Phase II: Transportation
Demand and Development
The Transportation Demand Management
TDM refers to the concept of making more efficient use of transportation resources. This concept recognizes that there are limits to the amount of parking or roadway lanes that can be built to accommodate Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) travel. Costs and land constraints are major factors inhibiting this approach. Even if cost were not a factor, environmental and societal concerns would impose limits to the amount of new roads, roadway widenings and amount of car parking that could be provided.
Access Hierarchy
A walkable, bikeable and transit friendly campus recognizes that each mode has varying levels of impact upon the campus environment. The Access Hierarchy Pyramid represents the degree of access accorded to each mode.
The mode with the least campus impact (walking) gets the highest level of access to the campus core. This means establishing more auto-free pedestrian lanes (e.g., Putnam Way). Conversely the mode with the most campus impact (SOV) gets the lowest level of access to the campus core. Bicycling has a gentle footprint and receives the second highest level of access in the campus environment. As the new campus master plan is built around a transit right of way, transit also scores highly in the transit access hierarchy.
Modes that consume more space per user rank lower in the hierarchy; for example, each surface parking space requires 300 square feet per space, thus, SOVs form the bottom of the pyramid.
TDM Strategies Currently In-Place at UB
- Park and ride shuttle services
- UB Stampede service - 24 buses in operation
- Parking restrictions - Resident Freshman Parking Program
- Biking and walking program and infrastructure
- Buffalo Blue Bicycle Program
TDM Strategies Under Consideration at UB
- Providing incentives to not bring cars onto the UB campus.
- “Unbundling parking fees” by charging only the students who park their cars parking fees, instead of including parking in the comprehensive fee.
- Offering car sharing services, such as ZipCar.
- Providing incentives for car sharing, such as by providing close in parking spaces.
- Restrict underclassmen from using cars on campus
- Provide long term lots.
- Create a tiered parking fee structure for parking permits based on the lot location.
- Encouraging Transit Oriented Development (TOD) land uses to cluster around transit stations.
- TOD consists of walkable, higher density, mixed use developments that specifically support and are supported by transit riders.