Transportation Planning

This webpage is currently under development

Goals

2007 Master Plan

Planning Principle #5: Strengthen Transportation and Circulation Connections
Planning Principle #8: Strengthen Campus and Community Connectivity

2017 Master Plan

Create a transportation system that fosters health and wellness
- Create a bicycle- and pedestrian-centric campus that encourages physical movement, connection to the outdoors, and community interaction.
Improve the safety of active transportation networks
- Enhance the safety of active transportation networks for cyclists, pedestrians,and non-motorized vehicles.
Expand access within the campus and to neighboring communities
- Expand the bicycle and pedestrian connections within the campus to neighboring communities and regional landmarks.
Reduce greenhouse gas emissions
- Achieve a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from campus travel.
Minimize vehicular traffic
- Decrease vehicular traffic on external and internal campus roadways.

Our Story

Challenges

On a base that was originally designed for tanks and heavy equipment, the campus faces numerous transportation obstacles in order to create a pedestrian and bicycle prioritized campus where community members can reach class within a 10 minute walk. Wayfinding is difficult as campus boundaries are undefined and there are road names change mid road (e.g. Inter-Garrison Road and 3rd Avenue), or roads with the same name do not connect at all (5th Avenue and “the Other 5th Avenue”, A Street and A Street). Separated by a two mile roadway from Main Campus many Faculty, Staff and Students live in East Campus Housing. Even with frequent transit service during the semester many feel unsafe riding their bicycles to campus.In addition, parking is abundant and low cost relative to other CSUs, encouraging driving across campus. Like the rest of the campus infrastructure, inherited roads, signs and pathways put in place between 1917-1994 have degraded from their former military use and coastal conditions. Roads once closed to civilians are now open, funneling regional traffic through a campus planned to prioritize pedestrian and bicycle travel.

Solutions

In response to the above challenges and the necessity of planning an interim and future transportation system required studying existing and changing travel patterns. This helps us figure out how to shift the campus community away from single occupant vehicle travel to active or alternative modes such as to transit, carpool, walking and cycling. Planning efforts over the years have focused on our goals by supporting the development of infrastructure or amenities for each given travel mode.

For example we continue consolidating parking areas, improving transit stops, providing free transit passes, improving sidewalks and crosswalks, installing new bicycle racks, fix-it stations, bicycle boulevards and building pathways. The overarching methodology which has been used across each planning effort is the continued consolidation of parking areas and increasing the density of the campus core. These two initiatives reduce our reliance on vehicles and support a healthy campus community.

In addition to these efforts, the campus has implemented traffic calming measures. Traffic calming uses physical design and other measures to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. It aims to encourage safer, more responsible driving and potentially reduce traffic flow. Some of the measures used on campus are: road closures restricting vehicle travel across campus, speed humps to reduce speed, bike boulevard markings to improve safety, and new or raised crosswalks to increase pedestrian visibility.

We are also working with local partners to further integrate regional trails such as the Fort Ord Recreation Trail and Greenway, and supporting regional projects that will help divert traffic around the campus. To find out more about our strategies see the mobility chapter in our latest Master Plan.

Model Projects:

Fifth Avenue - Streetscape Improvements (2007)

Median and street edge landscaping, bicycle ramps and pedestrian crossings have improved the safety and aesthetic of Fifth Avenue between Inter-Garrison Road and Divarty Street.

Picture of fifth avenue looking south towards the library and the roundabout

6th Ave - Pedestrian Zone (2007)

Sixth Avenue was completed in 2007 and is the first pedesterian only block at CSUMB. Since then, several other walk and bike safe streets have been added, such as at Divarty St and A St

Eighth Avenue Roundabout - Diversion of regional traffic (2016)

A new roundabout at Eighth Avenue and Inter-Garrison Road has greatly improved the continuous flow of regional traffic along the perimeter of Main Campus. This intersection previously backed up peak commute time traffic at an all-way stop intersection.

Parking Lot 59 - Consolidated Periphery Parking (2017)

Over 800 general parking stalls have been relocated from original small parking lots within the campus core, that have been repurposed for new building sites. This lot was designed to percolate all stormwater onsite, provide safe walking paths through the lot and to accommodate future photovoltaic arrays.

Campus Planning & Development