Commuter & Parking
Services
116 Maple Ave.
Ithaca, NY 14850
TEL: 607 255-PARK
FAX: 607 255-0257
transportation@cornell.edu
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CORNELL UNIVERSITY
TAKES A
HOLISTIC APPROACH TO
TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT
Comprehensive Transportation Planning
Cornell University has developed over the past 138 years into an urbanized
campus in what is still a mainly rural area of central New York. Built
on hills and hemmed in by two gorges, the campus is constrained geographically
and topographically. Like a downtown-urban center with limited space,
the central-most portion of campus is Cornell’s most valuable property.
Common sense dictates that this precious property will be used in a
way that best furthers the mission of the university—becoming more
densely developed. Over time, administrative functions are moved to
the periphery of campus and central parking areas are identified as
ideal building sites.
Cornell is committed to replacing spaces lost
to construction and renovation efforts to maintain a balance. With a
campus population of about 30,000 people and an inventory of 10,000
parking spaces on the main campus, the university is vigilant in its
efforts to make sure that there is enough flexibility in the parking
system to allow for shifts in demand. Cornell is uniquely aware that
its transportation programs support the university’s academic mission.
Responsibility
In managing its resources, Cornell University has responsibilities to
be both good stewards of its campus and good neighbors to the three
municipalities within whose borders the campus lies. This means taking
a holistic approach to development that enhances the university, protects
Cornell’s greenspace, preserves vehicular and pedestrian access
to campus, and reduces congestion and deterioration of the infrastructure
adjacent to campus.
Demand Reduction
Simply increasing parking capacity with every shift or growth on campus
would increase—rather than reduce—demand, by encouraging more
people to come to campus in single-occupant vehicles (SOVs). Reducing
demand through Cornell’s Transportation Demand Management Program
(TDMP) is a crucial element of our parking and circulation efforts.
TDMP initially targeted faculty and staff at
the university, because it was their commuting habits that we felt we
could most impact. As a group, students own or operate far fewer vehicles
than do employees. However, as the years have passed, we’ve found
ways to appeal to students as well.
Transit
A cornerstone of Cornell’s transportation programs is the excellence
and availability of public transit. In 1996, Cornell, the City of Ithaca,
and Tompkins County forged a public-private partnership to form Tompkins
Consolidated Area Transit (TCAT). This unprecedented consolidation required
collaborating with the state legislature to pass a bill that would permit
and recognize the new entity.
In fiscal-year 2004, Cornell community members
accounted for 1.9 million of the 2.7 million passenger trips on TCAT.
Fully 25 percent of central campus faculty and staff use public transit
as their primary means of commuting.
Facilities Plan
Cornell’s Facilities Plan is driven by both Cornell’s growth
and by the success of TDMP. The overriding principles driving this plan
are based on a pedestrian-oriented campus. Yet, at the same time, Cornell
recognizes that central-campus parking will always be required. Perimeter
or peripheral parking is a viable option during the peak-hour, daytime
operations of the university. However, central campus access is crucial
to the evening and weekend academic, athletic, and cultural life of
the campus.
Faculty and Staff Commuting Options
Through TDMP, employees have a number of paid, subsidized, and no-fee
commuting options. When TDMP was implemented, parking fees were increased
and about 1,300 previously no-fee spaces were converted to fee spaces.
The incentives however were, and are, more compelling. Without excellent
alternatives, most employees would have resigned themselves to paying
the higher parking fees. The first requirement of enrollment in an incentive
program is that participants must surrender or decline an individual
campus parking permit.
The Programs
- Individual Parking Permits
The campus parking system is divided into six tiers. As one gets closer
to the central campus, the fees for parking permits increase (see
RideShare chart, Exhibit 1).
Propelled by supply and demand, the rate structure is intended to
help alleviate some of the overcrowding in central campus, make better
use of underutilized parking areas, and encourage more carpooling
and use of public transit.
On-campus employees are offered the option
of participating in one of the TDMP programs or paying for an individual
parking permit—a choice they make based on personal needs, time,
money, and convenience.
- OmniRide
By securing the cooperation of TCAT and other municipal bus services,
Cornell has been able to offer its employees partially- or fully-subsidized
transit. Membership in OmniRide allows employees to take any bus in
Tompkins County to any place at any time, and Cornell pays the fare.
OmniRiders also receive 30 one-day parking permits every year, in
case they occasionally need to bring a car to campus. Out-of-county
commuters pay a subsidized fare for travel from outside the county
to Cornell, but still receive all of the in-county privileges.
- RideShare
RideShare provides incentives for carpooling with other Cornell employees
(Exhibit 1, below). RideSharers receive ten free one-day parking permits
every six months for those days when carpooling doesn’t work
out. Only employees who work in an area requiring a parking permit
are eligible to join RideShare groups.
Exhibit
1: 2005-2006 Parking Fees and Rebates
Permit Tier |
Individual Permit |
|
Two RideSharers |
Three RideSharers |
Four or More RideSharers |
1 |
A,E,CP |
No Fee |
No Fee |
No Fee |
No Fee |
2 |
CF,ME,O, R,SA,TH,W,WE |
$302.61
annually |
No Fee |
Reserved space
+$161.17 rebate |
Reserved space
+$337.54 rebate |
3 |
HH,K,T |
$476.67
annually |
$174.08
annually |
No Fee |
Reserved space
+$176.37 rebate |
4 |
C,X |
$531.68
annually |
$229.10
annually |
No Fee |
Reserved space
+$125.44 rebate |
5 |
G |
$622.92
annually |
$320.30
annually |
$146.25
annually |
Reserved space
+No Fee |
6 |
D,F,H,J,L,N,P,Y |
$669.15
annually |
$364.54
annually |
$190.47
annually |
Reserved space
+No Fee |
Prices
include 8% NYS sales tax. Fees and rebates are shared by all
members of the RideShare group.
