Universities and transportation demand management

Cardinal Red Bike bicycle-sharing program at North Central College, Naperville, Illinois.

From a webpage on the soon-to-be-constructed residence hall and recreation center at North Central College in Illinois:

Multiple features will encourage students to use alternatives to cars on or near campus.

The building includes covered storage for more than 65 bicycles. The College has also expanded its Cardinal Red Bike bicycle-sharing program. The program provides more than 50 bicycles throughout campus for student, faculty and staff use.

The building is strategically located near municipal bus and train routes.

Students will also have use of new remote parking, Zipcar car-sharing and a campus shuttle service from noon to midnight seven days a week.

Note the first sentence. That is the ideal first sentence for a university transportation demand management plan (and with some wordsmithing, for a city's transportation plan).

Meanwhile the University of Minnesota is still not on board with the preferred light rail routing that would serve their campus (shades of the University of Maryland and Norfolk State University). See "Key vote on light rail route delayed for a week," from the St. Paul Pioneer Press.