UC Davis Campus Travel Survey

Hosted via Zoom on Nov. 1, 2023
What We Covered
Mode Share 2022-23

The UC Davis Campus Travel Survey is a joint effort by Transportation Services and The Institute of Transportation Studies at Davis (ITS-Davis), who lead the National Center for Sustainable Transportation, a cohort of five University Transportation Centers across the US. The survey is administered by ITS-Davis every fall and is used to collect information about how the UC Davis community travels to campus, including mode choice, vehicle occupancy, distances traveled, and carbon emissions. Join us to learn more about the purpose and design of the survey and how it informs Transportation Services' operations and programming.


Agenda
  • Introduction to the Campus Travel Survey
  • Results of the 2022-23 Campus Travel Survey
  • How Transportation Services uses the results of the Campus Travel Survey
  • Launch of the 2023-24 Campus Travel Survey
  • Q&A
Presenters

Aakansha Jain, Institute of Transportation Studies, PhD Candidate, Transportation Technology and Policy
Justin Darr, Institute of Transportation Studies, PhD Candidate, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Ramon Zavala, Transportation Services, Transportation Demand Manager
Jeffrey Bruchez, Transportation Services, Active Modality Manager and Bicycle Program Coordinator

Q&A
  • Does Transportation Services consider housing and its impact on commute behavior when developing policies and initiatives?
  • Transportation Services pays close attention to housing patterns because an increase in the number of Aggies living outside of Davis tends to directly impact parking demand.
  • Where do the majority of people commuting to UC Davis live?
  • While a majority of those who commute to UC Davis live in Sacramento and Woodland, some also travel from Vacaville, Dixon, and Winters.
  • What would you expect mode share to be if parking were made free?
  • Campus Travel Survey results imply that the implementation of free parking would reflect a dramatic increase in the number of people driving to campus. Purchasing parking acts as a deterrent to opting for the convenience of traveling to campus via car while encouraging more sustainable ways of commuting.
  • What would it cost to add more parking?
  • Given our ethics, such a project requires great consideration of employment, fair wages, and the cost of materials. If UC Davis were to build another significant amount of parking, it would not be a large lot, but most likely a parking structure. In the current economy, it is estimated that each parking stall costs around $47,000. Therefore, a 2,000-stall structure would be estimated at a minimum total of $94 million being paid for over 30 years.
  • What's been learned about bike theft since 2022?
  • Despite an increase in responsible bike safety, we're seeing continued bike theft on campus. We're utilizing the information we have on bike theft to look at the motivator behind it and how to stop it. We are focused on maintaining partnerships and programs that aim to improve this issue and return stolen bikes, like the bike index registration system.
  • What about a bicycle training program?
  • While we don't offer a specific training program for bicyclists, we are actively exploring different variations of mandated traffic education we can implement campuswide. We believe that everyone on campus can benefit from a curriculum that addresses traffic safety for drivers and non-drivers alike. We do have some educational incentive programs specifically designed for bicyclists. For more information regarding these programs, click here.
  • Are there trends expected to grow or shrink in the coming years?
  • There are several evolving trends that we are tracking. Transportation is significantly influenced by housing trends and the increase of on-campus housing could reflect changes in mode share moving away from single occupancy vehicles. Additionally, the introduction of more accessible micro-mobility, such as shared electric bikes and scooters, will impact how people travel locally. Lastly, since the pandemic, remote work and telecommunications rates have fluctuated. This directly impacts parking demand and is something we're tracking.