As the chart reflects, even a moderate change
in commuting habits can turn a paid parking permit into a no-fee
permit or, in some cases, Cornell will actually pay its employees
not to drive their cars on campus.
- Occasional Parker
Employees who don’t purchase a individual parking permits and
who don’t participate in OmniRide or RideShare—because they
are dropped off on campus by someone who is not an employee, or because
they walk or bicycle to campus—may choose to become a "Occasional
Parkers."
Occasional Parkers receive, at no cost,
10 one-day parking permits every six months. This convenience program
allows individuals who may need a vehicle for sporadic use—such
as for a medical appointment or other personal need—to park on
campus for that day.
- Volunteer Firefighter/EMS
Volunteer fire and medical personnel—who respond to calls during
their workday—may be eligible to receive an annual rebate on
their individual parking permit fees. The rebate is equal to half
the perimeter parking rate.
Support Services
We have also developed a number of support services to make the above
programs more feasible. The most important of these is the Emergency
Ride Program. During the formulation of TDMP, employees voiced their
anxiety of being without their car in case of a personal or family crisis.
In response, we have vehicles and staff available to take people where
they need to go in case of an urgent situation. So far, only a few employees
a month have required this service.
We have also worked to designate park-and-ride
lots that can be used by OmniRiders or where RideShare groups can meet.
We maintain a web-based bulletin board to help RideSharers form or enlarge
groups. And we operate a campus courier service so university employees
don’t have to use personal vehicles for university business.
Student Commuting
We are continually trying to find ways to convince students not to bring
cars to Cornell, and not to use them for local trips if they do. These
efforts to reduce student vehicle use have resulted in high (and increasing)
numbers of transit pass purchases (see Exhibit 2).
Students’ needs for cars
In general, students do not need cars—as most have an easy transit
commute to and from both campus and shopping. Many students, therefore,
bring a car primarily for trips in and out of town, and even that is
becoming less necessary as there is ever-improving charter and fixed-route
service throughout the region.
Graduate and professional students are frequently
the exception to this rule, as many have academic, vocational, or family
obligations that necessitate their having a car. Cornell recognizes
their needs and offers them priority for commuting-student parking plus
some flexible commuting alternatives.
An ounce of prevention
While there is enough parking for students, we are actively discouraging
them from bringing cars to Cornell, or from driving them to campus if
they do. Even before they come to Ithaca for the first time, we have
sent all students information about the pitfalls of bringing a car to
campus. To make transit more appealing and easier to use, Cornell offers
students a deeply-discounted, unlimited-use bus pass to meet their needs.
Every time we offer parking information, at the same time we market
the bus pass and stress the extensive transit to and around campus.
Exhibit 2: Student Parking and Transit Pass Trends
Background Information about the Clean
Air Act Amendments of 1990
Employer-based commuter-trip reduction programs
Cornell’s TDMP is an employer-based commuter-trip reduction program.
Although Cornell did not invent this concept, it has been in the forefront
of a national movement promoting such programs.
History
In 1990 the EPA’s Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) classified 18
regions, nationally, as severe non-attainment areas and 106 more as
non-attainment areas. Non-attainment means that an area does not live
up to the minimum standards for acceptable air quality. None of the
areas designated include Ithaca. However, CAAA sets up expectations
of cleaner air throughout the country, and helps areas avoid receiving
a non-attainment classification. It also sets forth methods and goals
through which better air quality can be achieved.
Description
The predominant way CAAA standards can be met is through employer-based
commuter-trip reduction programs. The legislation seeks to challenge
the assumption that parking should be plentiful, free, and available
to as many people who want to drive single-occupant vehicles (SOVs)
as possible. CAAA states that any employer with over 100 employees at
a work site—in an non-attainment area—must develop compliance
plans and enact vehicle trip reducing strategies. However, an employee
will only volunteer to participate if there are sufficient incentives
in place. These incentives can take the form of paid (market-rate or
higher) parking—or, more positively, finding ways to fund, subsidize,
or reward alternative commuting. For example, federal tax laws allow
employers to provide a cash subsidy for transit use ("cash-outs")
as a non-taxable benefit, up to $100 per month. Or, the law permits
employees to purchase bus passes with pre-tax dollars.
CAAA Benchmarks at Cornell University
- Average Vehicle Occupancy
1990 is used as the benchmark year for CAAA efforts. In non-attainment
areas, an employer’s Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) must exceed
the 1990 AVO for that area by 25%. In 1990 a typical urban area would
have had an AVO around 1.1. Since 1992, Cornell has maintained an
average of 1.5 (approximately 6,000 parking permits for 9,100 employees).
- Emissions
University engineers did a study of the environmental benefits of
TDMP, taking into account the number of vehicles and average distances
commuted and estimated the energy savings. Each year after 1990, Cornell
commuters have traveled 10 million fewer miles, saving 417,000 gallons
of fuel. The result is a reduction in net annualized emissions:
-Carbon dioxide down 6,700,000 pounds
-Carbon monoxide down 651,000 pounds
-Oxides of nitrogen down 34,000 pounds
-Hydrocarbons down 59,000 pounds
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