2009 State of the Commute Report - UCLA Sustainability · 2020. 3. 10. · 2009 State of the Commute Report 3 All but one of the 20 most popular zip codes amongst UCLA employees are

Spring 2009

2009 State of the Commute Repor t

12009 State of the Commute Report

Report Contents

The daytime population at UCLA is ap-proximately 55,000 to 60,000 people per day. Table 1 reports the student and employee population at UCLA; Table 2 reports more specific demographic data about the stu-dent body, including the ratio of undergradu-ate to graduate students and the percentage of students living on and off campus.

Creating a State of the Creating a State of the Commute Report Commute Report

To reach our campus each day, thousands of stu-dents, staff, and faculty use alternative modes, such as public transit, cycling, and walking.The popularity of these sustainable modes stems from

the success of UCLA’s transporta-tion programs, which include vanpools, public transit pass subsidies, carpools, a bicycle program, and campus shuttles.

But just how many people are using each of these modes?

Through the fi rst-ever State of the Commute Report, UCLA Transportation seeks to answer those questions. UCLA Transportation will also attempt to evaluate the University’s progress in reaching its short and long-term transportation and environmental policy goals. For example, how does the University’s prog-ress in moving people onto sustainable modes compare with the Los Angeles region at large?

The 2009 State of the Commute Report relies upon the following sources:

• UCLA Transportation’s annual survey of employ-ee travel behavior for its Air Quality Management District (AQMD) reporting requirements.• UCLA Transportation’s annual Spring Student Transportation Survey, which collects information on the travel behavior of students living off-campus.• UCLA Transportation’s annual bicycle rack utili-zation inventory.• UCLA Parking Services’ annual parking inven-tory.• UCLA Transportation’s annual fall cordon count.This report also includes data from transit providers

which serve UCLA, including Big Blue Bus and Culver City Bus; Zipcar, the car-sharing company; and UCLA Fleet and Transit.

Creating a State of the Commute Report. . . .1

Characteristics of commuters at UCLA. . . . . .1

How do UCLA commuters get to campus?. . 8

How to continue UCLA’s progress in fulfi lling its Climate Action Plan goals? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16

Table 1. Total population Population

Students (undergraduate & graduate)

36,5031

Faculty and Staff 22,2682

Total population 58,771

1. From UCLA Analysis and Information Management (AIM). Three-quarter average head count for 2007-2008. This fi gure includes students who are studying abroad and not currently on campus. 2. 2008 UCLA Parking Master Plan.

Table 2. Demographics of UCLA student body1

Total Percentage2

All Students 36,503 Undergraduate 24,175 66%

Graduate/Interns 12,328 34%

On-campus 10,633

Undergraduate 9,275 25%Graduate 1,358 4%

Commuters 24,210 66%3

1. UCLA AIM three-quarter average head count 2007-08.2. Percents are rounded.3. Commuter and on-campus percents do not equal 100% due to students abroad and not currently on campus.

Characteristics of UCLA

commuters

UCLA Campus Shuttle

2 UCLA Transportation

In general, UCLA staff members live further away than faculty mem-bers from the main campus. The graph in Figure 1 suggests that the median commute distance amongst staff at UCLA is about ten miles. In con-trast, the median commute distance amongst faculty members is about four miles. And as Table 3 reports, over half of the faculty live fewer than five miles from the main campus.

The hot spot map pictured in Figure 2 illustrates the spatial distribu-tion of employee residences across the region. Full-time employees commute to UCLA everyday from across South-ern California, including Palmdale in the Antelope Valley, San Bernardino County, Ventura County, and Orange County.

Figure 2. The spatial distribution of all faculty and staff residences across Southern California.

Although half of the staff commute fewer than 10 miles each way, approximately half of the staff and almost 30%

of the faculty live more than 10 miles from campus.

