Don’t Pave Paradise; Don’t Put Up a Parking Lot David Browning Edward M. DesPlas.

Don’t Pave Paradise; Don’t Put Up a Parking Lot

David BrowningEdward M. DesPlas

Who?

DCCCD = Dallas County Community College

District

DART = Dallas Area Rapid Transit

DFW Metropolitan AreaPer the 2010 US Census, Dallas/Ft. Worth

Metro population is 6,371,771; largest metro area in Texas and the South, 4th Largest in the US and 10th Largest in all of the Americas.

Region spans 10,693 square miles.Huge highway system to accommodate:

Culture built around cars & trucks.Free parking in vast suburban spaces.Until 1996, public transportation was

buses only.Few people used public transportation.

DART•Trains & Buses•Most of Dallas County•Part of Collin County•Soon to hit Rockwall County•Partnered with Trinity Railway Express, connect Ft. Worth in Tarrant County

EL CENTRO COLLEGEEl Centro College – flagship of DCCCD,

centrally location in downtown Dallas, south Dallas and west Dallas

El Centro student population: 12,000 (credit)

El Centro has extremely limited parking.Served by all bus lines and train lines,

nearest train station is 130 yards from front door.

1997El Centro enrollment tanked at

3,500 students.Enrollment patterns indicated

migration to suburban colleges.Reasons:

◦congested commute to downtown area

◦high cost of parking◦rising cost of gasoline◦decline of CBD as vibrant destination

What Behaviors Need to Change?Transportation Choice –

Get Ye to a Train or Bus

to influence

Enrollment ChoiceGet Ye to El Centro College

What Can Cause Behavior Change?

DART-Free

Structure of ProgramEligible students

◦Credit student enrolled in 6 credit hrs.◦CE students in 96 contact hrs.

Statistics since Fall 1997

Number of Eligible

StudentsCost of Pass Per

Semester Amount Paid

to DART Passes Issued

188,482 $20 - $25 $4,457,820 109,669

Did Behaviors Change?

YES

Initial ReportDART Free Program Survey- Spring 2013 Dart Pass Program Participants

Spring 2013

1. How often do you use your DART-Free pass?# Answer Response %1 Daily 514 76%2 Weekly 147 22%3 Monthly 12 2%4 Never 3 0%

Total 676 100%

Statistic ValueMin Value 1Max Value 4Mean 1.27Variance 0.26Standard Deviation 0.51Total Responses 676

2. Do your use your DART-Free pass for transportation other than to El Centro College?# Answer Response %1 Yes 381 56%2 No 295 44%

Total 676 100%


3. Have you ever utilized the DART system before attending El Centro College?

# Answer Response %1 Yes 466 69%2 No 211 31%

Total 677 100%


4. How often did you utilize the DART system before attending El Centro College?# Answer Response %1 Daily 169 39%2 Weekly 109 25%3 Monthly 150 35%

Total 428 100%


5. Did the DART-Free program influence your decision to choose El Centro College as your college?


Total 629 100%


6. Has the DART-Free program made it easier for you to attend classes at El Centro College?# Answer Response %1 Yes, Please Explain: 609 98%2 No, Please Explain: 13 2%

Total 622 100%


6. Has the DART-Free program made it easier for you to attend classes at El Centro College?Yes, Please Explain: 609 Total No, Please Explain: 13 Totalno high cost parking. no time wasted on commute. I enjoy seeing the pretty girls before class.

would have still used DART to go to El Centro

dont have to worry about parking It takes longer than driving.The reason why is because I have no other way of transporation to school except the dart bus.

I go to Northlake and stay close to it.

No parking fees and easy way to getting to school B/c sometimes the bus/train arrives lateI have no car, I have no job. The DART pass really helps.

I wanted to go to college, but I had no idea el centro passed out dart passes.

Do not have to pay for parking i live downtownThe lack of inexpensive parking makes riding the DART a must.

I like driving my car.

I’m disabled and my dog and I find the rail an easy way to travel

I still have to drive to the station because I live in Mesquite.

7. Do you plan to utilize public transportation after completing your education at El Centro College?


Total 625 100%


8. How has the DART-Free program at El Centro College changed your opinion of public transportation?

Text Response: 485 Total

I am now a tree-hugging, car-hating, pants-free train passenger Quite of bit! I thought, as a woman, public transportation was not safe, but I have found out it is quite the opposite. The Dart system is well organized, and always on time so I am not afraid of being late to class. It also gives me a peace of mind by not having to drive on weekends. I used to think public transportation was not clean and safe but I was wrong. I highly recommend it to everybody!

It's makes it easy for me to get to where I need to be. Always on time and stops are every where

It has made me happy that I found a way to save 80/wk. on gas by using it. Its not as bad as I thought it was going to be

I thought it would be dirty and smelly. I was pleasantly surprised to find it clean and nice. A comfortable ride.It has familiarized me with the rules and regulations of public transportation.

