2008 Woodie Awards
Student use of alternate transportation on the rise
Kimberly Lien
Issue date: 2/27/07 Section: News
"There is a balance that has been created," Zonobi said. "Roughly half of the student population drives alone to campus. The other half is taking alternative transportation."
VTA ridership has increased from 10.2 percent to 24.4 percent since the first commuter survey was conducted in November 2001.
In its first two years, surveys were conducted during classes, since then it has been converted to an online survey.
In Fall 2006, the Transportation Solutions office received 4,323 survey responses out of the 23,450 surveys that were sent out, which results in an 18 percent response rate.
Zonobi said the survey was sent to all SJSU students through the e-mail they provide to the school. However, there are a number that are bounced back due to either address changes or mail filters.
Transportation Solutions uses the results of the survey to gauge the success of its programs.
"We are Bay Area Air Quality Management District grant recipients," Zonobi said. "We get about $100,000 a year from them."
Transportation Solutions has also received numerous awards and recognitions for its innovating programs and measurable results.
Most recently, SJSU was named as one of the 2006 Bay Area Best Workplaces for Commuters by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"This is probably the most successful transportation demand management program of all universities in California," Zonobi said. "It's definitely most successful in the California State University (system)."
Caroline Le, A.S. Director of Campus Climate Affairs, attributes the change in student commuting behavior to the increase in gasoline prices and problems caused by parking congestion.
"It's a progressive change to reduce environmental pollution," Le said, "as well as offer students an opportunity to stroll through the downtown community."
"From pedestrian to cyclist to solo drivers, there is always space to develop and expand current alternatives in order to change the way students commute to campus," Le said.
Le said she commutes by car.
"I attempted to commute by VTA offered through Associated Students, but my schedule and obligations take me on and off campus as far as San Francisco every week," Le said.
VTA ridership has increased from 10.2 percent to 24.4 percent since the first commuter survey was conducted in November 2001.
In its first two years, surveys were conducted during classes, since then it has been converted to an online survey.
In Fall 2006, the Transportation Solutions office received 4,323 survey responses out of the 23,450 surveys that were sent out, which results in an 18 percent response rate.
Zonobi said the survey was sent to all SJSU students through the e-mail they provide to the school. However, there are a number that are bounced back due to either address changes or mail filters.
Transportation Solutions uses the results of the survey to gauge the success of its programs.
"We are Bay Area Air Quality Management District grant recipients," Zonobi said. "We get about $100,000 a year from them."
Transportation Solutions has also received numerous awards and recognitions for its innovating programs and measurable results.
Most recently, SJSU was named as one of the 2006 Bay Area Best Workplaces for Commuters by the Environmental Protection Agency.
"This is probably the most successful transportation demand management program of all universities in California," Zonobi said. "It's definitely most successful in the California State University (system)."
Caroline Le, A.S. Director of Campus Climate Affairs, attributes the change in student commuting behavior to the increase in gasoline prices and problems caused by parking congestion.
"It's a progressive change to reduce environmental pollution," Le said, "as well as offer students an opportunity to stroll through the downtown community."
"From pedestrian to cyclist to solo drivers, there is always space to develop and expand current alternatives in order to change the way students commute to campus," Le said.
Le said she commutes by car.
"I attempted to commute by VTA offered through Associated Students, but my schedule and obligations take me on and off campus as far as San Francisco every week," Le said.
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