Pacifi c Ocean

Table 3. How far do faculty and staff live from the main UCLA

campus?Distance Faculty Staff Both

1 13% 6% 7%

2 22% 13% 14%3 30% 17% 19%

4 42% 26% 28%

5 53% 33% 35%10 72% 51% 53%15 79% 65% 67%

20 83% 72% 74%

30 90% 82% 83%50 92% 88% 88%

75 93% 89% 90%

75+ 100% 100% 100%

Figure 1. Spatial distribution of UCLA staff andacademic employee residences

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All but one of the 20 most popular zip codes amongst UCLA employees are within ten miles of the main UCLA campus (Figure 3a). They include neigh-borhoods in West Los Angeles and Santa Monica, Hol-lywood, Mid-City, Sherman Oaks, and Hawthorne.

Figure 3b (on page 4) shows the top 20 zip codes most densely populated by staff; they overlap with most of the communities shown in Figure 3a, the map showing the top 20 most popular zip codes for all UCLA employees. Granada Hills, a neighborhood near the 405 and 118 freeways in the San Fernando Valley with roughly 220 staff members, stands out, as it is not on the top 20 list for all employees and its distance from Westwood makes a commute via transit Continued on page 5See page 6

Figure 3a. Top 20 zip codes with the most UCLA full-time employee residents.

Top 20 Zip Codes with the Most UCLA Full-time Employees: Spring 2008

difficult.Figure 3c offers a closer examination of the top

20 most populous zip codes amongst faculty mem-bers. Communities further than 10 miles away from campus on the list include Palos Verdes Peninsula, as well as communities west of campus, like Topanga, are shown on the map.

Figure 3d suggests that employees hired within the past five years were more likely to live closer to campus.

TOP 20 ZIP CODES:UCLA EMPLOYEE LOCATIONS

ZIP - AREA - POPULATION90024 Westwood 1,53890034 Palms 88190025 Sawtelle 75590066 Mar Vista 64990049 Brentwood 35190064 West L.A. 22190403 Santa Monica 20590046 Hollywood 17690405 Santa Monica 17390404 Santa Monica 15990036 Mid-Wilshire 14490291 Venice 13990035 West L.A. 12790230 Culver City 12390250 Hawthorne 11690019 Mid-City 11590045 Westchester 10591403 Sherman Oaks 10490048 Mid-City West 10090016 West Adams 97


Figure 3b. Top 20 zip code areas with the most UCLA staff residents.

