The Martlet

This article was contributed by UVic's Sustainability Coordinator, Sarah Webb.

The recent editorial, (“UVic: Taking Credit Again,” March 19, 2009) criticizes the university for launching and supporting green initiatives, claiming that many of the gains are at the expense of students who no longer want to pay higher parking fees and turn to a crowded public transit system as a last resort.

Does B.C. Transit need more funding, more buses and more staff to respond to our ever-growing demands? Absolutely. Programs like the UPASS and the Employee Bus Pass are mechanisms to create demand to encourage improvements. Parking fees are a part of UVic’s traffic demand management approach (TDM).

Fees that are priced at a competitive rate force people to re-think their habits. Just imagine what the roads and parking lots would look like if the thousands of cyclists, pedestrians, carpoolers, skateboarders, car sharers and transit riders came to campus in single-occupant vehicles.

For those drivers searching for stalls in the peak morning rush, you will find parking lots 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 usually have ample availability.

Going directly to one of these lots and walking to your destination instead of circling lot 1, 2, 3, or 4 will save both time and fuel.

With increases in parking rates, there are also investments in infrastructure, education, partnerships and capacity which benefit all forms of commuting.

In the last ten years, millions of university dollars have been spent on a TDM program that includes cycling infrastructure, bus pass programs, motorcycle and scooter support, car share programs, carpooling, fleet rentals, accessibility enhancements and pedestrian infrastructure improvements. Of course, greater investment will be required if we want to continue to support our students, faculty and staff.

Currently more than 60 per cent of our campus community arrives at UVic in a form of sustainable transportation each day.

This numerical statistic is the result of the collective efforts of the university community and an important indicator in the value that comes with providing travel choices to those who live, work and study here.

UVic is not achieving green gains on its own, and I would invite members of our campus community to be a part of the growing movement to help develop UVic as a hub in an integrated regional transportation network — one that supports moving people in an efficient and affordable manner without relying on fossil fuels.