10 Recommendations to Achieve Transportation Tomorrow

NOTE: While many of the 10 recommended steps that came from the Transportation Tomorrow study are attainable, the onslaught of COVID-19 brought on world-wide health concerns, a significant loss in Transportation Services' revenue and, in some cases, caused a delay in planning efforts. We remain committed to sustainable transportation and will continue to push forward when it is appropriate (and safe) to do so.

Cost & Convenience: Level the Playing Field

Transportation Demand Framework: Currently, a private vehicle is the most affordable and convenient transportation choice for many campus affiliates, especially those who live outside of Davis. The following measures aim to level the playing field by making other choices more affordable and convenient.

• 1. CREATE AN INTEGRATED TRANSPORTATION PLATFORM
• A single unified online experience will offer users access to all mobility options, parking payment, and assistance, while offering UC Davis a powerful back end tool to unify all administrative systems into a single system. This tool could leverage the ten thousand people who drive to campus each day and build the greatest ride-sharing network in the world; campus affiliates could then pick up a classmate or colleague and park at a reduced rate.

• 2. ALIGN PARKING MANAGEMENT
• Shifting from a “bulk discount” to an “a la carte” parking permit price will encourage affiliates to make daily decisions about whether driving makes sense. Parking prices will reflect the total cost of providing mobility to the UC Davis community, while avoiding the need to build more structured parking.

• 3. INCENTIVIZE PREFERRED MODES OF TRANSPORTATION
• Enhance real and digital incentives to foster more use of shared and active modes. Develop an incentive structure that will constantly evolve through a system of feedback and goal-setting.

• 4. EXPAND CARPOOL / VANPOOL PROGRAMS
• There are many parts of the region that are too far for active transportation, and not well served by transit. For affiliates who live in these areas, a carpool and vanpool program that makes it easy to find a match, and makes it easy for participants to split parking costs, will support their mode shift.

• 5. ENHANCE LOCAL AND REGIONAL TRANSIT PROGRAMS
• Today, Unitrans is the lifeline of undergraduate travel. Investments and programs that make Unitrans a better option for graduate students, faculty, and staff will extend its value. Foster partnerships with other transit providers.

• 6. STRENGTHEN ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS
• Walking, bicycling, and other human-powered modes will always be essential mobility-solutions for the campus community. Programs that help people choose and stick with these modes will keep campus moving, discourage driving trips, and complement transit.

• 7. LEVERAGE NEW AND EMERGING MOBILITY SERVICES IN SUPPORT OF UNIVERSITY GOALS
• UC Davis must monitor emerging mobility options, and proactively partner with those that support mode shift goals, while limiting the potentially negative externalities of some technologies. Leverage ride-hail service providers to offer emergency rides home.

Culture: Engage Community

UC Davis will seek to actively nurture a culture that supports and celebrates healthy travel options. Campus leaders will play a key role when exploring possible shifts in cultural norms. When considering changes to their transportation behavior, stakeholders from the campus community emphasized the importance of campus leadership, and the need for a unified voice with a consistent message. The following measures aim to nurture a culture that supports more sustainable travel options.

• 8. DEVELOP A ROBUST COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CAMPAIGN
• Transportation Services staff will engage with all affiliate types on an ongoing basis, at key moments in the academic year. UC Davis will use geography, demography, and modality to target messages effectively, and will use multiple digital and analog channels to reach the right people, at the right time, with the right message.

• 9. LEVERAGE POLICY TOWARDS CULTURE CHANGE
• There are numerous policies that can support the sustainability goals of UC Davis. One of the most important policy shifts pertains to telework and other flexible work schedules; there is tremendous demand and interest among staff for these options. Other priority policy areas to be explored include shifting class schedules, altering recruitment narratives and employee on-boarding practices, and considering online learning platforms on rainy days. Developing policies that encourage the use of mobility options for mid-day and on-campus trips will help affiliates leave the car at home.

Built Environment: A World-Class Campus

UC Davis will reinvest in the central campus to greatly improve the safety and connectivity of the transportation network. Regardless of transportation choice, every campus affiliate begins and ends their daily commute as a pedestrian. Currently, there are many parts of the campus circulatory network that are inadequate and outdated; navigating the campus has become quite challenging for all modes. As the amount of campus housing significantly increases over the next ten years, we will need to separate modes of travel, improve safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians, and enhance the circulatory connectivity across campus.

• 10. IMPROVE THE CAMPUS TRANSPORTATION NETWORK
• With more people living on campus, today’s bicycle and pedestrian network will not offer adequate capacity or user separation for comfort and safety in the future. Significant improvements to pedestrian promenades and bicycle pathways will be necessary for safe and comfortable passage of people across campus. Upgrading the campus network, separating modes, minimizing conflict points, enhancing wayfinding, and providing end-of-trip facilities will all combine to offer a world-class campus experience.