Sustainable Transportation Growing at UAlbany

 

This fall, University at Albany students, faculty and staff will have more options for eco-friendly  traveling around campus and beyond. Capital District Transportation Authority buses, with the exception of the Northway Express and Star buses, will be available to ride for free with a single swipe of a SUNY card by members of the University community. The University will also boast a new car share program, Connect by Hertz, through a partnership with the University Auxiliary Services. Through the car share program, the University community will have access to four rental vehicles, including fuel efficient vehicles like the Mini Cooper, Toyota Prius, Toyota Camry, Ford Escape and Mazda 3, with pay-as-you-go memberships.

�We�re pleased to offer all of UAlbany�s 20,000-plus students, faculty and staff universal access to our system which operates over 70 routes covering Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Saratoga counties,� said CDTA Executive Director Carm Basile. �This partnership shows UAlbany as a leader in promoting public transportation in the region.  The program, using university IDs as bus passes, makes riding CDTA much easier, increases transit options, offers safe, reliable and unlimited travel free to those with valid IDs, reduces traffic congestion and parking demand on campus, and is an environmentally friendly way to get around.�

�This is something that we have worked really hard to bring to this campus, and we want to get the word out to as many students as possible,� said UAlbany Director of Parking & Mass Transit Services Rose Dorsman.

Both programs are designed to reduce carbon emissions and the University�s overall carbon footprint. The University has already implemented several sustainable transportation options on campus, including a bike share program; a vanpool program, which consists of a group of people who live near each other committing to commute together; and a carpool program, allowing students, faculty and staff to search for rides within the campus community. Additionally, the UAlbany shuttle service will have two new hybrid buses this fall.

The University is in the midst of a transportation study to understand commuter patterns and behavior in an effort to reduce the amount of carbon emissions. Last year, carbon emissions from cars driving to campus made up 18 percent of the University�s total emissions.

UAlbany faculty are also examining the coordination and optimization of traffic signals as a means to minimize wait-times at intersections, thereby reducing automobile engine idling time and greenhouse gas emissions.

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