Northwestern University Transportation Survey Report 2018
Contents 2 Introduction 3
Executive Summary
5 Methodology 6
Transportation Mode Split
8
Important Factors in Choice of Transportation Mode
10
Primary Mode of Travel on Campus
11 Cycling 13
Divvy Bike Share Program
14
Understanding Driving Habits
15
Electric Vehicles
16
Faculty and Staff Familiarity with University-Offered Transportation Amenities
17
Transportation and sustainNU Program Awareness
18 Conclusion
Introduction Northwestern University is committed to reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. sustainNU is a University-wide program aimed at engaging students, faculty, and staff in reducing Northwestern’s environmental footprint and contributing to a greener, healthier, and more sustainable future. In November 2018, sustainNU conducted its second campus-wide Transportation Survey in partnership with the Office of Institutional Research. The purpose of the survey is to understand the commuting habits of students, faculty, and staff. The insights gained from the Transportation Survey will guide ongoing efforts to improve the commuting experience while reducing the University’s environmental footprint, influencing Northwestern’s Campus Transportation and Parking Master Plan, and addressing the objectives of the University’s Strategic Sustainability Plan. These objectives include increasing campus commuters’ use of public transportation by 5% (from 2016 baseline) by 2021 and achieving Bicycle Friendly University Platinum status through the League of American Bicyclists by 2021. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the transportation sector is tied with electricity generation as the largest contributors of emissions. At Northwestern, transportation represents 19% of total greenhouse gas emissions. As part of the Strategic Sustainability plan, the University has committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% below 2010 levels by 2030 and achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. Northwestern would like to thank the Office of Institutional Research for their support and all participating students, faculty, and staff for providing their valuable feedback. The next Transportation Survey will be administered to the campus community in 2020.
2
Executive Summary The 2018 Transportation Survey asked respondents about commuting modes, cycling, Divvy bike-sharing, driving, electric vehicles, and familiarity with transportation amenities and University programs. Respondents noted that the most important factors in choosing a transportation mode are accessibility, travel time, and safety. Faculty and staff primarily commute by car (40%) or by public train. While students mostly walk to campus (23%), the use of public trains (19%) is nearly as common.
HIGH LEVEL OBSERVATIONS • Respondents reported less vehicular commuting to and between campuses as compared to 2016. • Divvy marketing and promotion would help raise awareness of bike-sharing amenities on campus. • Both students and staff overwhelmingly use Northwestern’s intercampus shuttle to travel between the Evanston and Chicago campuses. • An increase in covered or indoor bike parking and bike repair incentives would incentivize an increase in cycling. • General awareness of electric vehicle chargers and discounted parking permits for low-emitting vehicles has increased. Discounted permits have increased nearly 4 times from 49 issued in 2016 to 184 in 2018. This report presents the survey data after review and analysis. Data points in the report have been rounded to the nearest whole number; therefore, some figures noted in percentages may not add up to 100%. US GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS BREAKDOWN IN 2017
3%
82%
Fluorinated Gases
TOTAL US GREENHOUSE EMISSIONS BY ECONOMIC SECTOR IN 2017
29%
28%
22%
Transportation
Electricity
Industry
9%
6%
5%
Agriculture
Commercial
Residential
6% Nitrous Oxide
10%
Carbon Dioxide
Sourced from the US Environmental Protection
Methane
Agency’s greenhouse gas emissions data
3
ORIGINS OF NORTHWESTERN COMMUTERS WISCONSIN
INDIANA
4
Map imagery © arcGIS
Methodology sustainNU partnered with the Office of Institutional Research to administer the 2018 Transportation Survey. The Institutional Research Office is a vital partner, offering expertise in Northwestern-specific data and survey administration. The Transportation Survey was developed and administered using Qualtrics survey software. The survey was distributed using bulk email with two follow-up reminders. The first was sent a week after the initial release and the second on the day the survey closed. The survey was accessible online for all email recipients, with a mobile-compatible option. The survey remained open from November 1 through November 13, 2018.
POPULATION AND SAMPLE SIZE The Transportation Survey was administered to all Northwestern graduate students, faculty, and staff, as well as a sample of 2,000 undergraduate students. The Northwestern University population is made up of 8,579 undergraduate students; 11,114 graduate students; and 10,557 full-time equivalent faculty and staff.
INVITED TO THE SURVEY
RESPONDED TO THE SURVEY
RESPONSE RATE 2018
Undergraduate students
1,987
395
20%
Graduate students
11,114
2,422
22%
Faculty and staff
10,557
3,905
37%
Total
23,658
6,722
28%
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF NORTHWESTERN COMMUTERS The survey results demonstrate that many of the respondents who provided zip codes live in the Chicago area, with heavy concentrations in Evanston and Chicago (see opposite page). Although most Northwestern commuters are located within the cities of Evanston and Chicago and surrounding suburbs, some commuters travel to campus from as far away as Wisconsin and Indiana.
