Interpretation Notes

This is a preliminary set of observations from simple tabulations. Not all data are in yet and we haven't performed basic integrity checks, so we aren't really in analysis mode.  Many of these numbers need to be taken with a pinch of salt ... and a sense of humor.

The purpose of the survey was to gain specific information for model development, not to run a comprehensive campus travel survey — that would have required a longer questionnaire and would probably have yielded a lower response rate.  Consequently many results quoted here seem tantalizingly incomplete, e.g. 3% of respondents don't come in on Friday — are they working at other jobs, telecommuting, babysitting ... ?  We didn't set out to answer that question; we merely wanted to know how much slack and day to day variability there is in parking and travel demand.

Response Rates Faculty    89 ... 9% Staff    320 ... 5% Grad    178 ... 6% Undergrad    98 ... 0.55% Postdoc    38 Other    10 Blank    2 Total responses: 735

Given these numbers, it's clear that the statistics below do not necessarily paint a representative picture of campus travel behavior, because both outreach and response were non-uniform.  The undergrad response rate is low, not because undergrads are uninterested, but because it was much easier to reach the other groups by e-mail.

Does this bias our study?  The research strategy is (a) to use the survey results to develop models of preference and behavior, and (b) to apply those models across the population to generate useful results.  This minimizes the bias.

Addresses

96% of respondents provided their home address (rounded to the nearest 100).  90% offered their name and phone number for the prize drawing.

Points North/West		Points South/East
Lompoc    27 Solvang    6 Buellton    5 Santa Ynez    5 Santa Maria    3 San Luis Obispo    1	Santa Barbara    307 Goleta    222 Isla Vista    34	Carpinteria    16 Ventura    10 Oxnard    4 Camarillo    4 Thousand Oaks    1 Montecito    1 Summerland    1

This is unrepresentative because of the uneven response rate.  What's interesting is how far people travel.

Top Responding Departments

Geography (incl. Bren)    37
Chemistry    29
Psychology    19
Physics    28
Housing    15
Geological Sciences    11
Computer Science    11

Thanks to the MSOs for circulating the notice.

Gender

Male    357
Female    372
Blank    6

Age

<35    385
35-55    272
>55    71

Travel from/to an address other than home

Very few come in from an alternate address (e.g. work).  A slightly larger number return elsewhere, that may peter out on Thursday and Friday.

	M	T	W	R	F
Inbound	2%	1%	1%	1%	1%
Outbound	5%	5%	6%	4%	3%

How many stop (drop-off, shop, therapy, etc) on the way to/from UCSB

	M	T	W	R	F
To UCSB	12%	12%	12%	11%	10%
From UCSB	24%	24%	24%	23%	21%

These are generally those for whom public transport would be twice as burdensome.  How many actually use transit?  Stay tuned.

How many don't come in

M	T	W	R	F
2%	1%	1%	1%	3%

Potential for telecommuting?

How many days/wk do you think you could telecommute?

3+/wk    11%
1-2/wk    38%
Not At All    46%

... and what would your supervisor say to that?

Da    34%
Nyet    43%

Factors in choice of mode

Percent who report these factors as "big"

Flexibility    72%
Speed    70%
Cost    57%
Comfort    48%
Safety    46%

How long is the walk to the nearest bus stop (all respondents)?

<3 min    31%
3-8 min    30%
8-12 min    13%
>12 min    10%
Dont Know    16%

Trips by mode Drive    43% Carpool    12% Bus    12% Bike    28% Walk    3% Other    1% Note that undergrads are not well reflected.

What is the time value of a bus transfer?

Question: "If you transfer, consider this scenario: suppose there was a direct bus that had no transfers but took a longer route.  How much longer a ride would you accept, in exchange for the convenience of no transfers?"

Average: 6.7 minutes

Did you use TPS help/facilities to find your carpool buddies?

Yes    24
No    74

This is not a reflection on the quality of TPS help, it's more a measure of the impact pure address-based carpooling can make.  The situation depends on whether the carpooler knows enough people in the neighborhood, is interested in making new acquaintances, etc.

Carpoolers: How much time would it save if you drove alone?

1-10 min    21%
11-20 min    18%
21-30 min    12%
No Diff    49%

A large proportion report "no difference."  This bears further investigation — are there that many couples on campus?  Taken in conjunction with the response above, it suggests that carpoolers live close to each other.

How many people in your carpool?

Average: 4

How do you feel about Stack Parking?

Avoid It    43%
Dont Mind    22%
Like It    8%
N/A    26%

Comment: "I refuse to give my key to a valet, ever"

The value of money

How high a parking fee would you be willing to pay?

$120    13%
$150    21%
$180    18%
$210    13%
$240    4%
Anything!    32%

Comments:
"A parking permit is a necessity & any fee increase is simply a salary reduction."
"When I first came to campus I thought $110 was outrageous for parking, but I have found it is worth it to avoid the hassle of the bus"
"After 30 years of paying parking fees, I would expect to own a space by now, not have to spend ages hunting for one."

