UCLA commuter use of alternative transportation rises

UCLA Transportation released its annual “State of the Commute” report last week, showing a decrease in the number of commuters who drive alone to campus and an increase in the number of bus riders, carpoolers, walkers and bikers.

The 2008 UCLA Climate Action Plan originally set a goal for 50 percent of employees to drive to work alone by 2014, and the university had 51.2 percent of UCLA employees drive alone in 2013. This proportion is still lower than the county-wide average of 73 percent of workers who drive alone, according to the report.

The growing population of commuters using alternative forms of transportation is part of a trend UCLA Transportation has seen for the past several years.

“The number of UCLA commuters taking public transit has more than doubled since 2000 and the number cycling has tripled since 2005,” said Renee Fortier, executive director of UCLA Events & Transportation, in a press release.

In order to maintain and further public transit and bike use, UCLA spends about $6.5 million on transportation demand management programs annually, said Penny Menton, senior associate director of communications and Bruin commuter services.

Currently, about 49 percent of UCLA employees and 75 percent of students use alternative transportation, like biking, walking and vanpooling, to get to the university each day.

The average number of vehicle trips to and from UCLA increased in 2013 by 3 percent from 2012, but the overall number of trips has decreased 20 percent over the last 10 years, according to the report.

Compiled by Yael Levin, Bruin senior staff.

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