Pedal power and other alternatives

Kim Monaghan, a masters of envrionmental studies student, cycles to campus even in the winter. (Danny Abriel Photo)

Dalhousie has received funding from the federal government to carry out a sustainable transportation planning project, aimed at getting more people to leave their cars at home and finding alternate ways of getting to campus.

Under Transport Canada’s Moving on Sustainable Transportation Program (MOST), the university’s Office of Sustainability will carry out an online survey of students, faculty and staff to determine travel habits. How many people are using public transit to come to Dalhousie? How many people travel to Dalhousie on a bicycle? How many people walk and how many drive their cars?

Rochelle Owen, director of the Office of Sustainability, says the survey results will be compiled with an eye to designing new programs. For example, what would encourage people to get out of their cars and walk, cycle or take the bus? What would encourage them to car pool?

“If we look at new kinds of bike programs, what exactly are the things we need to do to put programs that will work in place and what will they cost?” she asks.

“This planning project is a critical piece for us. It provides an opportunity to plan in a comprehensive way.”

With the $15,000 federal grant, Ms. Owen will hire four graduate students as part of a class project with Management Without Borders. They will help to design and carry out the survey.

Green transportation programs at other universities will be examined as well. Dalhousie is already working with Halifax Regional Municipality, the provincial health department, the Ecology Action Centre and many other partners on a committee to share information and study sustainable transportation options.

Ms. Owen says the Dal study, which should be completed by fall, will not deal with parking issues. Those will be addressed in the university’s Master Campus Plan, which is now underway. She hopes the sustainable transportation study will complement the campus plan by providing important information about more environmentally-friendly ways to bring people on campus,
 
Dalhousie is one of two organizations in Nova Scotia that received Moving on Sustainable Transportation grants. The other is Ecology Action Centre’s TRAX program, which will work with three communities to develop sustainable forms of transportation.