!P

SYLMAR

CHATSWORTH

TOPANGA

MALIBU

CALABASAS

SIMI VALLEY

PACIFIC PALISADES

SUN VALLEY

LOS ANGELES

PACOIMA SUNLAND

GRANADA HILLS

NEWHALL

ENCINOTARZANA

VAN NUYSRESEDA

BEVERLY HILLS

CANOGA PARK

WEST HILLS

NORTHRIDGE

BURBANK

HAWTHORNE

NORTH HILLS

TUJU

NG

A

EL SEGUNDO

WOODLAND HILLS

WIN

NETKA

STUDIO CITY

GAR

DEN

A

VENICE

TORRANCE

SHERMANOAKS

CULVER CITY

LAWNDALE

NORTH HOLLYWOOD

PANORAMA CITY

SAN F

ERNA

NDO

MISSIO

NH

ILLS

INGLEWOOD

RED

ON

DO

BEAC

H

MANHATTAN BEACH

SANTA M

ONICA

STEVENSON RANCH

GLE

NDAL

EVALLEYVILLAGE

PLAYA DEL REY

MARINA DEL REY

WEST HOLLYWOOD

HERMOSA BEACH

AGOURA HILLS

91344

90049

90045

90250

90046

90066

90019

9006490016

90230

90034

90024

90025

90291

90036

90232

90035

90404

90405

90403

220

617

337

360

310

307

1393

527235

450

284

227

1842

247

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LOS ANGELES INTL

BURBANK-GLENDALE-PASADENA

Legend

Freeway System

Number of Residents

μ0 2.5 5 7.5 101.25

Miles!P UCLAH:\Sustainable Transportation\Regional Info\Housing Prices04/2008

The Pacific Ocean

Top 20 Zip Code Areas with the Most UCLA Staff Residents: Spring 2008

900 and More

220-300

301-500

501-700

701-900

XXX: Absolute number of residents


!PMALIBU

AGOURA HILLS CALABASAS

TOPANGA

PACIFIC PALISADES

WEST HILLS

BELL

CARSON

LOS

ANGELES

THOUSAND OAKS

ENCI

NO

TAR

ZAN

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VAN NUYSRESEDA ALTADENA

COMPTON

GLENDALE

BEVERLYH

ILLS

WILMINGTON

LA CANADA FLINTRIDGE

SOUTH GATE

OAK PARK

WESTLAKE VILLAGE

LONG BEACH

TORRANCE

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RBAN

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SUN VALLEY

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PED

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VENICE

SIMI VALLEY

NO

RW

ALK

SANTA M

ONICA

RANCHO PALOS VERDES

PALOS VERDES PENINSULA

MONTEREY PARK

SHERMAN OAKS

CULVER CITY

LOMITA

LAWNDALE

NORTH HOLLYWOOD

SAN MARINO

INGLEWOOD

REDONDO BEACH

MANHATTAN BEACH

HUNTINGTON PARK PICO RIVERA

SOUTH PASADENA

HARBOR CITY

PLAYA DEL REY

VALLEY VILLAGE

PANORAMA CITY

MARINA DEL REY

CERRITOS

WEST HOLLYWOOD

MAYWOOD

SAN GABRIEL

NORTHRIDGE LA CRESCENTA

HERMOSA BEACH

ROSEMEAD

MONTROSE

SEAL BEACH

UNIVERSAL CITY

CHATSWORTH

90272

90290

90049

90275

90274

90210

90077

91436

90046

90066

9006490035

91423

90266

91403

90230

90034

90024

90025

90405

90291

9040290403

35

147

36

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277

66

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35

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LOS ANGELES INTL

BURBANK-GLENDALE-PASADENA

Legend

Freeway System

Number of Residents*

μ 0 2.5 5 7.5 101.25 Miles!P UCLAH:\GIS\Statt_Addresses\TopFaculty2008 August 2008

Pacific Ocean

Top 20 Zip Code Areas with the Most UCLA Faculty Residents

301 and more

35-50

51-100

101-200

201-300

XXX: Absolute number of residents*Including tenured and non-tenured track faculty

From top: Figure 3c. Top 20 zip code areas with the most UCLA faculty residents. Figure 3d. Top 20 zip codes with employees hired between 2004 and 2008.

!P

90049

90045

90250

90046

90066

90026

90019

90064

90016

90230

90034

90024

90025

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90291

90036

90035

90404

90048

90403

420

126

150

204

743

133

160

271

138

152

907

205

165

173

1041

2189

152

201

124

242

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES

HAWTHORNE

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES

VENICE

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELESLOS ANGELES

CULVER CITY

LOS ANGELESLOS ANGELESLOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES

SANTA MONICA

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES

LOS ANGELES

SANTA MONICA

SANTA MONICA §̈¦10

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Legend

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Number of Employees

μ 0 1 2 3 40.5 Miles!P UCLAH:\Sustainable Transportation\Regional Info\Housing Prices04/2008

The Pacific Ocean

Top 20 Zip Code Areas with the Most Recent UCLA Employees Hired: 2004-2008

1,000 and More

120-200

201-300

301-400

401-1,000

XXX: Absolute number of employees


UCLA has voluntarily agreed to cap the number of daily vehicle trips to the cam-pus to fewer than 139,500. To track the Uni-versity’s progress in meeting this target, each fall UCLA Transportation completes a cordon count, which tracks the number of trips made by car and bus to campus over the course of a week.

Table 4 reports the number of vehicle trips to UCLA each day by campus area, with a bus subtraction.

The number of vehicle trips to UCLA fell for the fifth year in a row to roughly 112,000 vehicle trips to and from UCLA each day. This is 6% lower than the Fall 2007 cordon count. Furthermore, the number of vehicle trips to UCLA in 2008 is down by 9% overall since 1990, the year UCLA Transportation began tracking vehicle trips. (Note: At the time of the 2008 cordon count in the third week of October, gasoline prices were still very high. This likely impacted traffic volumes.)

