Welcome to our Informatics 5 Project!!
We decided to take a look at the way UC Irvine students get to and from campus in order to find out what is the most environmentally friendly and sustainable way. For this project we studied four major ways to get to and from campus and find out what is good and bad about them. After gathering all the data we will try to decide what is the best mode of transportation. Before starting we theorized that the best way for the majority of students to get to and from campus was the ASUCI bus system.
The following information is what we found:
Summary: Modes of Transportation at UCI
Car
Pros - Long Distance Travel, More Freedom
Cons - Fuel and Parking Costs
Good for Environment? No. Pollutes.
Bike
Pros - Great Exercise, Quick Class-to-Class
Cons - Laborious, Requires Bike
Good for Environment? Yes.
Walking
Pros - Great Exercise, Fresh Air
Cons - Laborious, Takes the Most Time
Good for Environment? Yes.
ASUCI Bus
Pros - Excellent Infrastructure (frequent and on-time), Free or Very Cheap
Cons - Constrained by Bus Schedule and Routes
Good for Environment? Yes. 100% Biofuel!
Pros - Long Distance Travel, More Freedom
Cons - Fuel and Parking Costs
Good for Environment? No. Pollutes.
Bike
Pros - Great Exercise, Quick Class-to-Class
Cons - Laborious, Requires Bike
Good for Environment? Yes.
Walking
Pros - Great Exercise, Fresh Air
Cons - Laborious, Takes the Most Time
Good for Environment? Yes.
ASUCI Bus
Pros - Excellent Infrastructure (frequent and on-time), Free or Very Cheap
Cons - Constrained by Bus Schedule and Routes
Good for Environment? Yes. 100% Biofuel!
Facts: ASUCI Bus System
Routes
Main Campus
Serves: Administration, Puerta del Sol, Albertson's, Arroyo Vista, Anteater Recreation Facility, Verano Place, Palo Verde, Anteater Parking Structure, University Hills, Donald Bren Hall, Physical Sciences Parking Lot, Campus Village, Medical Research Park, Bren Events Center, Mesa Court Housing
ARC - Admin
Serves: Anteater Recreation Facility, Arroyo Vista, Administration, Puerta del Sol
Vista del Campo
Serves: Administration, Albertson's, Vista del Campo
Vista del Campo Norte
Serves: Administration, Albertson's, Vista del Campo Norte
Camino del Sol
Serves: Administration, Albertson's, Camino del Sol
Parkwest-Carlson
Serves: Parkwest, Boomers, Villa Sienna, Toscana
Newport
Serves: Jamboree Rd, Pacific Coast Highway, Balboa Blvd, Newport North
Irvine Spectrum and Train Station (Saturday Route)
Serves: Administration, Puerta del Sol, Arroyo Drive, Parkwest, Irvine Spectrum, Irvine Train Station
Cost
Main Campus
Serves: Administration, Puerta del Sol, Albertson's, Arroyo Vista, Anteater Recreation Facility, Verano Place, Palo Verde, Anteater Parking Structure, University Hills, Donald Bren Hall, Physical Sciences Parking Lot, Campus Village, Medical Research Park, Bren Events Center, Mesa Court Housing
ARC - Admin
Serves: Anteater Recreation Facility, Arroyo Vista, Administration, Puerta del Sol
Vista del Campo
Serves: Administration, Albertson's, Vista del Campo
Vista del Campo Norte
Serves: Administration, Albertson's, Vista del Campo Norte
Camino del Sol
Serves: Administration, Albertson's, Camino del Sol
Parkwest-Carlson
Serves: Parkwest, Boomers, Villa Sienna, Toscana
Newport
Serves: Jamboree Rd, Pacific Coast Highway, Balboa Blvd, Newport North
Irvine Spectrum and Train Station (Saturday Route)
Serves: Administration, Puerta del Sol, Arroyo Drive, Parkwest, Irvine Spectrum, Irvine Train Station
Cost
All routes (except for Parkwest-Carlson and Newport) are FREE. The cost for the Parkwest-Carlson and Newport routes are $1 per ride, $16 for an 18 Ride Pass, or $65 for an Unlimited Use Quarterly Pass.
