Case Study: UVM Faculty and Staff Commute Trends
Analysis of UVM faculty and staff commuting trends using a 2019 survey administered by Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association
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Introduction
What follows is an analysis of the University of Vermont's faculty and staff commuting trends reported in a 2019 survey collected by Chittenden Area Transportation Management Association (CATMA). Data points were geocoded to represent each person that responded to the survey and spatially analyzed to determine if there is an ability to switch from driving alone to something more sustainable, such as walking, biking, taking the public bus, or utilizing park and rides. Carbon emissions have been calculated two times, once using the current trends and once using the theoretical that each person within a distance to commute sustainably will do so. Please note that this survey just contains a subset of UVM faculty and staff and does not account for all employees nor is it statistically applicable to the rest of Vermont. However, similar trends are observed across the state. Click on any point in any map to view its unique attributes.
UVM faculty and staff reported modes used main.
Current Methods
Each respondent reported a "mode used main" - the most common mode they commute with. The map to the left symbolizes the data by this attribute. The dark green points are those that reported driving alone each day; 812 out of 1246 respondents reported using this mode. Click to expand the map, activate the legend, move around, and observe individual attributes for each data point.
Current CO2 Emissions
UVM faculty/staff current Co2 emissions
To the right is a map symbolized, red to yellow, by high to low carbon emissions associated with the modes reported in the map above. These total to about 1,184 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions (MTCDE) per year. While the max emissions is 12.96, we see a mean emissions of only about 1.038 MTCDE. This suggests that most people's commuting emissions are actually quite low, but are skewed by those who commute long distances each day.
Click on the map to zoom into the Burlington area and find UVM's main campus. You also may activate the legend to better see emission numbers and click on points to see what mode is associated with it.
United States and Vermont Emissions
On average in the United States, 4.6 MTCDE are produced per year commuting. About 30% of these emissions come from the transportation sector and 58% of those emissions come from light-duty vehicles, or personal cars. In Vermont, 39% of total carbon emissions come from transportation, and 84% of these can be attributed to personal vehicles. Outside of transportation, Vermont's total carbon emissions per capita are more than 13.5 MTCDE, higher than those of both Europe and China.
COMPARE: Methods vs Emissions
Compare modes used main (left) with the associated CO2 emissions (right)
Using the slide map above, you may compare people's reported main mode with its carbon emissions (the previous two maps). Observe that near UVM's main campus, in central Burlington, those who report driving alone produce emissions in the same low category as other sustainable modes because the distance traveled is so small. This makes it clear that the main driver of carbon emissions comes from those commuting longer distances each day due to Vermont's rural nature and urban sprawl.
Change Proximities?
In order to reduce carbon emissions, I generated three "change proximities" that I spatially analyzed against people who reported driving alone as their main mode. To do this, I looked at those who reported mainly using sustainable modes. I looked at the mean distances that walkers and bikers live from main campus, public bus users live from bus stops, and park and ride users live from park and rides. I then created a new attribute, "change type", denoting whether or not the person lives in a reasonable distance to commute sustainably and what type of mode they can change to. The following maps display these change distances.
NOTE: We found there to be overlap between groups, as some people live within more than one change distance. In order to reduce emissions and produce maps in the most effective way, walking/biking was prioritized, then taking the bus, then using a park and ride. Since this is the case, the Main Campus Proximity map contains all points with a walk/bike change type, but the Public Bus Proximity and Park and Ride Proximity maps may contain points with different change types. Those falling within multiple change distances have more options and may commute in a multimodal way.
MC Change Distance
Main Campus Proximity
To the right are all points that "drive alone" (or use another unsustainable mode) and reported the closest intersection to their house within 2.36 miles of UVM's main campus. If all points in this map began walking or biking to campus rather than driving, emissions can be reduced by 25.8 MTCDE each year. Note: I combined walking and biking into the same proximity map. The mean distance from main campus of bikers was 2.36 miles, and the mean distance of walkers was 1.10 miles. However, since emissions are calculated in the same way for both modes, I decided to combine them in the same map and offer either mode as an option.
Bus Change Distance
Public Bus Proximity
To the left is a map with all unsustainable commuters living within 1.03 miles of a bus stop. Theoretically, users will walk or bike to a bus stop and then bus to main campus. If each of the 318 people that fall within this distance begin taking the public bus daily, emissions would fall by 197.2 MTCDE per year.