Through the cordon count, traffic patterns onto and off campus are captured. As illus-trated in Figure 4, the most popular entrance to the University is Le Conte and Westwood Plaza; other heavily utilized entrances to the University include the intersection of Strath-more and Gayley and Sunset and Westwood Plaza.

Table 4. Number of trips to UCLA, 2006-2008Location 2006 2007 2008

Main campus 104,292 102,417 96,171

Southwest campus 14,058 15,196 14,216

Wilshire Center• •(By formula)

2,058 2,058 2,058

Bus trip subtraction -402 -402 -402Total 112,043 119,269 120,006

Continued from page 3

Vehicle Trips and Traffi c

A vehicle travels around the traffic circle at Ackerman Terminal. On average, there are roughly 112,000 vehicle trips to the campus daily.

There are many possible explanations for this trend. For one, traffic congestion worsened and housing prices skyrocketed during the years between the date

of hire for UCLA veterans and recent hires; this in turn may have affected how they made their locational choices.

Recent hires may also be more willing to live in the rental housing in denser neighborhoods near UCLA instead of buying a detached single-family home further away.

Finally, it is possible that the younger employees hired since 2004 have found it desirable to live in gentrify-ing areas relatively close-in to campus. The list of 20 zip codes with the most recently hired UCLA employees also includes 90026, which is one of the zip codes in Silver Lake. Silver Lake is a gentrifying neighborhood close to downtown that attracts young professionals, including UCLA employees. Although zip code 90026 is about 13 miles from campus, there is reliable transit between the UCLA campus and this area.

Understanding the residential choices made by UCLA employees is under further study.


Figure 4. Traffic Volume by Intersection at UCLA in Fall 2008

Lot MR

Lot 31 N.Lot 31 S.

Gayley/Str 1

Sunset/Royce

Wyton/HilgardSunset/WW Plaza

Sunset/Bellagio

Manning/Hilgard

Westwood/Le Conte

Westholme/Hilgard

Tiverton/Le Conte

Strathmore/Gayley

Sycamore Court. S.Sycamore Court. N.

Palm Court/Veteran

Char Cross/Hilgard

Gayley/Young Dr. S.

Reagan Hospital/Gayley

Weyburn Dr. @ Palm Ct.

Magnolia Court/Midvale

Weyburn Ter at Veteran N.

Str 32 South Entrance/Exit

Str 32 Exit @ Midvale Alley

Lot 36 @ Kinross IntersectionStr 32 @ Kinross Intersection: t:\planning\CATMS\

Figure 4. Traffic Volume by Intersection at UCLA in 2008

0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000250Feet

Legend100

1,000

10,000

Campus_Lines

Buildings


How do UCLA commuters

Bicycle

The use of bikes to commute to and around the UCLA campus has grown in visibility following the adop-tion of the UCLA Bicycle Master Plan in 2006.

The findings of UCLA Transporta-tion’s May 2008 Bike Rack Utilization Survey suggest that bike racks are heav-ily utilized, especially by residents in UCLA campus housing on the North-west Campus and at Weyburn Terrace. The results of the survey are summa-rized in Table 5. Additional bike racks are deployed as the bicycling popula-tion grows.

Roughly 1.3% of employees and 4.5% students commute to UCLA by bicycle on a daily basis. 1

Table 5. Bike rack utilization at UCLA

Campus area Bike Racks CapacityNo. of

bikes on racks

No. of bikes on railings

Northwest Campus 132 1,067 272 12

South Campus 174 525 147 6

Central Campus 156 397 200 5

North Campus 128 151 123 8

Health Sciences and Southwest Campus 41 236 103 7

Total 642 2,508 958 57

1 Employee mode split calculated us-ing results from 2008 AQMD Survey data (full day, not the AM window period). Student mode split calcu-lated using results from UCLA Trans-portation’s annual Spring Student Survey.

get to campus?

Bike racks conveniently located near academic buildings and student residences are often at capacity during the day. Right: A student locks up his bicycle near one of the Engineering buildings.