The value of time

Question: Suppose all we had was satellite parking with a shuttle to campus.  How much of a resulting delay would you tolerate?

1-5 min    12%
6-10 min    27%
11-15 min    31%
16-20 min    19%
30+ min    12%

Comments:
"[If] E9 and E10 were to happen I would find a new place to work."

Freeform Comments

Thank you for the comments — all 320 of them.

Drive    20% of all records had a comment in this area
Walk/bike    20%
Bus    10%
Carpool    6%

A small selection of freeform comments

There is inevitably some repetition of themes among the 320 comments.  There are many good ideas here (not a criterion for being cited below), and this paints a rich overview of campus transportation experiences.  The complete set of freeform responses will be posted shortly, separately.

• I rode the bus/my bike for nearly 5 years to UCSB, then when my fiance' moved in with me, he started dropping me off at work on the way to his job.  Carpooling with him is cleaner and faster than the bus (the line 25 takes half an hour to drive 4 miles!).  Plus I can't very well expect a kiss goodbye from the bus driver, now can I?  [That's the buss service.  Small surcharge]
  
• Get those buses to run a little later (like the 24x ending at 9:38 pm!)  Bike lockers for those of us with nice bikes who would actually ride them if we didn't have to schelp them all over campus cuz we don't want them to be stolen.
• Arrange for 15X to run through the whole year rather than Sept - June! [Several respondents liked the express buses but complained about inadequate duration and abbreviated summer schedules]
  
• The bus from Ventura to UCSB takes WAY TOO long but if there were one that took as long as the vanpool, or even 15 minutes more time, I would consider it. Right now, the bus ride from Ventura to UCSB would take almost 2 hours!!!!
  
• I suggest that incentive programs consider promoting small change rather than sweeping lifestyle changes. For example, the TAP program grants only a few car passes per quarter and that's not enough to make the program doable for many people. Approaching the problem from the opposite direction, if most folks left their cars at home just one day a week (or even every 2 weeks) it would make a noticeable difference overall, and be a more reasonable behavior change for most people. Instead most incentive programs have a real "all-or-nothing" attitude, which makes them less of an viable option.
• 1) Improve the incentives for TAP (e.g. increase to the equivalent of 10 days free parking per quarter and free bus passes for staff, both like they have at UCSD!)!  2) Absolutely do NOT charge the community to park here in the evenings (e.g. come to a show at Campbell Hall and have to pay $2, which is especially bogus if they arrive late and then have to leave again due to no seating), this presents a terrible image of us to the community members!!!  3) As for parking fees in general, I challange you to name me JUST ONE private business which charges ITS OWN EMPLOYEES TO PARK ON THEIR OWN PROPERTY!!  This is especially insulting since we get paid quite a bit less than our comercial sector peers.
• I carpool with my husband, who is also a professor.  We own only one car and like this.  It saves money and forces us to think about combining trips.  And we talk to one another.
• I think that carpools of 2 people should be able to get access to the carpool parking spots. My choice to participate in a carpool *is* a conscious decision, and not only did I have to give up the freedom to come and go as I desired -- but I also have to be very organized in terms of having what I might need for the day with me. To be honest, I would prefer later work hours and my carpool co-participant would prefer earlier ones. So, we did have to compromise in order to set up our carpool.  We do feel good that we're helping out the environment and parking situation on campus -- but to be honest -- we'd love to be on our own (and this is after 3.5+ years of carpooling together!)
  
• I'm concerned about the lack of bus options in the evening during winter, when it is dark.  Although the transit guide says that the evening bus should swing by the Family Student Housing on request, some of the bus drivers are reluctant to follow through with the request.
  
• I love biking! I thought I would hate it but it's terrific! ... One thing UCSB can do is to encourage--or REQUIRE--managers to be more supportive of alternative means of transport to campus for their staff. ... Allow telecommuting. Or, for drivers, allow flex schedules like 8:30-5:30 to help alleviate traffic! That was a great option when I started working in my department, but then I got a new boss who wouldn't allow that--she said she wants everyone's schedules to be "uniform".
• my spouse and I are both employed at ucsb. between us we have 1 parking permit, and 2 TAP passes (as a carpool). 90% of the time, we share a bicycle, and one rides the bike to work, and the other rides the bike home. This provides a) flexibility to have a car at work in case one us needs to leave mid-day, b) excercise, and c) free parking for the second car when both are at ucsb.
  
• Local: Just what you are collecting these data to study - tailor bus routes and schedules to staff/faculty needs. Also, increase dedicate bicycle paths leading to campus Regional: Get serious about rail transport from North County and the Ventura Basin. To achieve these goals, UCSB will have to work with other local agencies - this is not a "UCSB alone" problem.  
  