Transportation Survey Report 2018
5
Transportation Mode Split The ways students, faculty, and staff commute to the University differ, representing two distinct types of commuters. The primary transportation modes of students, faculty, and staff are listed with breakdowns by season. The breakdowns were essential for the Evanston region, where extreme weather conditions often impact commuting habits.
STUDENT PRIMARY MODES: ON-CAMPUS TRAVEL Students primarily choose to walk when traveling on campus, with an average of 62% walking throughout the four seasons and personal bikes the second most utilized mode, with an average of 13%. Compared with 2016 survey results, there was an increase of 2% on average across the seasons for students who walk and bike as their primary methods of transportation. In the spring term, there was a notable difference, with an 11% increase in biking. This might be due to better weather conditions in spring 2018 than in 2016. A decrease of 11% was also observed for the Northwestern shuttle category, suggesting students prefer to ride their bikes in the spring instead of taking the shuttle.
Fall
inter
pring
mmer
FALL
WINTER
FALL
SPRING
WINTER
SUMMER
SPRING
20% WALK
40% BIKE
RIDESHARE
6
Northwestern University
DIVVY DRIVE ALONE
60% NORTHWESTERN SHUTTLE CARPOOL
80%
100%
PUBLIC BUS
PUBLIC TRAIN
OTHER
NOT ON CAMPUS
STUDENT PRIMARY MODES: COMMUTING TO AND FROM CAMPUS An average of 23% of students prefer to walk when traveling to and from campus, followed by using public trains, with an average of 19%. In the winter, a 10% reduction in biking and a 5% increase in the use of the Northwestern shuttle was observed.
Fall
Winter
Spring
mmer
FALL
WINTER
FALL
SPRING
WINTER
SUMMER
SPRING
20%
40%
60%
80%
100%
FACULTY AND STAFF PRIMARY MODES: COMMUTING TO AND FROM CAMPUS Regardless of the season, driving is the primary mode of travel to and from campus for an average of 40% of faculty and staff. Public trains are used by an average of 24% of faculty and staff respondents. When compared with 2016, driving as a primary mode to and from campus has decreased by 4%, and an increase of 2% in public transit use was observed.
Fall
Winter
pring
mmer
FALL
WINTER
FALL
SPRING
WINTER
SUMMER
SPRING
20%
40%
60%
80%
100% 7
Important Factors in Choice of Transportation Mode Access to transportation modes, travel time, and safety are the three major factors that affect most respondents’ choices of transportation. Most respondents report that societal pressures do not influence their choices of transportation.
Forty-nine percent of respondents expressed that access to transportation modes is extremely important to their choices. This was closely followed by travel time and safety, with responses of 45% and 42%, respectively. This shows that almost half the survey respondents have a strong preference regarding these three factors, and targeting them might result in the best strategy to promote sustainable transportation modes. The built environment (bike paths/lanes) was considered extremely or very important by 40% of the survey group. A majority (55%) responded that social influence has no importance at all in their choices. This is an indication that the University should avoid investing time in social influence strategies when promoting sustainable transportation modes.
HOW IMPORTANT ARE THE FOLLOWING FACTORS IN YOUR CHOICE OF TRANSPORTATION MODE? Access to Transport Modes Travel Time
Safety
Distance of Commute
Financial
Weather
Autonomy
Access to Facilities Built Environment
Environmental Concerns Health/ Fitness Social Influence/ Societal Pressures
0%
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
25% VERY IMPORTANT
50% MODERATELY IMPORTANT
75% SLIGHTLY IMPORTANT
100% NOT AT ALL IMPORTANT
Transportation Survey Report 2018
9
Primary Mode of Travel Between Campuses Northwestern University has campuses in Evanston and downtown Chicago, making it necessary for some students, faculty, and staff to travel from one to the other. Forty-two percent of respondents said they do not travel between campuses. For those who do, the Northwestern shuttle is by far the preferred choice, with 38% of survey respondents use this service. When compared to the 2016 survey results, there was a slight decline of 3% in the use of Northwestern intercampus shuttles. Of significance, survey respondents reported 6% less travel between campuses.
20% NORTHWESTERN SHUTTLE
10
Northwestern University
40%
I DO NOT TRAVEL BETWEEN CAMPUSES
60%
DRIVE
PUBLIC TRAIN
80% PUBLIC BUS
CARPOOL
100%
OTHER
Cycling Biking is a green and healthy form of transportation. As a silver-level Bicycle Friendly University, Northwestern is committed to providing an accommodating environment for cyclists and encouraging students, faculty, and staff in their cycling efforts. From 2016 to 2018, the number of registered bikes doubled to 601.