Commuters arrive on campus using a variety of modes, including by car and on foot.


Campus Express & Wilshire Express Shuttle Bus Routes

UCLA Transportation estimates that the Campus Express and Wilshire Express provide 1.1 mil-lion trips to, from, and around campus annually.

On a typical day, Table 6 reports that the Campus Express serves 3,300 passenger trips and the Wilshire Express serves 1,700 passenger trips.

The two campus shuttle routes serve a diverse constituency. But as the mode split pie chart for both the Campus Shuttle (Figure 6) and the Wilshire Shut-tle (Figure 7) show, many riders are transfers from other modes. These modes include transit, vanpools, cycling, and carpooling.

Additionally, as reported in Table 7, roughly 5% of passengers on both routes had parked their cars elsewhere before boarding a shuttle to reach their fi-nal destination.

Table 6. Typical ridership on the UCLA Cam-pus Express and Wilshire Express, 2005-2007

2005 2006 2007

Campus Express 2,786 3,263 3,279

Wilshire Express 1,836 1,639 1,727

Total 4,622 4,902 5,006

This is a mid-week count during the middle of the quarter.

Figure 6. What percentage of Campus Expressriders transfer from other modes?

Carpool, 2% Live On Campus or Weyburn

Terrace, 14%

Public Bus, 7%

Bike/Walk, 12%Drive Alone,17%

CampusShuttle, 46%

Dropped Off,1%

Vanpool, 1%

Figure 7. What percentage of Wilshire Expressriders transfer from other modes?

Carpool, 2%Vanpool, 1%

WilshireShuttle, 68%

Drive Alone,11%

Bike/Walk, 8%

Public Bus, 6%

Dropped Off,1%

Live On Campus orWeyburn Terrace,

2%

A decorated Campus Express shuttle bus.

Table 7. Where do commuters park cars be-fore transferring to a UCLA campus shuttle?

Campus Express

Wilshire Shuttle

UCLA Permit 163 26

Daily Permit 12 2

Off-Campus Lot 19 5

Surface Street 36 38

Total 230 71


Public Transit

During the 2007-2008 year, about 21% of stu-dents and 14% of staff and faculty used public transit regularly to commute to UCLA (see Table 9 and Figure 8). The percentage of commuters using public transit has risen since 1990. Between 1990 and 2008, the percentage of staff and faculty using transit to get to campus doubled, from 7% to 14%.

Table 9. Transit mode split use at UCLA Students Staff/Faculty

1990 15% 7%

2000 17% 7%2004 23% 11%2008 21% 14%

Table 8. Carpoolers at UCLA* Students Staff/Faculty Non-UCLA

(volunteers, visitors/temps)

TOTAL

Fall Quarter 2005 606 permits 410 permits Not Available 1,016 carpools1,451 participants 934 participants 2,385 participants

Fall Quarter 2006 468 permits 413 permits 7 permits 888 carpools1,168 participants 941 participants 17 participants 2,126 participants

Fall Quarter 2007 415 permits 422 permits 7 permits 844 carpools1,022 participants 958 participants 15 participants 1,995 participants

Fall Quarter 2008 379 permits 454 permits 6 permits 839 carpools935 participants 1,025 participants 15 participants 1,975 participants

Note: The number of permits sold include both 2- and 3- person carpools; student sub-totals include both under-graduate and graduate student populations.* Source: Parking Services, UCLA Transportation

Above: UCLA staff and students who buy a Go Metro pass receive a Transit Access Pass (TAP card) from the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority like the one pictured above. Bottom right: UCLA is served by five area transit agencies, includ-ing the Culver CityBus.

Carpooling

Carpool represents the mode of choice for about 6% of students and 17% of faculty and staff. UCLA Transportation offers a discounted parking permit to students, faculty, and regular visitors who sign up to carpool together. The number of permits sold and the number of carpoolers parking with those permits are listed below in Table 8.


Since the development of BruinGo, UCLA’s first transit pass subsidy program, the per-centage of transit riders has risen significantly.

