Newly released data from last year’s Campus Travel Survey show students, staff and faculty have greater awareness of transportation programs that aim to steer people away from driving alone to and from school.
And while the data also show bike ridership held almost steady, at almost 50 percent, there was an increase in the number of people who walk.
The data are from the 2014-15 survey, . The 2015-16 survey just wrapped up, and the data will be available a year from now.
It has seemed busier at the TAPS office lately, said Transportation Demand and Marketing Coordinator Leslie Mancebo.
“We’ve seen a lot more calls, emails and new goClub members,” said Leslie Mancebo of Transportation Services (formerly Transportation and Parking Services), talking about the surge in awareness of bike auctions and bike licensing, EasyPark in-vehicle parking meters, Zimride carpool matching service, Zipcars (car sharing) and more. Several programs saw awareness grow by about a third over the 2013-14 survey.
She runs the , which promotes commuting by bike, carpool, vanpool, bus, train and walking. As a goClub member, you forego a parking permit, but you’ll get two complimentary daily permits each month, for use when you decide to drive; and , say, if your child falls ill at school.
The survey is administered each year by a graduate student at the Institute of Transportation Studies, and is a joint effort of the ITS and Transportation Services. The 2014-15 survey went to about 31,000 students, faculty and staff — and 3,500 of them completed the survey.
In 2007, the first year of the survey, 38 percent of respondents said they biked to campus. That figure stood at 46 percent in last year’s survey, compared with 47 percent the year before. It’s a negligible fluctuation, said Calvin Thigpen, the Ph.D. student who administered the 2014-15 survey.
“The vast majority of students and employees living outside of Davis drive alone or carpool, while those living within Davis are much more likely to ride a bike or take the bus,” Thigpen said. “This all makes intuitive sense, but also suggests places where we could improve.”
The other leading transit modes, after biking: drive alone, 24 percent; bus, 17 percent; walk or skateboard, 7 percent.
Awareness of programs offered by TAPS increased over the past year, according to the 2014-15 Campus Travel Survey.
Media Resources
Dave Jones, Dateline, 530-752-6556, dljones@ucdavis.edu