• Keep the stacked parking and add to other lots if needed. It is a good way of providing affordable, flexible on-demand parking. The valets are curtious. I like knowing I can arrive a little late if needed and still find a place to park. I pretty much have curtailed all mid-day errands off campus but that is OK...I exercise on campus instead and do errands after leaving campus.
• I wonder who designed these off-base questions about "regular schedule". [Ouch!] Faculty do NOT have a regular schedule, that's the problem! And re. E9: A parking permit is a necessity & any fee increase is simply a salary reduction. Re. E10: The real answer is that if you make driving difficult, people would only come in to teach & otherwise work at home -- too bad for the students & those who'd see the University as an interactive enterprise. I like to be on campus 5-6 day/week but almost feel like that's unwanted.
  
• The bike lanes around campus are generally very good. But, the route I take in (along the coastal Bike route past Goleta beach park to Nable Hall) comes to an end before I actually reach my department. This means that I, plus many other people, end up cycling on the sidewalk for a short section...
  
• I have lived in many different places and find the bike-friendly environment here very refreshing.  Perhaps more extensive bike lanes could be added to the communities around UCSB, but the lanes on campus meet my needs perfectly.
• My only form of transportation is a motorcycle. UCSB has taken some good steps to make this a viable alternative form of transportation...
  
• Work with the MTD to have more bike rakes for the bycicles. Very often have to miss the bus becasue there is no room for more than rwo bike s on a bus.
• [If] E9 and E10 were to happen I would find a new place to work.
• UCSB might offer regular shuttles from routes not well served by busses - perhpas a website could allow users to locate themselves and their needs to see if a shuttle would be cost effective for the user.  I would gladly pay the full cost of my parking sticker if a shuttle offered pickup at the nearest intersection.
• I used to take the bus all the time.  But my route (15X) is ONLY available during main school quarters.  It does not run at all during summer, spring break, winter break.  In the end I was spending so much money on one-day permits for these periods, it was cheaper to buy an ongoing quarterly permit! I would prefer to ride the bus, but how do I get here outside of school quarters?
• This survey makes me realize I should bike and bus more. I bought a bike expressly to commute (4 miles each way) but it takes 15 minutes longer to bike and another 10 to change clothes when I arrive. ... But I also need the exercise. I'll try to do better than once every two weeks!
  
• Parking is ridiculous on campus and in the surrounding community. People are often forced to park illegally and get tickets, and even staff members like myself can often not afford to park on campus. Staff permits should be paid for by the university and parking should be readily availaible. Parking can be a very bad start to a morning at work and leads to a level of job dissatisfaction.
• What about loaner gas scooters, mopeds, use of transportation vehicles- in cases where you need to go off campus. What about loaner bikes - if you want to ride to Isla Vista or the beach. We work at this campus everyday, need a place to relax, more outdoor picnic areas would be nice, entice us to stay here during the lunch hour. I go to visit my parents everyday at lunch - they live in the goleta area about 10 minutes away from campus. I have children and in the  event of an emergency I have to feel secure enough that I could get a quick ride to  them in Santa Barbara.
• I began having my husband drop me off because parking was impossible on campus and I refuse to give my key to a valet, ever.... My husband doesn't work on campus but he does work in Goleta, yet travelling together doesn't count as a carpool for UCSB parking purposes. I would use light rail in a heartbeat if it were available and ran often enough...
• ... After 30 years of paying parking fees, I would expect to own a space by now not have to spend ages hunting for one.
  
• When I first came to campus I thought $110 was outrageous for parking, but I have found it is worth it to avoid the hassle of the bus...
  
• Well? Stop doing surveys and actually do something constructive like lower parking fees on campus, give up the idea of raping Isla Vista residents for a laughably exhorbitant $125 fee to fight for the same non-existant parking places, complete the Broida Bike Expressway at university expense and stop profiteering the situation by giving huge tickets there to "guilty commuters". Hang on lemme catch my breath. How about employing some of the same funds and energy that go toward avenging underage drinking in IV and address the bicycle theft problem. You can't ride your bike to work if it's stolen, the CSO tickets your parked bike because there isn't any bike parking available or it's partially full of disassembled and abandoned bikes. Did I mention the bike paths are incomplete, inadequate, underfunded, neglected, and dangerous by design.  Shall I go on? It isn't pretty. Is it?  How about: For for staff to participate in The Transportation Alternatives Program we now have to sign off on $100 worth of a gizmo and card which if lost/stolen we will be billed for. This replaced the free card system which the university no longer hires human beings to check at the gate. I presume they hired more parking enforcement officers to reflect their insatiable appetite to fleece students, lower ranking staff and lower ranking faculty and lecturers.  Lots of laughs. The university and the IV foot patrol always advise securely locking your bike to an solid object. Look at the bike racks the university supplies and
  
• Monorail!!!!