1. GIVE & TAKE.
- Author
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June, Audrey Williams
- Subjects
- *
UNIVERSITIES & colleges , *COMMUTING , *EMPLOYER-sponsored transportation , *CARPOOLS , *TELECOMMUTING , *TRANSPORTATION , *COLLEGE teachers - Abstract
The article reports that seventy-two colleges have been recognized as the Best Workplaces for Commuters as part of a program sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Transportation. The institutions join more than 1,500 workplaces in nearly every industry that have been lauded for their efforts to reduce the number of cars on the road. The University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Michigan, discovered that spending about $700,000 annually on commuter benefits, including electric-bicycle recharging stations and an expansive park-and-ride program, was much cheaper than adding parking spaces, which was estimated to cost $17-million. The University of California at San Diego, California, refurbishes bicycles that have been abandoned and then issues them to students, faculty, and staff members for use around campus. Dartmouth College offers $180 a year to employees who live within three-quarters of a mile of the college and don't use a parking space. Participants in the EPA program must offer at least one main commuter benefit such as a monthly transit or van-pool pass or a telecommuting program.
- Published
- 2006