Student Commuting

Study Delved Into Ways of Getting Here Easier

August 31, 2010

By Pamela McLaren

For nearly as long as universities have existed, students have complained about the commute and parking.

How to make commuting a more positive experience was the subject of a spring project in an Urban Planning Methods course taught by Ray Young, emeritus associate vice president for academic affairs and professor of geography.

The result is “Beyond the Parking Squeeze: Student Commuting Survey,” a research report and student survey that investigated travel habits, concerns, awareness of parking programs and commuter incentives, as well as suggestions for improving the commute and parking. The report was presented to the Parking Advisory and University Bicycle Committee in May and to the Associated Students Board of Directors on Tuesday, Aug. 24.

“I wanted to devise a planning activity in survey research that would connect strongly with the everyday experiences of the Cal State Fullerton student, said Young. “We hope that the findings not only inform transportation and parking decision-makers but, equally important, will encourage higher levels of physically active commuting behaviors such as walking and bicycling. In turn, these efforts can promote a more ‘sustainable university’ for us all.”

“What initially interested me in the student commuter project was that parking was such a prevalent issue and yet no real research or surveys had been conducted that directly dealt with it,” said team member Kelli Linza, a senior political science major. “Being a student commuter myself, I thought this project was the perfect way to relate to others’ parking and traffic hassles and see if there were any commonalities shared with other students.…”

“I’m not an Orange County native, and yet I quickly caught on to the mass number of students who were driving to and from campus,” said fellow researcher Darcy Reed of Bakersfield, who graduated with a sociology degree in May.

“This project allowed the students in the class to not only apply those theories that have been taught, but also to produce their own theories and apply them,” said master of public administration major Kelly Krueger Benjamin.

Jessica Watson agreed. “There are so few opportunities during your academic career when you can actually take what you have learned and put it into action. Because the student commuting report was for the university, we are giving back to CSUF by using the knowledge and skills we have gained through our education.

“It was a great experience,” said fellow MPA major Noreen Swiontek, who noted how the study had direct applications to her career. “It was an issue that affects all of us and I think that helped us keep up the interest level and involvement in the project.”

“The most challenging part of this project was taking 26 students and collaborating with one another in an efficient and timely manner,” said Reed. “Since most of us were wither commuters or working full time while being a full-time student, it was difficult to keep up with one another’s progress. I think we all did one hell of a job in the long run.”

As part of their research, the urban planning team discovered:

Nearly five percent of Cal State Fullerton’s students rarely come to the Fullerton campus as they are enrolled only in online courses or courses offered at the Irvine Branch campus.
One third of all students are on campus no more than one or two days a week.
Most intense parking activity occurs between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday.

Of the more than 500 students surveyed:

73.7 percent drive alone to campus
approximately 11 percent usually walk to campus
8 percent carpool in some form
more than 3 percent take OCTA buses
about 2 percent use bicycles

Highest levels of commuting satisfaction, the team discovered, came from those who use OCTA, bicycle or walk.

“One of the key issues that is little known by students is that the state provides no funding for parking. Its a totally self-supporting program,” said Young, noting that many respondents didn’t realize that faculty and staff also pay for parking. “Its very important to make sure that students realize what this department does and why fees are crucial.”

Sean Tran of Foothill Ranch found the interview process a challenge in getting people to answer 42 questions without leading them in their responses and filtering through the answers to draw true perceptions. “It was a great thing that we got so many responses and it will be great if it opens more opportunities for alternative transportation.”

Others were surprised that more students didn’t take advantage of alternative transportation to get to campus.

“Our campus has a multitude of programs offered to students in an effort to relieve parking troubles, such as campus carpool spots and programs that provide deals for those who ride bikes to campus. While most students thought parking was an issue, it didn’t seem to affect them overall in how they chose to get to campus or when they arrived,” said Linza.

“The cost of parking was a major concern for students, however, most were willing to pay more to have a more favorable parking experience (ie. more spaces available),” said graduate student Michelle Byerly of Chino. “As expected, CSUF is primarily a commuter school, but I was surprised that students’ median commute is 13.7 miles away. It also surprised me that more students were not aware of the incentive programs associated with student parking, and were not taking advantage of these resources.”

As part of the survey, responding students were asked what are the three most important things that individual students, as well as university officials, could do to improve the commute and parking process. Based on responses, the following list of proposed actions was developed:

Personal student actions:

Improve personal time management
Carpool more
Walk or bicycle if living close to campus
Use alternative commuting options
Engage in safer driving practices on campus
Adjust class schedules into off-peak hour enrollments

University actions:

Expand parking area supply
Consider reduced parking fees, particularly for student carpoolers and evening-only students
Evaluate feasibility of electronic capacity monitors in campus parking structures, thereby noting space availability (Editor’s note: such a monitor was installed at the new Eastside Parking Structure and will be evaluated with the possibility of similar installations at the university’s other structures.)
Increase bicycle parking racks and their security
Determine the feasibility of a limited-range shuttle service for nearby student housing areas
Provide incentives for students who walk to campus
Consider a limited grace period for enforcement of parking regulations at the start of semesters

“It was a great educational tool for the students. It allowed them to see the data we work with and to see the intricacies that we have to deal with in our decisions about parking,” said Joe Ferrer, director of parking and transportation. “This was entirely a student effort and a great way to get students engaged about an issue that affects them and their peers.”

“We’re currently considering the options that the students suggested and will see if we can incorporate them into our parking program,” Ferrer said. “We know that we don’t have a perfect system but perhaps with this report, we will be able to move forward with a broader understanding of student concerns and can share the limitations and challenges we face.”

“There are still more questions to be asked and more data to be collected,” noted Reed. “I had no idea going into this project that I’d feel we’ve only put a dent in what we can do to improve the student commuting experience.”

“Working on this assignment was an intense, time-consuming experience for us all and after completing the research and drawing conclusions based on our findings, I know this project will have a long-term impact in terms of future development plans for Cal State Fullerton and other schools looking at our study,” said Linza.