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Office of Climate Action
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Transportation

Mission

The Transportation Climate Action Group will reduce emissions associated with transportation by electrifying the entire fleet of university vehicles and promoting alternatives for commuters such as walking, biking, public transit, and electric vehicles.  

Participants

  • Jon Carnegie, Executive Director, Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center

    Jon carnegie is pictured wearing a tan suit and glasses

    Jon A. Carnegie, AICP/PP is executive director of the Alan M. Voorhees Transportation Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey and an adjunct member of the faculty at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers. Mr. Carnegie has more than 27 years of experience in the fields of land use and transportation planning and policy at the municipal, county and regional level. He has been or currently serves as the principal investigator for a variety of research and planning projects involving a range of transportation policy topics. Since 2007, many of Mr. Carnegie’s research and planning projects have focused on emergency management, sustainability and resiliency planning. His clients include: the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), NJ Department of Transportation (NJDOT), NJ TRANSIT, NJ Office of Emergency Management (NJOEM), and the NJ Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP), Georgetown Climate Center, The Kresge Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Pew Charitable Trusts.

    Mr. Carnegie is currently leading a team of Rutgers researchers developing a GIS-based climate hazards visualization tool for NJDOT and he recently completed a study for the USDOT Region 2 University Transportation Center investigating leading practices for incorporating resilience in transportation capital planning processes. Mr. Carnegie was one of the lead authors of a guidebook for the National Academy of Sciences, Transit Cooperative Research Program entitled Improving the Resilience of Transit Systems Threatened by Natural Disasters. The stand-alone guide presents an actionable, stepwise approach to help transportation agencies meet the challenges created by extreme weather events and a changing climate. Mr. Carnegie was also the lead author of four regional emergency mass evacuation plans in New Jersey. The plans include a comprehensive concept of operations, detailed decision timelines, responsibility assignments and a series of guidebooks outlining the operational strategies and tactics available to responsible agencies for managing multi-modal evacuation, sheltering, and public communication during disasters.

     

    Henry Velez, Vice President, Business Services, Rutgers IP&O

    Henry Velez is pictured with a grey suit, red tie, and glasses.

    Henry X. Velez is the vice president for Institutional Planning and Operations – Business Services. His career spans 29 years in higher education. Henry is a licensed professional in public accounting, certified financial planner, certified facilitator in internal control self-assessment, and certified information technology professional.

    Henry oversees the financial governance, budget and accounting, procurement, payroll, IT, employee services, economic development, and various operational service level agreements for Institutional Planning and Operations. The operation’s portfolio includes 1,000 buildings consisting of 30 million gsf, over $1 billion capital construction program, and a $500 million operating annual budget. He has fiscal oversight of Housing, Golf Course, Retail, Parking, Transportation, University Facilities, Capital Planning and Construction, University Public Safety, Mail, Record Retention, Warehousing, Fleet management and various other university support services under IP&O.

  • Popy Begum, Graduate Student, School of Criminal Justice

    Greg Gamble, Director Economic Development,Camden Chancellor's Office

    Paul Hammond, Assistant Vice Chancellor, VP Academic Affairs

    Peter Jin,  Associate Professor Civil and Environmental Engineering

    Leigh Ann Kimber, Asst Director, IP&O Planning Dev & Design

    Bill McCarthy, Dean, School of Criminal Justice

    Heather Mitchell, Law School Technical Services Librarian

    Robert Noland, Distinguished Professor CY, BSPPP-Dean's Office

    Shante Palmer, Vice Chancellor Newark

    Faizali Rahim, RUSA University Affairs Chair

    Kelcie Ralph, Assoc Professor ACD YR,  BSPPP-Dean's Office

    Michael Smart,  Assoc Professor ACD YR, BSPPP-Dean's Office

    Barry Sopher, Director, Laboratory for Economic Behavior, Institutions and Design

    Jennifer Sousa, Sr. Dept Administrator, IP&O Business Services

    Jennifer Stuart, Director, IP&O Planning Dev & Design

    Clayton Walton, Director Newark Office of Global Initiatives

    Wenwen Zhang, Asst Professor ACD YR, BSPPP-Dean's Office

Scope

  • Reduce direct (Scope 1) emissions from the university fleet by at least 20% by 2030 and 100% by 2040. 

    • Electrify university fleet 

  • Reduce indirect (Scope 3) emissions associated with commuting by at least 30% by 2030 

    • Create safe bicycle and pedestrian friendly infrastructure 

    • Facilitate EV adoption 

    • Explore subsidies for public transit 

    • Study parking cash-out options

Electric van

Projects by Fiscal Year

  • Electrification

    1. Initiate a study to develop EV charging station infrastructure
    2. Conduct a scan of available EV bus technologies, charging, operational approaches, etc. for heavy-load, cold-weather operations.

    Streets Projects

    1. Survey if the University bicycle rental and e-scooter programs should be expanded.
    2. Initiate a study to improve and enhance pedestrian/bicycle facilities and amenities connecting University campuses.
    3. Initiate a study to improve and enhance existing inter- and intra-campus wayfinding.
    4. Survey and begin to develop a green streets program.

    Travel Behavior

    1. Conduct an annual university-wide travel survey.
    2. Investigate ways to eliminate the need to travel between campuses, review current bus routing, investigate express routes
    3. Promote and expand incentives for travel alternatives, such as Tax Save program, NJ TRANSIT discounts, commuter rewards, E-bike incentives, etc.
  • Electrification

    1. Continue phase 2 of FY23 Electrification Projects

    Streets Projects

    1. Investigate the efficacy of changes to the University parking policy, fee structure and fee payment options to encourage less drive along travel.
    2. Continue phase 2 of FY23 Street Projects

    Travel Behavior

    1. Quantify the GHG impact of faculty, staff and student travel and the GHG benefits of the
    2. Flex-work hybrid work schedule pilot program
    3. Continue phase 2 of FY23 Travel Behavior Projects
  • Electrification

    1. Continue phase 3 of FY24 Electrification Projects

    Streets Projects

    1. Nurture and grow external partnerships to expand travel options.
    2. Continue phase 3 of FY24 Street Projects

    Travel Behavior

    1. Continue phase 3 of FY24 Travel Behavior Projects

Working Groups

    • Research- Conduct a scan of available EV bus technologies, charging, operational approaches, etc. for heavy-load, cold-weather operations.
    • Operations-Develop EV charging station infrastructure.
    • Operations- Expand the University bicycle and e-scooter rental programs
    • Operations- Improve and enhance pedestrian/bicycle facilities and amenities connecting University campuses, improve and enhance existing inter- and intra-campus wayfinding.
    • Policy- Investigate the efficacy of changes to the University’s parking policy, fee structure and fee payment options to encourage less drive-along travel.
    • Operations- Implement a green streets and parking program.
    • Research - Conduct an annual university-wide travel survey
    • Operations- Investigate ways to eliminate the need to travel between campuses, review current bus routing, investigate express routes.
    • Research- Quantify the GHG impact of faculty, staff and student travel and the GHG benefits of the Flex-work hybrid work schedule pilot program.
    • Policy- Nurture and grow external partnerships to expand travel options.
    • Policy- Expand incentives for travel alternatives, such as Tax Save program, NJ TRANSIT discounts, commuter rewards, E-bike incentives, etc.