Campus promoting transit alternatives
They cometh by bicycle, on foot and by Gold Line, in buses and by carpool—some
of them, anyway—and their numbers are growing as more staff, faculty,
and students use alternative transportation.
Caltech recently earned a “high five” from the city of Pasadena
for its efforts to boost campus participation in carpooling and other
forms of alternative transportation.
During 2004, the Institute increased its average vehicle ridership from
1.34 to 1.43, edging closer to its goal of 1.5 riders per vehicle trip
to campus. The campus guideline is monitored by the South Coast Air Quality
Management District and by the city, and has been established to comply
with requirements to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality.
In a congratulatory letter, the Pasadena Department of Transportation
said the improvement probably stems from better promotion of the Caltech
Rideshare program by Security and Parking Services.
Among a range of promotional strategies, transporation coordinator Irma
Cruz has created an alternative-transportation feature that appears on
Caltech Today (http://today.caltech.edu) with links to resources and past
articles. Readers can learn how to find a carpool or vanpool partner,
and how to receive $20 subsidies offered by the Institute to individuals
who buy public transportation passes at the Bookstore.
The city also commended Caltech’s plan to designate 10 percent
of its the soon-to-open California Boulevard parking structure for carpool
parking and for adding more campus bicycle racks.
In addition, Caltech persuaded the city to provide direct transportation
from the Metro Gold Line Allen Station to campus on the Area Rapid Transit
Service (ARTS) bus line, starting in February. The ARTS bus stops on Hill,
Chester, and Wilson avenues.
Cruz is herself a great proponent of public transportation, traveling
on an Orange County Metrolink train from Santa Ana to Union Station in
Los Angeles, then riding the Gold Line and ARTS bus to get to campus each
day. One of a number of employees who use alternative transportation from
Orange County to campus, she was convinced to do so once she started coordinating
the transportation program, she says. “I do it for personal reasons.
That much driving is too hard on me personally, on my car, and on my gas
expenses.”
On an institution-wide basis, it’s never easy to get people out
of their individual cars, says Gregg Henderson, chief of security. “These
challenges are faced by virtually every employer in Southern California.
The prospect of public transportation is somewhat foreign. You are used
to getting in the car and going any time you want.”
Many people rely on their personal cars to drop children off at school
and at child care, or to run errands during their lunch hours. “You
do give up that freedom with some forms of alternative transportation,
although with our program, we do offer incentives.”
Clearly, Henderson says, incentives increase participation, as do rising
fuel prices, traffic congestion, and limited campus parking.
Another alternative transportation user is Todd Swart, an administrative
assistant in Security and Parking Services. Swart often walks or rides
his bike from his home near Fair Oaks, and formerly used light-rail and
buses when he lived in Altadena. Recently, his 1987 car was on its last
legs, and he decided to donate it to charity. “What led to this
decision is that I’m adamant about not getting into debt. When I
get the money saved up I’ll buy a new car. Until then, I’d
rather live without.”
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