are Uber/Lyft and other programs
      • Have they evaluated their program?
      • If not, do a survey on campus
    • talk to Advancements/Corporate Relations about Uber/Lyft (benefits/free)
      • Try and get a phone call with Barlo Levold
    • Fact Sheet for all the different programs that support the car free lifestyle
      • Arent you glad, you dont have a car
      • Maybe work with a student group to make it a little
    • Ask Veo and ZipCar if the participants used their services
    • Ask for feedback from the participants
    • Extend the pilot through to December
    • Ask for feedback in fall
      • Not reopen the enrollment
    • Talk to Parking
    • Ask all parking permit holders if they may be interested in this program
    Attached Files: 

  8. Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) spring 2023

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)
    2014 Campus Bike Plan [ARCHIVED]
    Reduce Driving on Campus
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    Student Sustainability Committee (SSC)
    Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts
    It's Your MTD Too!
    Bicycle Registration
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles
    Bicycle Counts
    Bicycle Friendly University Status
    2024 Campus Bike Plan
    Bike Share with Veo

    Please see attached the final presentation for the CTAC spring 2023. Watch the meeting recording here: https://uofi.box.com/s/mid9gjqnhyziake9txcdf9jee08rgx6h

    Attached Files: 

  11. Commuter Program page published and the form is live!

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    The Commuter Program page is live on the TDM website: https://fs.illinois.edu/services/more-services/tdm/commuter-program-bus-bike-and-hike. We will start with an e-update to recruit people from F&S, and then reach out to e-week and other newsletter for this pilot (cut-off at 15 participants). The recruitment will end on Feb 10, and the program will launch Feb 15.

    Register here: go.fs.illinois.edu/CommuterProgram

  12. Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC) fall 2022

    Associated Project(s): 
    Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)
    Bike at Illinois Website and Campaign
    Bicycle Registration
    Pedestrian and Bicycle Counts
    Walkability Study
    ADA Transition Plan and 2017 Supplement
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    Reduce Driving on Campus
    Support Zipcar in Champaign-Urbana
    Bike Share with Veo
    Collection and Donation of Abandoned Bicycles

    Please see attached the final presentation for the CTAC fall 2022. Watch the meeting recording here: https://uofi.box.com/s/6fp2xuq2qnwv4vgm34itku4pbdy2bioy

    Attached Files: 

  13. Faculty/Staff Carpool Survey

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    iSEE Campus as a Living Lab (CALL) Projects

    The University of Illinois (UIUC) is interested in achieving its Climate Action Plan’s transportation sustainability goals by “reducing single-occupancy vehicle usage” and “promoting the use of electric vehicles” on campus. This survey is designed to evaluate the commuting needs of UIUC faculty and staff, so as to inform future actions on two fronts: (i) feasibility of developing a faculty/staff carpool service, and (ii) expanding electrified vehicle charging infrastructure on campus.

    Survey link: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/d7c2b2bf267245808ab12570323b5402 

  14. Transportation Winter Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Fleet Replacement Plans
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Electric Vehicle (EV) Task Force
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    The Transportation team met briefly on December 3rd, 2021 to discuss a recommendation of members for a potential Electric Vehicle Task Force, and a potential recommendation for the Fleet replacement plans. Sarthak Prasad also gave a brief update on the Commuter Program which appears to be on track.

    Meeting Materials are attached.

    Attached Files: 

  15. October Transportation iCAP Team Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    Walkability Study
    Campus Transportation Advisory Committee (CTAC)
    Fleet Replacement Plans

    The Transportation iCAP team met on Friday, October 29th for its monthly meeting. The team discussed the plans for the proposed Commuter Program, the Walkability Audit, and the Campus Transportation Advisory Committee. Additionally, steps will be taken to pick up the Fleet Replacement Recommendation and the EV Task Force Member Recommendation.

    Meeting Recording

     

    Attached Files: 

  16. Transportation iCAP Team September 2021 Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Sustainably Manage Transportation Systems
    Reduce Driving on Campus
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike
    Encourage Telecommuting

    The Transportation iCAP team met via zoom from 9:00 A.M.-10:30 A.M. on Wednesday, September 29th. This meeting featured an update on proposed telecommuting policies from Doctor James Gallaher, discussions on the iCAP Objectives Assessment and iCAP celebration, and a general review of the goals and projects of the committee.

    Attached Files: 

  17. Commuter Program Meeting (8/11/21)

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    On Wednesday, August 12, 2021, Stacey DeLorenzo, Sarthak Prasad, Morgan White, and Avery Maloto met to discuss the Commuter Program.

    During the call, the group discussed program logistics, next steps for outreach, and more.

    See the attached file to read the meeting notes.

    Attached Files: 

  19. Brainstorming incentive ideas for Commuter Program: Meeting between Sarthak and Avery on July 27

    Associated Project(s): 
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Sarthak and Avery met on July 27 for a brainstorming session to discuss potential incentives for the Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike. Please see attached the meeting notes as well as a draft document for the Commuter Program with description and potential incentives. Here is a link to view the meeting recording (recording started 30 minutes in to the meeting): https://uofi.app.box.com/file/839557013310

    Attached Files: 

  20. 4/16/21 Transportation SWATeam Meeting

    Associated Project(s): 
    Transportation iCAP Team
    Fleet Replacement Plans
    Encourage Telecommuting
    Commuter Program: Bus, Bike, and Hike

    Attached are the meeting minutes for the Transportation SWATeam meeting on 4/16. The agenda is as follows:

    • Commuter Program & Teleconferencing Policy Internship Update
    • Campus Fleet Replacement Plans Initiative Update
    • EV Task Force Draft Recommendation
    • Campus Opportunities: CTAC Meeting, Campus Bike Census Spring 2021.

    The Bike Census Spring 2021 Event on April 28, an event which seeks to accurately portray biking on the CU campus, is searching for volunteers. No prior experience is required; just show up to the VIRTUAL Training Session at 9AM and go from there!

     

    Attached Files: 

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