Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Virginia Tech Wins Gold Award for Commuting Effort

  • 01/11/16

BLACKSBURG, VA – Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) earned its seventh straight gold award from the Best Workplaces for Commuters Race for Excellence by increasing alternative transportation participation and improving commuter resources.

During the past year, the university has:

  • Increased the number of transit service routes from the Blacksburg campus and the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute in Roanoke.
  • Increased sales of carpool permits by 15 percent for employee permits and 3.4 percent for student permits.
  • Supported the growth of its Office of Alternative Transportation into a newly autonomous department.
  • Seen an exponential increase in the number of individuals who visit the Hokie Bike Hub, a bicycle maintenance and commuter education center.
  • Installed shared-lane bicycle pavement markings, sometimes called "sharrows."
  • Started work to develop a bike share system on the Blacksburg campus.
  • Continued to work toward the completion of a new Parking and Transportation Master Plan.
  • Started work on an upcoming multi-modal educational campaign, the second iteration of the university's Commuter Survey and the first annual Commuter Challenge, all of which will debut in the spring.

To be eligible for a Race for Excellence award, an organization must first be recognized as a Best Workplace for Commuters by meeting the National Standard of Excellence in commuter benefits, a standard established by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and maintained by the National Center for Transit Research.

The Best Workplaces for Commuters program encourages sustainable transportation and recognizes organizations that have taken steps to offer transportation options such as vanpool and transit benefits for their employees.

Dedicated to its motto, Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), Virginia Tech takes a hands-on, engaging approach to education, preparing scholars to be leaders in their fields and communities. As the commonwealth’s most comprehensive university and its leading research institution, Virginia Tech offers 240 undergraduate and graduate degree programs to more than 31,000 students and manages a research portfolio of $513 million. The university fulfills its land-grant mission of transforming knowledge to practice through technological leadership and by fueling economic growth and job creation locally, regionally, and across Virginia.

Featured

  • Full Sail University Announces First Student Housing Facility

    Full Sail University in Winter Park, Fla., recently announced that development has begun on its first student housing community, according to a news release. The university is partnering with Nvision Development for construction and long-term management of the facility, which will stand five stories and have the capacity for more than 570 beds.

  • Armstrong World Industries Acquires Parallel Architectural Products

    Armstrong World Industries, provider of interior and exterior architectural applications, recently announced that it has acquired the Colorado-based Parallel Architectural Products, according to a news release.

  • NWEA Report Recommends K–12 Natural Disaster Recovery Strategies

    The Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA), a K–12 assessment and research organization, recently announced the release of a new playbook for schools and communities recovering from extreme weather events, according to a news release.

  • South Carolina District Starts Construction on $50M Middle School Renovation

    The Aiken County Public School District in North Augusta, S.C., recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the $50-million renovation and expansion of North Augusta Middle School, according to a news release. The project’s funding comes from the 2024 renewal of a one-cent sales tax approved by local voters.