Facts: Biking
Routes
DID YOU KNOW?
- You can borrow a bike on campus via the ZotWheels Program. Annual membership is $40 and after that it is free to rent at any time for 3 hours a time.
- Nearly every road near UCI and Irvine has a dedicated bike lane.
- ASUCI and OCTA buses allow you to bring your bike along for your bus ride. The AMTRAK and METROLINK trains also allow you to do this for your train ride.
- There is a dedicated bike trail on Campus and University that takes you local hotspots like the District, Tustin Marketplace, and Newport Beach
- Almost a pound of tailpipe emissions will be saved for every mile a member rides a bike instead of driving (http://www.parking.uci.edu/zotwheels/faq.cfm)
- There is a national Bike to Work Day. It is held on the 3rd Friday of May. There are incentives, discounts, service, and pit-stops available during that day.
Facts: Driving a Car
Costs
UCI Parking Permits:
General day pass: $8
Month total for day pass: $160
Month commuter permit: $54
Campus resident per month: $85
Privately-Owned Apartment Communities (Verano Place, Palo Verde, Santiago, Vista del Campo, Vista del Campo Norte, Camino del Sol, Puerta del Sol): $225
Car Fuel:
Average UCI commuter drives 10 miles and has a mid sized 4V sedan (http://www.commutercheck.com). A midsize 4V sedan holds up to 14 gallons, assuming gas is consumed on a weekly basis, and with the current gas prices of Orange County at $3.50/gallon (http://www.orangecountygasprices.com), then gas at this rate would cost almost $50/week which amounts to $2600 annually!
UCI Parking Permits:
General day pass: $8
Month total for day pass: $160
Month commuter permit: $54
Campus resident per month: $85
Privately-Owned Apartment Communities (Verano Place, Palo Verde, Santiago, Vista del Campo, Vista del Campo Norte, Camino del Sol, Puerta del Sol): $225
Car Fuel:
Average UCI commuter drives 10 miles and has a mid sized 4V sedan (http://www.commutercheck.com). A midsize 4V sedan holds up to 14 gallons, assuming gas is consumed on a weekly basis, and with the current gas prices of Orange County at $3.50/gallon (http://www.orangecountygasprices.com), then gas at this rate would cost almost $50/week which amounts to $2600 annually!
**UPDATE**
Calculating CO2 Emissions
emissions from a gallon of gasoline = 2,421 grams x 0.99 x (44/12)
= 8,788 grams = 8.8 kg/gallon = 19.4 pounds/gallon
(http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/420f05001.htm)
emissions from a gallon of gasoline = 2,421 grams x 0.99 x (44/12)
= 8,788 grams = 8.8 kg/gallon = 19.4 pounds/gallon
(http://www.epa.gov/oms/climate/420f05001.htm)
According to a report by the Environmental Defense Fund, average households with two sedans will emit an average of over 20,000 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere every year. Sport utility vehicles (SUV) are estimated to emit as much as 40 percent higher more. The amount of pollution can stay in the atmosphere for over 100 years, risking the future generations to the potentially dangerous effects of global warming.
Cars along with other vehicular traffic contribute to about 51 percent of the carbon monoxide and 31 percent of carbon dioxide in the air.
(http://www.freelegaladvicehelp.com/environmental-law/pollution/Car-Pollution-Facts.html)
(http://www.freelegaladvicehelp.com/environmental-law/pollution/Car-Pollution-Facts.html)
Other Interesting Information on UC Irvine Transportation
Here is a site which outlines the extent to which UC Irvine has been green!
http://www.parking.uci.edu/AT/awards.cfm
Here is information on travel incentive programs that UC Irvine offers to its students and staff.
http://www.parking.uci.edu/AT/incentives/
http://www.parking.uci.edu/AT/awards.cfm
Here is information on travel incentive programs that UC Irvine offers to its students and staff.
http://www.parking.uci.edu/AT/incentives/
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