The University of New Mexico’s Parking and Transportation Services (PATS) Department recently launched its third university-wide commuter survey in order to learn more about student, staff, and faculty transportation behaviors and the carbon footprint associated with campus commutes. PATS encourages students, staff, and faculty to lend a few minutes of their time and take the survey online at UNM Commuter Survey.
“This will be our third year of commuter survey data, which will provide us the ability to begin to look at transportation behavior trends,” said Robert Nelson, PATS interim director. “With commuter survey information we can evaluate usage of our various transportation and parking services and use our analysis to plan future services.”
Nelson said the data collected from the survey is also used to calculate the carbon footprint associated with campus commutes, which is tracked in the biennial University greenhouse-gas emissions report.
Between 2010 and 2011, UNM commuter survey data showed that rates of driving alone to campus in automobiles decreased by about 5 percent with an increase in the use of alternative transportation. The data also showed that currently about 15 percent of UNM students, staff, and faculty are using the ABQRide free bus pass program as a primary mode of transportation to UNM.
“We are pleased to see more and more people considering and actively using alternative transportation to get to campus,” said Nelson. “Even if someone is only using alternative transportation a couple of days a week, they are significantly reducing their carbon footprint and traffic and congestion in the University area.”
The survey will be available at http://commutersurvey.unm.edu through May 7 (midnight).
For more information contact Danielle Gilliam, program specialist, UNM Parking and Transportation Services, at 277‑0461 or email dgilliam@parking.unm.edu
Media Contact: Benson Hendrix, (505) 277‑1816; email: bhendrix@unm.edu
