P&TS eUpdate

Parking & Transportation Services
eUpdate
June 2008 edition

You are receiving this Parking & Transportation Services (P&TS) eUpdate as a member of the Stanford campus community. We believe the content of this message, and other periodic updates, will be of interest to you as a parking permit holder and/or user of alternative transportation. We also want to share information with you to help the campus meet certain transportation-related goals in the General Use Permit.¹

Visit our website at http://transportation.stanford.edu for more information.

1) Ride transit for free on Thursday, June 19
Free until noon for trains and ferries; free all day for buses and light rail

2) In mid-June, Marguerite schedules are changing and summer service takes effect
Marguerite Line A, Line C, and Downtown Express are affected

3) Enter the "Pain at the Pump" contest and win $50 cash prizes
Solo drivers and alternative transportation users can both participate

4) Two new Zipcars are available at Stanford
Eight cars are available at five campus locations

5) End-of-the-school-year bike donations
Plus, see photos from the 2008 Bike-to-Work Day in May

6) Last chance to enter the Commute Club's spring promotion drawings
The deadline is Friday, June 27, to be eligible for the $3,000 grand prize

7) A $20 gift card could be yours
Answer June's Factoid Quiz to enter this month's drawing

1) Ride transit for free on Thursday, June 19
Free until noon for trains and ferries; free all day for buses and light rail

There will be a free transit day on Thursday, June 19, 2008. Transit will be free all day on Bay Area bus and light-rail systems, and it will be free until noon on BART, Caltrain, Altamont Commuter Express (ACE) and Amtrak Capitol Corridor trains and on the Golden Gate, Alameda-Oakland, Alameda-Harbor Bay and Vallejo ferries. The free transit day is offered to encourage people to try transit instead of driving alone.

For more information about the free transit day, including a list of all participating providers, visit http://www.mtc.ca.gov/news/info/spare-the-air.htm.

In previous years, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission offered free transit days on designated "Spare the Air" days. This year, they are designating June 19 as a free-transit day, so riders can plan ahead to use alternative transportation that day and learn to incorporate it into their "everyday lives."

Do you have questions or need help planning your alternative commute? Send an email to commuteclub@stanford.edu, and we would be glad to help!e questions or need help planning your alternative commute? Send an email to commuteclub@stanford.edu, and we would be glad to help!

2) In mid-June, Marguerite schedules are changing and summer service takes effect
Marguerite Line A, Line C, and Downtown Express are affected

In mid-June, schedules will change for the Marguerite Line A, Line C, and Downtown Express routes. Pick up a copy from the P&TS office at 340 Bonair Siding or on board any Marguerite shuttle on or after June 16. View the revised schedules on June 13 online at http://transportation.stanford.edu/marguerite/MargueriteSched.shtml.

As a reminder, the Marguerite Shopping Express and Midnight Express operate only during the academic year (from September through mid-June). Therefore, from June 16 through August 31, the Shopping Express and Midnight Express will not be available. If you need to go off-campus during the summer, consider using Zipcar, a car sharing service on the Stanford campus with hourly rentals: http://transportation.stanford.edu/zipcar.

Questions? Send an email to marguerite@stanford.edu.

3) Enter the "Pain at the Pump" contest and win $50 cash prizes
Solo drivers and alternative transportation users can both participate

Are you alarmed by the rising price of gas? Do you feel the pain of high gas prices each time you fill your tank? Let us know how high gas prices would need to rise before you would consider switching to alternative transportation, and you will be entered in our $50 cash prize drawing! You just need to answer one question to enter, so it's quick and easy to participate. If you already use alternative transportation, let us know how many miles you "save" on your round-trip commute, and you can enter the drawings, too!

There will be five winners, and the aggregated results will be reported in the next eUpdate. The deadline is June 27, so enter today at http://transportation.stanford.edu/GasContest.

4) Two new Zipcars are available at Stanford
Eight cars are available at five campus locations

Two new Zipcars arrived at Stanford in May. A Toyota Prius has been added to Hoskins Court, which is a new Zipcar location off Olmsted Road near Serra Street in Escondido Village. In addition, a Prius has been added to the Lagunita parking lot [L-29], off Santa Teresa Street across from Roble Field.

