BCIT’s Burnaby Campus Plan was approved by the Board of Governors in 2018. It provides a roadmap to future development and provides a transportation strategy to increase transit service, reduce reliance on single-occupant vehicles, reduce parking demand to free up land for new uses, and support cycling and walking. This includes the further development of bicycle paths and storage, and improved pedestrian walkways within and linking off the campus, as well as incentives for carpooling.
Choosing an alternative to a single-occupant vehicle can make a bigger difference than you think — for you, your community, and our planet.
BCIT commuters have a very high percentage of single occupant vehicle trips, which generates large on-campus parking demand and contributes to greenhouse gases and traffic congestion. Many students and faculty do not have good alternatives because of limitations in the transit and bike networks.
- Staff travel is responsible for 8% (1,278 ha) of the total Ecological Footprint of the Burnaby campus of BCIT. Surprisingly, driving to work (641 ha) has only slightly more impact than staff air travel (636 ha)! Reducing air travel is a very effective way to reduce BCIT’s environmental impact.
- Student travel is responsible for 28% (4,733 ha) of the total Ecological Footprint of the Burnaby campus of BCIT. Car travel has the most impact (3,252 ha), followed by public transit (1,480 ha), biking (0.3 ha), and walking (0 ha).
In 2005, on average, the average Metro Vancouver resident spent 13% household expenditures on transportation (over $9,000/year), the largest item after shelter, and more than on food. Residents spent 67 minutes round-trip commuting to and from work.
In BC, transportation is:
- Responsible for 37% of all greenhouse gas emissions, and the largest source of personal emissions for most people, at 44%.
- The largest source of air pollution in BC (1995), and of greenhouse gas emissions (2000), which increased 20% from 1990–1997
Alternatives
Save time, save money, save your health, save the environment – use alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle. Cycle, use transit, or ride-share on your trips to BCIT.
The BCIT Burnaby campus is faced with the ever growing demand for more parking space. Our student population increases every year as our programs grow and expand, and yet we are limited by a finite amount of developable land. In November of 2001, BCIT signed a formal memorandum of understanding with the City of Burnaby in a plan to protect the forested area on campus. This means no more outward development for additional parking.
The Greater Vancouver Regional District is home to approximately 1.2 million cars, and these numbers are growing, by 26,533 cars every year (or 73 a day). Road and highway development will never be able to keep up with these new demands. Add to that rising global temperatures, contaminated air, water and land, and increased incidents of cardiovascular disease amongst lower mainland residents and it’s easy to see that something has to give!
At BCIT, staff and students can help reduce our ecological footprint by using alternative forms of transportation to the SOV (Single Occupant Vehicle).
During the 2012 school year, BCIT’s Green Team organized a Commute Smart challenge to encourage employees to try something other than single occupancy vehicles for their commute. During the course of the challenge, 1090 commutes were registered by 145 individuals. Of those, 58 individuals indicated that they tried some new form of commuting to work.
What we aspire to achieve:
