Background
At the University of Waterloo, commuting contributes an estimated 19% of emissions associated with the University. Action item 41 of the Shift Neutral climate action plan is the development of an institutional Transportation Demand Management Plan to support a shift to net zero emissions by 2050. Part of that plan will involve finding creative ways to encourage commuters to choose low carbon transportation options including electric vehicles, but especially active and public transportation. Parking fees can be a tool for incentivizing these alternative commuting choices, yet a strategy of simply increasing parking fees is often highly unpopular and therefore difficult to implement.
The University of Waterloo Sustainability Office is looking for an analysis of best practices from other institutions for parking fee structures and the associated communication campaigns to promote active transportation, public transportation and commutes in electric vehicles. This work relates to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 11 and 13.
Scope of Work Could Include
- Review data for parking fees, commuting mode choices and sustainable transportation options available for the University of Waterloo.
- Research best practices from other institutions to identify parking fee structures used to promote a shift to sustainable transportation. Also include information about how these fee structures were marketed to commuters and the impacts that they had on commuting choices. These fee structures could include:
- Tiered pricing based on the type of vehicle (eg higher rates for internal combustion vehicles than for electric vehicles)
- A shift to daily pricing so that commuters are not “locked in” to vehicle use but can still drive to work in bad weather or when other needs arise
- Pricing structure based on commuting distance or availability of sustainable alternatives
- Note that any subsidies for sustainable transportation count as a work benefit that must be reported on income tax and tends to be unpopular.
- Make recommendations for parking fee structures that could be used at the University of Waterloo to promote alternative and sustainable commuting options.
- Make recommendations for how to market these fee structures to increase buy-in from administrators and commuters.
Resources
The Sustainability Office can provide information on current parking rates, aggregated information from TravelWise Commuting Surveys and recent reports on staff commuting distances and travel options.
Stakeholders
- Sustainability Office
- Parking Services
Proposed Deliverables
The details of the deliverables are flexible but must meet the requirements set out by the course instructor. Some proposed deliverables include:
- A work plan early in the term outlining key milestones and responsibilities.
- Updates on progress at least once during the term.
- A final report outlining the outcomes of the study and recommendations.
- A final meeting to review the outcomes of the report and answer questions.