It is quick, hassle free, on time and it helps minimize pollution.It hasn't changed my opinion there both reliable but dart for me is easier because the parking is expensive and I don't have car

Yes. It seems that more people use it on a daily basis and there is plenty of security at West End Station It is a great alternative to driving a car, which isn't good for the environment, not to mention gas and maintenance costs. The fact that both the busses and trains are bike friendly make public transportation a more appealing option. I LOVE that Dallas has a sophisticated public transportation system, and I'm very appreciative that El Centro provides passes. I wouldn't be able to afford a pass as a student paying out of pocket.

9. Is the DART-Free program's effect on the environment an important reason for your participation?# Answer Response %1 Yes 430 70%2 No 181 30%

Total 611 100%


10. Please share any other comments about the DART-Free program at El Centro College:Text Response: 250 TotalCan the trains be another color? Yellow is scary.Great program. Thanks!

Should be for all community collegesIt's great, easy, and convenient.It's definetly appreciated! Thank you!I really like that we get a free passI think it's an awesome programI think it should be offered to all students at El Centro, including the ones taking 1 class.

It rules. i picked el centro for the free dart pass. most of my friends at ecc feel the same. please keep it I am an Environmental Club participant at El Centro College and my major is Science/ Biology, and this does give me a helping hand for the clean air that President Obama does push for. Thank you for the survey. / Also I don‘t think I could make it to school any how with the gas prices and the fare for the Dart transportation. / The Free program helps so much.

Great idea

Survey of Graduates

Revealed similar results as survey of current students

Of note are responses that indicate we were able to influence a lasting change in transportation choice….

Did you utilize public transportation after completing your education at El Centro College or at another DCCCD College?

# Answer Response %

1 Yes 63 54%

2 No 54 46%

Total 117 100%

Statistic Value

Min Value 1

Max Value 2

Mean 1.46

Variance 0.25

Standard Deviation 0.50

Total Responses 117

Did Enrollments Go Up?

YES

Gas Price Increase Vs. El Centro Enrollment Growth

2006

FA

2007

FA

2008

FA

2009

FA

2010

FA

2011

FA

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

Gas Price

Yearly Average from the U.S. Energy Information

Administration

2006

FA

2007

FA

2008

FA

2009

FA

2010

FA

2011

FA

0

2000

4000

6000

8000

10000

12000

Enrollment Head Count

Providing Students with Affordable Transportation

Monthly Cost of ParkingMonthly cost of Gasoline% of students of FANo Gas $ = no attendance

◦ No attendance = attritionNo Parking $ = parking tickets

◦ Unpaid parking tickets = jail time◦ Jail time = attrition

Affordable Transportation = student success

What about the “Bottom Line”?

Public Transit Program vs. Parking

Cost Comparisons:◦Parking Garage construction Cost $5,000,000

500 parking spaces (assume space cycles 25 times/week)

◦Cost for Security and Maintenance $3,750,000 Total: $8,750,000 Est. Parkers since 1997: 187,500 Est. $46.67 per student parker Total for DART-Free: $ 4,457,820 Riders since 1997: 109,669 $40.65 per student rider

What Else?

Less crime; more study timeSurvey of 6 other college within

the DCCCD with parking lots showed, on average, 60% of campus criminal activity occurred in their parking lots

Public transportation allows students to continue group discussions while commuting

Enhanced applications for grants for economic development and environmental programs

Silver Rating on AASHE Promotes environmental

grant applicationsInteragency collaboration

increases grant proposal scores

Attracts “green” partners – US Green Building Council

https://stars.aashe.org/institutions/el-centro-college-dcccd-tx/report/2011-12-19/

Lower Carbon Footprint

42%

25%

19%

6%4%

1%

Personal Ve-hicleLight RailBusTREWalkBike

In 2009 with a full-time student enrollment of 7,700 ECC reduced it’s CO2e produced by student commuting by 32.6%

Promoting “Paradise” DART drive-on to non participating

municipalities: EFC, CVCDART bus access at all other collegesRLC “Poetry in Motion”DART Train Station @ NLC; station

artwork designed by NLC facultyDART pass good 24/7, not just school

transitStudent retention – seamless,

semester-to-semester

What’s the buzz?“One key initiative at the College is a program to facilitate travel to and from the College. With a diverse population of low-income students and no College provided parking on the main campus, the College provides each student registered for at least six credits with a free DART card that enables that student to use the Dallas area rapid transportation system to get to/from campus. Students can also use the card to get to and from work and for personal travel including evenings and weekends. While the College pays for these cards (at discounted rates from the city transportation authority), the benefits to students vastly outweigh the costs, and this program helps students who might otherwise not be able to pursue or continue their education to progress to and through college affordably” Karen Gross is a senior policy advisor at the U.S. Department of Education

Questions?

Don’t Pave Paradise; Don’t Put Up a Parking Lot David Browning Edward M. DesPlas.

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