From UCLA
After a consistent, persistent campaign that has lasted for years now, fewer Bruins -- students, faculty and staff -- are driving to campus and the number of vehicles zooming around Westwood has hit lows not seen since 1994, officials say. They note that all the commuting and ride-sharing options available to those who need to get to the university's sprawling Westside campus also has slashed to 37% the percentage of faculty, students or staff who drive alone to Westwood. That compares with the citywide figure, in which 74% of commuters are driving alone. Meantime, the university has expanded its van pool network aggressively, encouraged mass transit use to a high degree and tested all manner of other means to get Bruins out of cars and off the streets. Since 2000, the number of faculty and staff commuting by public buses has doubled to today, when 15.5% of them do so. The next commuting frontier for the sprawling campus, of course, would be the subway to the sea and a functional Westwood station stop for the planned system that some time soon could take riders from the eastern reaches of the San Gabriel Valley to the Pacific Ocean. Oh, and by the way, the university also has put up beaucoup amounts of student housing around the campus, which also has decreased the need for vehicular commutes.
Increased student housing, aggressive ride sharing, transit plans show results
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