POTENTIAL AMENITIES THAT WOULD IMPROVE NORTHWESTERN’S COMMUTER BIKING EXPERIENCE Existing bike commuters were asked to choose the amenity that would most improve their biking experience. Reimbursements for bike-related expenses Covered or indoor bike racks More oncampus shower facilities More bike lanes near campus On-campus bike repair shop More bike racks FACULTY AND STAFF
Other
OFF CAMPUS STUDENTS
Long-term bike storage on campus Larger discount on Divvy membership
30
60 # OF RESPONDENTS
90
120 11
POTENTIAL AMENITIES THAT WOULD INCREASE THE FREQUENCY OF CYCLING Covered or indoor bike racks, more bike lanes near campus, and reimbursements for bikerelated expenses were the top three amenities that respondents mentioned would make them extremely likely and somewhat likely to bike. On the opposite end, long-term bike storage and a long-term bike loan program were seen as somewhat unlikely and extremely unlikely to make respondents bike more.
100% 100
80
80%
60
60%
40
40%
20
20%
0 Covered or More bike lanes Reimburse-shower More onOn-campus More bike Long-term Long-termloan covered more bike reimbursements on-campus more bike long-term racks long-term indoor bike lanes near ments for campus bike repair racks bike storage bike loan
0%
racks
EXTREMELY LIKELY
campus
bike-related shower expenses facilities
SOMEWHAT LIKELY
NEITHER LIKELY NOR UNLIKELY
12
Northwestern University
shop
on campus
SOMEWHAT UNLIKELY
program
EXTREMELY UNLIKELY
Divvy Bike-Share Program Divvy is a bike-sharing service that allows users to take short trips across Divvy’s network of more than 580 Chicago-area stations. A discounted membership is available to Northwestern faculty, staff and students which includes unlimited 30-minute trips. Thanks to a partnership between the University, City of Evanston, and others, 100 Divvy bikes and 10 Divvy stations were installed in Evanston in late June 2016. Eight percent of respondents reported using the Divvy bike share program. This is double the usage reported in the 2016 survey. Most respondents (92%) do not have a Divvy membership. However, 5% do and 3% are strongly considering purchasing one.
REASONS WHY NOT USING DIVVY The most common reason that members of the Northwestern community do not use Divvy is that biking is not their preferred mode of transportation (52%). The second reason is that they own a bike (22%). sustainNU can promote bike-sharing on campus.
NOT MY PREFERRED MODE OF TRANSPORTATION (52%)
I RIDE MY OWN BIKE (22%)
I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF DIVVY (9%)
TOO EXPENSIVE (7%)
STATIONS NOT IN CONVENIENT LOCATIONS (4%)
I DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW TO USE DIVVY (4%)
NOT ENOUGH STATIONS (1%)
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Understanding Driving Habits Driving is the most common commuting mode for faculty and staff. About 11% of off-campus students commute by car. Twenty-five percent of employees reported that they would be extremely likely to reduce their driving if incentives were available. Sixty-one percent responded that they would be extremely likely to reduce driving days based on other factors such as the option to work remotely. Half of the respondents indicated that biking-related reimbursements would be unlikely to decrease their driving habits. Twenty-six percent of students reported they would be extremely likely to reduce the number of days they drive if a discounted transit pass was available. Thirty-nine percent responded that reimbursements for bicycle-related expenses were extremely unlikely to affect their driving. On the Chicago campus, 83% of faculty and staff survey respondents park in a University garage or campus lot. On the Evanston campus, on-campus surface lots are the most common parking location for faculty and staff (50%). For students, the most common parking location is the north campus garage.
14
Northwestern University
Electric Vehicles Electric vehicle (EV) charging stations are available on both the Evanston and the Chicago campuses. Northwestern offers a discounted parking permit for low-emitting vehicles like EVs. Issuance of these discounted permits has increased from 49 permits in 2016 to 184 in 2018. In 2016, 79% of EV owners were concerned about the availability of charging stations on campus. That number dropped to 68% in the 2018 survey indicating charging station access has improved in the eyes of those who drive EVs to campus.  In 2018, an electric vehicle charging policy was enacted on campus. The policy promotes efficient charging behavior and increases convenience for EV drivers. Drivers are provided with three hours of charging at no cost. After that, a fee of $2 per hour is assessed, incentivizing users to free up the charging space for others. Over half (53%) of faculty and staff who own an electric vehicle or are likely to purchase one said they would consider using it to commute to campus. However, this value decreased compared to 62% in 2016. In 2018, 100 respondents stated they own an electric vehicle, up from 51 in 2016. Thirty-six percent of respondents are likely to or considering purchase of an EV in the future. Even though 63% of survey respondents said that a discounted parking permit would increase their use of an EV for commuting, there was a decrease in this number compared to the 2016 survey results (73%). The majority (68%) of survey respondents said they are not aware of existing electric vehicle charging stations on campus. This represents a 1% decrease compared to 2016 survey results.
