Sustainable Transportation Plan

Image of students parking their bikes on campus

Overview

The University of Waterloo is developing its first institutional Sustainable Transportation Plan. It will establish key directions and a framework for how the campus can support sustainable transportation choices over the short, medium, and long term. This Plan aligns with and advances a number of institutional strategies and commitments, including including from the Environmental Sustainability Strategy to increase sustainable commuting, increase EV use on campus, and decrease fuel consumption of UW fleet vehicles, as well as the UW’s Shift:Neutral climate action goals, the institutional Strategic Plan, and Waterloo at 100.

The core objectives for the Sustainable Transportation Plan will include:

Improving the quality of and removing barriers to sustainable transportation options to enhance employee, student, and stakeholder wellness and satisfaction

Optimizing effective and efficient use of university assets, including land, parking lots, and fleet

Effectively delivering core operations and logistics

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts from commuting and fleet

Strengthening safe and accessible use of the campus for all users

Topics and Focus Areas

The Sustainable Transportation Plan will cover the following topics, with recommended activities and directions for the short, medium, and long-term:

Commuting

Relating to efforts to improve choices and quality for students, employees, and visitors to travel sustainably to/from the campus.

Circulation and Movement

Relating to efforts to move people and goods around and between campuses, including walkways, roadways, and shuttles.

Fleet

Relating to efforts to decarbonize and ensure efficiency of University-owned vehicles.

Parking

Relating to efforts to provide efficient parking that aligns with sustainable transportation directions and campus goals/needs.

Process and Partners

The project is being co-led by Sustainable Transportation within Plant Operations, as well as the Sustainability Office. It is informed by a wider Sustainable Transportation Planning Group who will provide advice, support, input, and feedback throughout the project, and is made up of students, staff, and faculty. This group began meeting in July 2024 and will continue their work until May 2025.

Here is a snapshot of the project timelines:

2024
1. May
  1. Project Initiation
    
    Development of project plan and engaging core project team
2. Jun
  1. Background Research and Peer Scan
    
    From June through September, Research and background review, including looking at programs at peer institutions
3. Oct
  1. Consultations and Input
    
    From October 2024 through January 2025, consultations across UW and in surrounding communities, including workshops, open houses, travel survey, targeted stakeholder engagement
4. Nov
  1. Ideation and Concept Development
    
    From November through March, ideation and development, including identifying actions and initiatives, targets and milestones
2025
1. Mar
  1. STP Drafting
    
    From March - May, drafting of the Sustainable Transportation Plan and core recommendations
2. Jun
  1. Completion and Approvals
    
    Development of final draft plan and initiation of approvals

How Can I Be Involved?

There will be opportunities for all campus community members, whether you are a student, staff member, faculty member, visitor, or alumni, to provide input into the development of the plan. All members of the University have important roles and experiences as users of the campus spaces and services, and your feedback and ideas will be important.

We are currently running the 2024 Travel Survey to feed into the Sustainable Transportation Plan process, and will be following up with additional opportunities for in-person and focused discussions.

Stay tuned for more information on upcoming opportunities, or feel free to share feedback and suggestions below at any time!