Colleges and universities across the nation are pioneering methods to reduce vehicle ownership and use on their campuses, according to a U.S. PIRG/Frontier Group report, released earlier this month. The report highlights strategies like free transit services, car-sharing, and even new infrastructure like biking and walking paths.

Initiatives aimed at decreasing driving on campuses were spurred by a number of reasons, not least because building and maintaining parking is expensive. Stanford University, for example, “has avoided more than $100 million in parking construction costs over the past decade due to its efforts to discourage driving.”

In addition to showing ways colleges and universities are reducing car use, the report also makes clear that municipalities should look to these institutions when seeking to implement policies that discourage driving. Fortunately, municipalities in the tri-state region don’t have to look very far. While the report does not mention any specific examples from the region, MTR did a little digging into the transportation and parking policies of four schools in New Jersey, New York and Connecticut:

Rutgers University  New Jersey’s state university employs almost all of the innovative strategies the PIRG report mentions. There are shuttle buses providing transit to and on the campuses, as well as walking and biking paths. There is a campus bike rental and bike exchange, and the university also provides student discounts for NJ Transit fares and a Rutgers Rideshare program.

SUNY Purchase  According to its website, SUNY Purchase’s adoption of the American College and University Presidents’ Climate Commitment, as well as its “dedication to overall environmental sustainability,” led Purchase to “offer a variety of convenient alternatives to individual car ownership.” This includes the Purchase Shuttle, Zipcar membership for students, faculty and staff, and Zimride, an online platform that facilitates ridesharing.

Hofstra University  There’s no good reason to keep a car on campus at Hofstra, which is located in Hempstead, Long Island. The University has a campus shuttle bus system running through the campus as well as connecting the campus to the Hempstead and Mineola Long Island Rail Road stations, Roosevelt Field mall and a Pathmark in East Meadow. The campus is also served by 15 different Nassau Inter-County Express (NICE) bus routes. It’s not just students who are conserving fuel at Hofstra: both the Public Safety and Grounds Departments use bicycles, and there is a “no idle” policy for all the University’s vehicles and delivery trucks.

Yale University  Yale’s Office of Transportation Options was “established with the goal of reducing the environmental and financial impact of the University’s transportation needs while enhancing the quality of life for all users of New Haven’s streets.” The Transportation Options website provides for resources for going car-free, walking, biking, taking public transit, sharing rides and driving. The University has a bike share program as well as a shuttle bus service, and offers Zipcar membership for faculty and students. To promote rideshare, the university uses the social rideshare platform Nuride. In addition, those who carpool pay reduced parking costs, vanpoolers park for free and the University runs a guaranteed ride home program for students carpooling, vanpooling or taking transit. Students and faculty are encouraged not to drive — there’s even a Commuter Counseling Form designed to help determine if it makes more sense for those currently commuting by car to pursue non-driving options. In addition, the university offers incentives for those who choose to suspend their parking permit.

It’s clear that universities are deploying a whole host of strategies to reduce driving, but they can’t do this alone. The college experience doesn’t end at the edge of campus, so state DOT’s and transit agencies should not just follow the lead of universities — they should also leverage their good work. For example, Hempstead Turnpike, one of the region’s most dangerous roads for walking, runs right through the Hofstra campus. Meanwhile in New Haven, home of Yale University, the City’s new transportation director is trying to expand bicycling infrastructure while also pushing for legislation to get red light cameras installed. And in New Brunswick, NJ, home of Rutgers University, the City has installed high-visibility crosswalks on streets that connect the campus with the train station and downtown, and the City is teaming up with Middlesex County on a plan to connect two currently disjointed campuses with bike lanes.