Since 2004, the transit mode amongst students has fluctuated between 20% and 23%. In that time, Weyburn Terrace opened, allowing 1,350 graduate stu-dents to move to the Southwest Campus. Those students shifted from being potential regular public transit users to utilizing other modes, such as the Cam-pus Shuttle, walking, and cy-cling, to reach the main campus.

As a part of its Transporta-tion Demand Management pro-gram, UCLA Transportation partially subsidizes the purchase of quarterly bus passes or bus ride coupons for the five transit agencies directly serving UCLA: Metro through Go Metro; Big Blue Bus and Culver CityBus through BruinGo; City of Santa Clarita Transit; and the Los An-geles Department of Transporta-tion (LADOT).

UCLA subsidized over one million Big Blue Bus (BBB) and Culver CityBus rides during FY2008 and over seven million rides since BruinGo’s inception

Figure 8. Student and employee transit mode share,1990-2008

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

1990 1996 2002 2008Year

Per

cent

age

Students Employees Dash = Interpolated

Above: A Big Blue Bus (BBB) 12 waits at the Hilgard Terminal, the northern terminus of its route. Five BBB routes serve the main UCLA campus.

Figure 9. Go Metro Transit Pass Sales, Fall 2005-Fall 2008

1,022

1,2551,434

639

0

200

400

600

800

1,000

1,200

1,400

1,600

Fall2005

Num

ber

ofG

oMet

ropa

sses

sold

Quarter

Fall2006

Fall2007

Fall2008


A Metro Rapid 761 bus travels southbound on Hilgard Avenue en route to its terminus point by Wilshire and Veteran. The 761 is a key connec-tor between the UCLA campus and the eastern San Fernando Valley.

in 2000 (see Table 10).Figure 9 (on page 11) il-

lustrates the rapid growth of UCLA Transportation’s Go Metro subsidy program. Be-tween Fall Quarter 2005 and Fall Quarter 2008, the number of transit passes sold to students and staff more than doubled.

Figure 10 reports the num-ber of passes subsidized and sold by UCLA since 2006, separated by transit operator.

According to Table 10, UCLA subsidized over one mil-lion Big Blue Bus and Culver CityBus rides during FY2008 and over seven million rides since BruinGo’s inception in 2000.

Table 10. BruinGo ridership since inception2000-2001

2001-2002

2002-2003

2003-2004

2004-2005

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

Big Blue Bus Trips 1,313,455 1,661,161 1,918,667 1,350,529 1,149,084 968,050 733,549 974,1741

Big Blue Bus Riders 22,549 26,657 30,044 26,420 22,801 Not Available

Not Available

Not Available

Culver CityBus Trips

Not Applicable3

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

163,672 179,055 169,162 141,141 108,9182

Culver CityBus Riders

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

Not Applicable

6,421 7,086 Not Available

Not Available

Not Available

BruinGo Total Trips 1,313,455 1,661,161 1,918,667 1,514,201 1,328,139 1,137,212 874,690 1,083,092

1. Missing 31 days - either omitted or underreported.2. Change in fare collection machine meant that BruinGo riders did not have to swipe cards anymore.3. UCLA Transportation added Culver CityBus to BruinGo in 2003.

Figure 10. Sales of subsidized transit passes at UCLA since Winter 2006

0

500

1,000

1,500

2,000

2,500

3,000

3,500

4,000

Winter 2006

Spring 2006

Summer 2006

Fall 2006

Winter 2007

Spring 2007

Summer 2007

Fall 2007

Winter 2008

Spring 2008

Summer 2008 3,4

Fall 2008 5,6

Num

ber

oftr

ansi

t pa

sses

SantaClaritaTransit1

LADOT2

Go Metro(TAP)

BruinGoFlash Pass

Sale of passes on quarterly basis

1. Each packet contains 20 ride tickets. UCLA subsidizes the sale of two packets per month. 2. Before Winter 2008, LADOT fare was billed by Metro and included a Metro card. 3. Figures from Summer 2008 include passes distributed by UCLA Transportation as part of “Take a Vacation From the Pump”, which provided employees who traded their parking permits with a free transit pass. 4. Eighty-three Santa Clarita Transit packets were sold during August and September 2008. (Source: UCLA Central Ticket Office.) 5. One hundred and twenty-five LADOT passes during the months of September and October 2008. (Source: UCLA Central Ticket Office.) 6. Fifty-five Santa Clarita Transit packets were sold during October 2008.