15
Faculty and Staff Familiarity with University-Offered Transportation Amenities Respondents demonstrated an increase of 8% familiarity with bike pump and bike repair stations. There was a 2.7% increase in responses stating they were very familiar with the Northwestern intercampus shuttle. However, respondents indicated a 10% reduction in familiarity with the Zipcar discount. One notable change from 2016 was the elimination of the pre-tax transit benefit. 100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
SLIGHTLY FAMILIAR
Rental Car Discounts
are Discount
MODERATELY FAMILIAR
Showers for Cyclists
Showers
Bike Pump and Repair Stations
s on Campus
16
VERY FAMILIAR
Kryptonite U-Lock Discount
ock Discount
EXTREMELY FAMILIAR
Divvy Bike Share Program
ivvy Discount
Northwestern Campus Shuttle
stern Shuttle
0%
NOT AT ALL FAMILIAR
Transportation and sustainNU Program Awareness sustainNU aims to engage students, faculty, and staff in reducing—and eventually eliminating— Northwestern’s contribution to climate change. Thirty-eight percent of faculty and staff respondents are indifferent to benefits currently offered to commuters. Forty-four percent of faculty and staff and 41% of students find it neither easy nor difficult to locate information about transportation amenities. Compared to 2016 results, there is an 18% increase in responses saying the information is somewhat easy to find. More than one third of both faculty and staff (39%) and students (33%) believe their commuting habits have little effect on Northwestern’s overall environmental impact. Only 8% of faculty and staff and 5% of students are aware their commuting habits have a significant impact on Northwestern’s environmental footprint. Fifty percent of faculty and staff are at least moderately familiar with sustainNU’s efforts, while only 31% of students have the same level of familiarity. Overall there was a 5% increase of those at least moderately familiar with sustainNU.
17
Conclusion The results of this survey will help Northwestern develop a strategic approach to improving the transportation amenities available to the Northwestern community. The significant increase in discounted permits
SURVEY RESPONDENTS’ COMMENTS:
I would like to see an earlier shuttle from Evanston to Chicago.
for hybrid and electric vehicles, from 49 to 184, as well as registered bikes, from 282 to 601, suggest that sustainable forms of transportation are increasing in popularity. Survey results offer insights into how the University can remove barriers that might prevent people from choosing more
It would be helpful to carpool with someone from
sustainable forms of transportation. Future
my area and to receive
strategies could include:
some sort of benefit for carpooling.
• Increased covered or indoor bike parking • Consideration of alternative parking pass options for infrequent drivers • Continued evaluation of services such as shuttles, EV charging, and bike share options • Promotion of existing transportation amenities
For those who do sometimes bike, or take public transit, it would be nice if there was an option for a parking
sustainNU and its partners throughout the
discount since our cars are not
University will continue to work together to
always on campus.
improve options available to the Northwestern community and make it easier for people to choose environmentally friendly forms of transportation. Northwestern’s goal is to provide convenient and safe transportation options while working together to decrease
Northwestern should sponsor
its greenhouse gas emissions and reduce its
the cost of CTA passes for
environmental footprint.
faculty as it does for graduate students. This would encourage less use of cars and more use
Complete survey data available upon request.
18
Northwestern University
of public transport.
Would like to see reimbursements available for bike-related purchases. More visibility about all
I dig the new helmet/light program,
the biking benefits.
but would love to see more beyond
I had no idea!
that.
I try to commute by bike year-round, but struggle to do so in the coldest I would like to earn credits toward
periods of the year. I think NU should
parking passes for each day that I bike.
provide options for winter-quarter/
I don’t drive often, so I don’t want to
seasonal/monthly parking permits
pay for a parking pass, but when I have
for commuters that will be utilizing
to bring large equipment or supplies,
sustainable transit (walking/cycling)
I would like somewhere convenient to
during fair weather.
park on campus.
Keep the arrangement to ride the 201 bus and make it available in Pre-tax commuter benefits were
July and August.
ideal. Now that they are no longer offered — having the option to buy a discounted commuter pass would be ideal.
I personally would love to see the intercampus shuttle run more frequently in the evening. It would be very helpful to have indoor bike storage for employees. Transportation Survey Report 2018
19
together, we will sustainNU sustainNU sustainNU
Office of Sustainability 2020 Ridge Avenue Evanston, IL 60208 (847) 467-3772 sustainNU@northwestern.edu