Sustainable Transportation at Smith College

Smith College contributes to local air pollution due to the number of faculty and staff who drive alone to work daily and the number of students who drive their vehicles to and from campus annually. Faculty and staff have no incentive to use alternative transportation because the college subsidizes their parking, charging just $5 per year. An increase in decal price coupled with a parking cash-out system would provide faculty and staff with the financial incentive to utilize alternative transportation. Students drive their vehicles to campus from hundreds of miles away, contributing to air pollution; those who are not able to obtain parking decals park on residential streets, leading to congestion. Implementation of the ZipCar program would eliminate the need for students to bring personal vehicles to campus, as it would provide them with the convenience of their own car without the inconvenience of parking and upkeep