P&R Change Distance
Park and Ride Proximity
To the right is a map containing points that fall within 2.70 miles of a park and ride and currently report an unsustainable mode as their main commuting method. To use park and rides, people tend to drive to a park and ride and then take the public bus to main campus. For those who do not like using the bus, park and rides can also be a great option to meet up and carpool, another beneficial way to reduce emissions. Utilizing park and rides can reduce emissions by at least 93.5 MTCDE each year.
No Change Distance
No Change Proximity
Finally, to the left is a map of all points that currently commute unsustainably and do not fall within any distance to reasonably use a sustainable mode of transportation. In Chittenden County and surrounding areas, this is largely due to sprawl. However, outside of these areas we find the reason to be more largely attributed to the rural nature of the state. In total, this set accounts for 503.1 MTCDE per year that is unable to be reduced by walking, biking, or busing, unless individuals decide to travel further than the current means in the dataset. Another option to reduce emissions within this group is carpooling with those nearby.
Proposed CO2 Emissions
UVM Faculty/Staff Proposed CO2 Emissions
Finally, using the change distances above, emissions have been recalculated in the map to the left. As stated, walking or biking was prioritized followed by public bus and then park and ride to calculate emissions. Emissions in this map total around 867 MTCDE, a reduction of 317 MTCDE from the original emissions. As you can see visually and on the legend, the max emissions are the same and there are still quite a few points with high emissions due to them falling outside of any change distance. However, we do see a significant reduction in emissions, with the mean at 0.995 MTCDE rather than 1.038 MTCDE (p < .05). The larger emissions are less easily reduced due to Vermont being so rural and urban sprawl but can be mitigated by using solutions such as electric vehicles or telework. For help organizing and understanding telework either as an employee or employer, visit CATMA's website at catmavt.org to access their Telework Toolkit.
COMPARE: Current Emissions vs Proposed Emissions
Below, directly compare current emissions (left) with newly proposed emissions (right) to see exactly where, how, and by how much emissions can be reduced.
Compare newly proposed emissions (right) with current emissions (left)
What does this mean?
The biggest takeaway we see from the maps here is that even with a proposed 993 people out of 1246 commuting using a sustainable mode, the 253 people that fall outside of any change proximity still produce significantly more emissions per year (p < .05). Those with the ability to use a sustainable mode make up about 80% of the dataset, yet produce 42% of emissions. The other 20% of the dataset, those who will continue to drive alone, produce 58% of all emissions. This disparity can only be due to sprawl and people living in rural, remote areas, as sustainable and public transportation is available to the majority of this dataset.
Although Vermont prides itself on greenness and sustainability, these beliefs are not reflected in statewide carbon emissions, nor are they reflected in the actions of these UVM faculty and staff. Although more than 400 people in this dataset already commute sustainably, more than 800 still drive alone each day, producing great carbon emissions and making it very difficult to meet Vermont's goals and standards in regards to climate change. Additionally, although this data cannot be generalized about the rest of the state, switching commuting modes to one more sustainable has a great impact on carbon emissions and will be essential in reducing global carbon emissions. If commuting by walk, bike, or bus is not viable, telecommuting is a great option because it produces no emissions, saves time and money, and enhances work-life balance while improving productivity at the same time. Other great options include e-bikes, which can commute much further and faster than a regular bike, and electric cars, which are notably better for the environment than gasoline or diesel vehicles.
What can UVM do?
The best thing UVM can do to reduce these emissions is to be aware of how emissions are spread and where they are the most significant. This can be done in a number of ways; UVM may limit people outside of a certain radius to work in person by offering telework as an option, reduce parking on campus, and encourage public transportation as something essential to reducing statewide carbon emissions and meeting statewide, nationwide, and global climate change goals. As a member of CATMA, UVM employees can ride GMT buses for free, recieve discounts on bikeshare, win rewards for commuting sustainably, and access help and information about sustainable commuting with ease.
What will the future look like?
Additionally, as we continue to grow, expand, and change, Vermont should aim for smart growth. This means reinvesting in already existing developments, creating mixed use land, centralizing resources within a walkable radius that provides public and sustainable transportation as well as safe spaces to walk and bike, and preserving natural land to foster an appreciation for environment and community. When resources are centralized and the need for long-distance travel lessens, community bonds grow and carbon emissions shrink. Using practices such as these are essential to Vermont reaching its goal of being carbon neutral by 2030.
Credits
This map was produced in conjunction with Kathleen Enns' thesis project at the University of Vermont. It has been made possible with the help of Richard Watts and CATMA.