Transportation initiative works to ease congestion on campus Archived article from Feb 9, 2001 By Pam Orel   A new initiative designed to ease clogged traffic and crowded parking lots on the New Brunswick campus began this semester. The new Transportation Demand Management initiative was a recommendation of the Parking and Transportation Committee, which has studied the vexing problems for the past two years. "It is very important to work with the university community to explore all the other transportation options that are available," said Elaine Cooper, who was hired in November as assistant director of transportation demand management in the Parking and Transportation Services office. Highlights include: Creating a new Rutgers-based resource for information about local mass-transit services, car pools and van pools geared to the needs of students and employees. Cooper is collecting information from regional and local mass-transit services to be distributed through direct mail or through links from the parking and transportation Web site, parktran.rutgers.edu/. The resource is expected to be available soon. Exploring options that deans, faculty and supervisory staff have identified for telecommuting, flexible work schedules or the use of the Internet as an alternative to class meetings. Boosting community awareness of existing bike lanes. "Bring Back Your Bike" encourages students to bring their bicycles when they return from spring break. "There is a strong feeling among the committee members that the university should work to cut the demand for parking while increasing the supply," said Robert Spear, director of parking and transportation services and a committee member, noting that space for new parking facilities is limited. Cooper, a Douglass College alumna and former vice president of Morris County Rides, a nonprofit transportation management association, envisions a "consumer-focused" approach to cutting the peak demand for parking on and near campus. "Rutgers has an opportunity to show real leadership in this," she said.

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