Colleges Smarten Up Commute

Some of the nation’s top universities are encouraging students and staff to ditch their cars in favor of a smarter mode of transport. Ivy Leaguers like Brown, Dartmouth, and Cornell are urging their communities to wise up and walk or bike to campus instead of driving.

Emory University, named a “new Ivy,” is at the head of the class. The recent launch of a pro-bike commuting campaign has inspired Emory students and staff to ditch four wheels in favor of two. The university has partnered with Fuji Bikes and Bicycle South, an area bike shop, to offer deep discounts on bike purchases. For every bike sold, Emory and Fuji offer an unbeatable promotion that provides all staff with a free helmet, U-lock, and rear safety light. For those who live in faraway neighborhoods or off of the central campus, the package includes a $50-100 gift certificate from the shop. Registered cycling commuters can get other free perks, too, such as membership to Flexcar, a car-sharing program that reduces the number of cars on the road and, thus, nasty emissions.

Cornell University also offers alluring incentives to students and staff who leave their cars at home. Their “Occasional Parker” program allows employees who walk, bike, or carpool to work free on-campus parking for ten days out of every six months.

Dartmouth College even offers a cash incentive to employees who opt to leave their cars at home and walk or bike, instead. The voluntary program has helped to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve employee health and morale, and relieve the parking crunch on-campus.

The details, according to Dartmouth’s Transportation Demand Management page:

Brown University has dedicated an unofficial web site, Bike to Brown, to bike commuting on and around campus. The site has organized the campus cyclist community to lobby for a higher level of bike safety and support from the university and its president, Ruth J. Simmons. If the cyclists get their way, we’ll see as many bikes at Brown as there are Brainiacs.