Table 11. UCLA Alternative Mode Commuter Zipcar usage, July 2008 - December 2008

Month Average distance

trav-eled (in miles)

Average length of reserva-tion (in hours)

Total Vehicle Miles Trav-eled

Number of unique

users each

monthJuly ‘08 15 2.4 667 31

Aug. ‘08 21 3 880 19

Sept. ‘08 23 2.8 1,231 27Oct. ‘09 18 2.6 1,033 34

Nov. ‘08 17 2.8 680 33Dec. ‘08 ~19 2.7 902 28

Between July and November 2008, the utilization rate of these Zipcars averaged over 30% during the week and over 55% on the weekends.

This XB Scion is one of the eleven available Zipcars on the UCLA campus.

Figure 12. Utilization rate of Zipcars between June and November 2008

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

June ‘08 July ‘08 August ‘08 September ‘08 October ‘08 November ‘08

Month

Per

cent

age

Average

Median

Avg (M-F)

Med (M-F)

Avg (S-S)

Median (S-S)

S-S (Weekend)

M-F(Weekday)

Overall

Figure 11. Locations of Zipcars at UCLA and around Westwood

Lot 11

Covel Commons

Structure 8

Structure 2

1015 Hilgard Ave

1300 Westwood Blvd

Weyburn Terrace

Carsharing

Zipcar, the nation’s largest carsharing service, serves the UCLA community with eleven Zip-cars parked around the UCLA campus and in West-wood (see Figure 11). As of October 2008, there are 181 students and 129 faculty members affili-ated with UCLA’s Zipcar account.

As Figure 12 reports, on average, Zipcars enjoy weekday utilization rates of over 30% on and week-end utilization rates of over 55%1.

Employees who use an alternative mode to com-mute to UCLA are eligible to join UCLA Transporta-tion’s Alternative Mode Commuter Program, which offers the complimentary use of a Zipcar for up to eight hours per month.

Alternative mode commuters use Zipcars to trav-el anywhere from one to two miles away up to over 200 miles on a given trip; however, on average, they travel between 15 and 23 miles. The typical user takes a Zipcar for between two and three hours. Table 11reports the average distance traveled, length of reser-vation, and total vehicle miles traveled by alternative commuters between July and November 2008.

1 Note: Zipcar began its carsharing operation in June 2008 after the completion of its merger with Flexcar. A complete set of data for Flexcar use data is no longer available.


Figure 13. UCLA Vanpool Program pick-up locations

Approximately 2,500 staff, students, and community members participate in UCLA’s Vanpool Program. About two-thirds (1,678) of vanpoolers are full-time riders and, as Figure 13 shows, they board vanpools at locations across Southern California, from Apple Valley to San Bernardino County. Table 12 describes the demographics of the vanpool riders and our fleet.

Vanpool Table 12. Demographics of UCLA Vanpoolers

Destinations served 72Number of vans 157Occupancy rate 98%

Total number of full-time partici-pants

1,678

Students 161Staff & faculty 1,281

Non-UCLA participants

135

Part-time riders 700-800 trips per month dur-ing peak periods

Roughly 57% of em-ployees and 28% of students reported driv-ing to campus alone in 2008. This is far lower than the commuter drive-alone rate in the Los Angeles metropoli-tan area of about 75%, according to the South-ern California Asso-ciation of Governments (SCAG). Figure 14 re-ports the drive-alone rate for students and staff between 1990 and 2008.

Left: UCLA vanpool vehicles carry up to 11 passengers. Above: The map illustrates the spatial distribution of UCLA van-pool pick-up locations throughout Southern California.

