One of the biggest challenges facing the University of Manitoba is transportation. A large portion of U of M students continue to drive to the Fort Garry campus by themselves. This has many wondering how transportation efficiency at the university can be improved.

Currently, post-secondary students in Manitoba are offered a 20 per cent discount on a monthly bus pass with Winnipeg Transit, amounting to $58.30 per month. Cycling remains the second-most popular method for students seeking alternative transportation. To encourage cycling, the university has installed over 250 bike rack parking spots on campus.

Although the administration at the university is taking steps to improve transportation efficiency, many believe there is still much more room for improvement. “I think the transparency of the university needs to change when it comes to alternative transportation,” argues Tom Pearce, a recent graduate of the masters program in city planning at the University of Manitoba.

“An increase in parking prices, along with the use of other transportation demand management techniques, could potentially persuade more commuters to utilize transit. A simple hike in parking prices is not enough,” he continued.

“The university needs to look at improving cycling infrastructure. If cyclists were provided adequate shelters where they can lock up their bikes for the day, I think that could have a tremendous impact. In addition, cycling lanes should be provided, and bus shelters can always be more accommodating. Also, if you look at other universities across Canada, we really have a much lower percentage of our students living right here on campus.”

Pearce explained that other universities, such as the University of British Columbia, cut down on campus commuting because a larger number of students live on campus.

He cited a study from his thesis, conducted in November of 2007, in which he surveyed over 600 respondents. The study suggests that when you look at full-time students, part-time students and employees, 37.1 per cent of the university population drives alone to campus. 35.5 per cent utilize transit, while 10 per cent bike to campus and nine per cent carpool. Walkers make up 6.5 per cent of the university population.

One of the more radical ideas for improving transportation efficiency was examined at the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008. A proposal to build a cable car system, transporting students across the Red River from the St. Vital area, was scrapped due to budget constraints. A pedestrian footbridge has also been proposed.

“I know there are people in engineering at the U of M that are looking at the pedestrian bridge idea again,” said Pearce.

If students are looking to utilize alternative transportation, carpooling is also a viable option and sites like Carpool.ca are making it easy for students to commute. “We’ve been working with the University of Manitoba Students’ Union for about four years now,” said Anne Marie Thornton, director of Carpool.ca.

“There are 258 U of M students currently registered. We’ve found that the top three reasons for carpooling are money, the environment and problems with parking. Last year, when fuel prices were a lot higher, we saw more interest.”

The environmental benefits of transit, cycling and carpooling are not lost on university administration. “Alternative transportation is very important to the overall sustainability of our campus,” said Marie McDermott, sustainability coordinator at the U of M.

“Transportation is a more difficult factor to control when it comes to sustainability. We have some control over other factors at the U of M, such as energy consumption, but you can’t tell people how to come to school or work. You can offer incentives and keep students informed, but at the end of the day, the choice to drive lies with the student.”