New Report: University Campuses Like the University of New Mexico Are Transportation Trailblazers as Students Lead Shift From Driving

NMPIRG Education Fund

As Millennials lead a national shift away from driving, universities like the University of New Mexico are giving students new options for getting around and becoming innovators in transportation policy, according to a new report released today. The report, titled, “A New Course: How Innovative University Programs Are Reducing Driving on Campus and Creating New Models for Transportation Policy,” was released by NMPIRG Education Fund.

“Across America, colleges and universities are showing that efforts to meet increased demand for transportation options deliver powerful benefits for their community and surrounding areas,” said Sean Foran at NMPIRG Education Fund. “These efforts are saving money for universities, and improving the quality of life on campus.”

Americans 16 to 34 years of age reduced their annual driving miles by 23 percent per person between 2001 and 2009, according to research based on the most recent data from the Federal Highway Administration that is included in the study.

As Baby Boomers grow older, Millennials have become America’s largest generation. Since government investments in transportation infrastructure often last decades, the question of whether current investment will match the needs of future travelers depends largely on how well Millennials’ preferences will be met.

“University and college campuses are at the forefront of encouraging new ways to get around that don’t depend on personal cars. Public officials who want to stay ahead of the curve should be taking notes,” said Foran.

The report describes how universities are improving their communities by providing a wider range of transportation choices. This includes buses, biking, various types of vehicle-sharing that makes it easier not to have a personal car, and convenient apps that make it easier to navigate the options. The report also documents how campuses seek to avoid the steep costs of building additional parking facilities.

“Universities have a lot in common with cities,” added Foran. “They must get the most value out of limited land, they are acutely aware of problems associated with being overrun by cars; and they need to focus on the tastes and aspirations of young people. It’s no wonder that universities are leaders in finding successful ways to make it easier for people to drive less.”

The Parking and Transportation (PATS) Department of UNM has long been involved in the UNM free bus pass program. In conjunction with Student Government, PATS has secured year-round free ABQRide bus travel for all eligible members of the UMN community, students, faculty and staff. This innovative project has proved hugely popular and is at the forefront of PATS’ commitment to alternative, sustainable methods of commuting.

PATS is also currently very involved in the development of the UNM Master Bicycle Plan that will see a comprehensive review and revision of UNM’s policy on cycling and pedestrian traffic, both on-campus and beyond. Preliminary stages so far include an exhaustive campus survey of cycle racks and lockers locations and a major review of cycle routes in relation to the city cycle route network.

You can download the report, “New Course: How Innovative University Programs Are Reducing Driving on Campus and Creating New Models for Transportation Policy,” here: http://www.nmpirgedfund.org/reports/nmf/new-course

The report is the sixth in a series of studies on the national shift away from driving. The first report, Transportation and the New Generation, documents the dramatic decline of driving among Millennials. The second, A New Direction, examines the causes of declining driving and the implications for future transportation policy. The third, Moving Off the Road, documents state-by-state differences in declining driving, and shows how these differences do not correspond to how hard states were hit by the recession. The fourth, A New Way to Go, explores how new technologies and changing technological habits among Millennials are connected to the nation’s decline in driving and can encourage less car-dependent lifestyles in the future. The fifth report, Transportation in Transition, released in early December, examines the data on declining driving and increasing transit and biking in America’s 100 largest cities.