Drive Alone

Figure 14. Employee and student drive-alone rate,1990 to 2008

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1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

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UCLA now and in the future

How do UCLA commuting patterns compare with the region as a whole?

UCLA defies the infamous car culture of Los Angeles. Los Angeles County drive -alone commute rates are approximately 74%, but UCLA employees come in significantly lower, at around 57% (see Figure 15). Students have even lower drive-alone rates at 28% and heavily utilize the transit pass subsidies. Traffic volumes into and out of campus have declined for the past several years, even as campus ac-tivity has grown.

The passage of the American College and University Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) and the UC Policy on Sustainable Practices led to the completion of UCLA’s first ever Climate Action Plan. The Climate Ac-tion Plan included the calculation of UCLA’s greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) campus-

UCLA bucks the infamous car culture of Los Angeles. The drive-alone rate of UCLA employees is about 57%,

which is 17% lower than the region average of about 74%.

6%13%

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Drive

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walking)Commute mode

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Southern California at large

Staff and Faculty at UCLA

Students at UCLA

Figure 15. Comparison of commute to work mode split between Southern

California commuters and Faculty, Staff,and Students at UCLA

On Foot

In the 2008 Spring Student Transportation Survey, 7,935 of the respondents - or roughly 30% - reported that they walked to campus. According to the responses from the 2008 AQMD survey, roughly 5.6% of all staff and faculty report walking to work.

Programs such as I Heart Walking Week, seek to pro-mote walking as both a way to travel as well as a way to exercise. Left: Participants in I Heart Walking Week 2008 walk briskly during one of the activities planned by UCLA.

The Sustainable Transportation program at UCLA includes a menu of options: • Transit pass subsidy agreements (at least 50% subsidy for students and employees);

• Commute support services, such as the emergency ride home program.

• Discounted membership and hourly rent-als for Zipcar, a car-sharing program serving the UCLA campus.

• The installation of bicycle infrastructure, such as bike sharrows, racks, and bike lock-ers; and an agreement with UCLA Recre-ation which provides student and employee bicycle commuters with shower access.

• Two shuttle routes (the Campus Express and the Wilshire Express) enable staff and students to travel around the University as well as to transfer to and/or from other modes to reach their fi nal destination.

TDM at UCLA

• UCLA Vanpool Program, which serves nearly 1,700 staff, students, and community participants, provides access to UCLA from across six Southern California counties.

• Discounted parking permits for students and staff who carpool.

• Zimride, a Facebook application, allows users to focus carpool matches on those within the UCLA network.

Currently, UCLA spends about $6.6 mil-lion dollars per year to fund the sustainable modes program.

How to continue UCLA’s progress in fulfi lling its Climate Action Plan goals?

UCLA Transportation intends to continue its TDM program to keep up with the growth in the campus’ development and daytime population. The UCLA Climate Action Plan states that behavioral change at both the institutional and individual level is necessary for the success of many of UCLA’s proposed initiatives to reduce GHG emissions. UCLA Transportation seeks to lower the com-muter drive-alone rate to 50% by 2014.

The initiatives articulated in the UCLA Climate Action Plan to reduce overall vehicle miles traveled (VMT) include the follow-ing:

• The expansion of on-campus housing for undergraduate and graduate students, workforce housing for staff and faculty.• The expansion of transit, vanpool, carpool, walking, and biking programs.

Sustainable Transportation

at UCLA

Above: A commuter parks her bike in a bicycle locker.


wide. Similar to the State’s climate bill, AB32, UCLA’s commitment to ACUPCC requires the reduction of the University of California’s GHG emissions to 1990 levels by the year 2020. By UCLA Transportation’s cal-culations, the campus’ mobile source GHG emissions in 2007 were lower than in either 1990 or 2000; thus, the UCLA campus has already met part of its goals set forth by the ACUPCC and the UC Policy.

The University’s Transportation Demand Management program has been critical in this accomplishment.

Documents

2009 State of the Commute Report - UCLA Sustainability · 2020. 3. 10. · 2009 State of the Commute Report 3 All but one of the 20 most popular zip codes amongst UCLA employees are