Bicycle Friendliness Resolution: Passed

Good news for Bicyclists and Pedestrians in the DU Area – the University of Denver Sustainability Council supports your transportation habits.

This morning, during the University Sustainability Council’s May 2012 meeting, the DU Transit Committee presented a Bicycle Friendliness Resolution.  The resolution states the following:

The University of Denver is committed to reducing its carbon footprint by 24% before the year 2020, with the ultimate goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.¹  A recent assessment concluded that approximately 12% of the university’s carbon footprint resulted from vehicular emissions of students, faculty, and staff members commuting to and from campus.  In the same time period, DU bicycle and pedestrian commuters contributed to 0% of the university’s carbon footprint.²  In the effort to further reduce DU’s carbon footprint, the University Sustainability Council wishes to engage the campus community and the general public in an effort to support a safe bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure surrounding campus.  To this end, the University accepts the recommendations of  the Bicycle Friendly Universities report³ published in the Spring of 2012 by Transportation Solutions,⁴ and will actively work toward achieving the goals stated therein, with specific emphasis on the following points:

● Ensure community access to safe bicycle and pedestrian paths to and from campus, and supply sufficient bicycle parking for campus commuters.

● Aim to satisfy the Bicycle Friendly University standards, as described by the League of American Bicyclists.⁵

● Promote community awareness of bicycle and pedestrian traffic laws, campus security protocol, bicycle policy enforcement, and general commuter safety.

● Utilize local publications, campus events, student orientation week, social media, and other venues to implement innovative outreach campaigns.

● Maintain working relationships with the City of Denver, local organizations, and other relevant stakeholders to accelerate the city’s existing bicycle and pedestrian network improvement plans⁶ in the DU Vicinity.

● Work with DU faculty, staff, and students to promote teaching and learning of transportation sustainability, both in the university’s curriculum and in extracurricular campus activities.

The resolution aims to officially express DU’s support for the recommendations outlined in the recent report, Comparative Analysis of Bicycling Around Campus: Comparing Bicycle Friendly University Standards to the University of Denver.

After a lively discussion on transportation infrastructure in the DU area, the University Sustainability council unanimously passed the resolution.  You can read the resolution in full here.