Transportation comprises nearly 40% of the University of Baltimore’s greenhouse gas emissions. Most of the emission come from commuting, but also UBalt’s fleet vehicles, and even through accumulated trips and conferences. FMCP measures the transportation footprint to help discern where improvements can be made and for ACUPCC reporting purposes.
The best way to reduce your transportation footprint is to walk, bicycle, and to use transit.
Walking
Did you know almost 20 percent of UBalt students live within a close walk to campus? Facilities supports walking, the greenest way to travel of them all, by maintaining sidewalks, overseeing streetscape projects such as the one on Mount Royal Avenue, and advocating for better crosswalks and slower traffic speeds to enhance the pedestrian experience. Did you know UBalt is a walker's paradise according to walkscore.com. Baltimore City controls the public space and UBalt is partnering with the city to make improvements. The Varsity and other apartment buildings are popular residential choices and allow for easy walking commutes.
Bicycling
Bicycling is another green way to get around. Facilities is adding bicycle racks and working with the Baltimore City for safer bicycle infrastructure. To learn more about bicycling visit UBalt's bicycle page.
New bicycle racks have been added doubling the options on campus to park in the last two years. There is bicycle parking within 50 feet of the entrances of 80 percent of academic buildings. Roughly 20 percent of these rack spaces are under cover. UBalt is advocating for design improvements for the planned Maryland Avenue Cycletrack and the Mount Royal Streetscape project currently under design by the Baltimore City Department of Transportation.
The construction of the 2.6 mile two-way protected bike lane on Maryland Avenue and Cathedral Streets is now well underway. The two-way lane runs on the east side of the road along the curb, and will be protected by a painted buffer with flex-posts and a row of car parking. At intersections and driveways, green paint striping is used to further highlight where to expect bicycles. For a significant portion of the project, the road narrows to just one car travel lane, further calming traffic and making the street safer for all road users. Completion of the 2.6 mile route is expected in late October.
Facilities has added and improved the quality of bicycle racks across campus
Transit
Facilities knows that transit helps us reduce the university's carbon footprint. Please take advantage of the many transit choices for getting to campus. Faculty and staff can purchase a monthly transit passes and vouchers available pre-tax. Click here for the form. Approximately 30 people participate in this program. Students can purchase the monthly All Access College Transit pass from the Office of the Bursar. Approximately 275 students take advantage of this program every month. Please visit the Office of the Bursar's website for more details.
Take advantage of transit by getting unlimited-use monthly passes
The Greenway Public Transportation system in western North Carolina has adopted a campaign called "Just One Day a Week" that promotes taking public transportation one day a week instead of using your car to reduce your carbon footprint.