The new Zipcars bring the total Zipcars at Stanford to eight and expand the number of campus locations to five, including the Oval, Tresidder, and Wilbur Lot. Since its arrival in December 2007, Zipcar at Stanford has seen strong growth, as it provides Stanford affiliates with convenient, hourly car rentals starting at $8 an hour, including gas and insurance. Stanford affiliates enjoy discounted membership and special rates. There also are special rates for departments that need a car for employees to use for Stanford business.

With Zipcar on campus, those who use alternative transportation or who choose to live without a car can enjoy convenient and affordable access to a car when they need it — 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week. To learn more, visit: http://transportation.stanford.edu/zipcar.

5) End-of-the-school-year bike donations
Plus, see photos from the 2008 Bike-to-Work Day in May

As students leave campus in June, it's a good time to think about donating a bicycle that is no longer needed. Parking & Transportation Services with assistance from the Stanford Department of Public Safety is hosting a bicycle donation event on Thursday and Friday, June 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on White Plaza. Donated bicycles will be given to the Salvation Army or the VA Hospital in Palo Alto for their rehabilitation program. For more information, contact bike-information@stanford.edu.

Bike commuters who participated in Bike-to-Work Day in May experienced record-high temperatures. Hundreds of bicyclists (along with many "walking" commuters) stopped by Stanford Parking & Transportation Services' five Energizer Stations throughout campus. See photos from this year's event: http://transportation.stanford.edu/News.shtml#may08-1.

6) Last chance to enter the Commute Club's spring promotion drawings
The deadline is Friday, June 27, to be eligible for the $3,000 grand prize

Friday, June 27, is the deadline to be entered in the Commute Club prize drawings, which include a $3,000 grand prize, a $500 Stanford Mall Shopping Spree, and an iPhone. See if you are eligible and learn more about joining the Commute Club at http://transportation.stanford.edu/promo08.

If you are currently a Commute Club member, you are automatically entered in the weekly drawings!

7) A $20 gift card could be yours
Answer June's Factoid Quiz to enter this month's drawing

Here is this month's Factoid Quiz question: Zipcars are now available at which Stanford location(s)? A) Tresidder and the Oval, B) Wilbur Lot, C) Lagunita Lot, D) Hoskins Court in Escondido Village, E) All of the above. If you don't know the answer, visit our website (or read this eUpdate) to find out: http://transportation.stanford.edu. Submit your answer through our website quiz page at http://transportation.stanford.edu, and you’ll be entered in our $20 monthly gift card drawing.

Congratulations to our May winner: Margo Keeley, Department of Classics, who won a $20 Stanford Dining gift card. She answered correctly that Bike-to-Work Day was on May 15 this year. Thanks to Jovan Solis, Zone Management Administration, who suggested this month’s Factoid Quiz question. He also won a $20 StanfordCardPlan.

Each month, our team at Parking & Transportation Services challenges you with a new quiz question about our office, programs, and services.* Send us your suggestions for our Factoid Quiz question, and if your question is selected, you will win a $20 gift card! Fill out the suggestion form on our website: http://transportation.stanford.edu/quiz/quizQuestion.html. If you have a question that needs an answer, ask us directly at commuteclub@stanford.edu.

* Members of the Stanford community may play once each month. Your name will be added to a drawing at the end of the month. You are eligible to win only one prize per academic year, but you are welcome to complete the quiz each month. At the end of the month, your name will be entered in a prize drawing. The winner, chosen at random, will receive a $20 gift card. If your quiz question is selected, you will receive a $20 gift card.

¹ It is important for Parking & Transportation Services to communicate parking and alternative-transportation information to the campus. Under the 2000 General Use Permit (campus growth plan approved by Santa Clara County), the campus has a goal of "no net new peak-hour commute trips" over the life of the permit and must accommodate campus growth with a limited number of new parking spaces. Failure to achieve this goal will result in the campus being faced with costly mitigation measures.