Stockton University Transportation Analysis

Charles Blaine, Karli Hider, Zachary Lenzi, Owen Mehler, Brooke Sapanaro
Dr. Daniel Moscovici
Stockton University
10/3/2022
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Table of Contents Page Number

Abstract ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2

Introduction --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 - 3

Methods -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 - 5

Data Analysis ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 - 6

Results and Recommendations ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------6 - 7

Appendix A---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------8

Appendix B---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------9

Appendix C--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------10

References--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 11 - 12
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Abstract
As transportation grows, the release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere becomes a larger
issue; especially in areas with greater populations such as colleges and universities. To evaluate the effect
Stockton University has on the carbon input from transportation, a study was conducted through a survey.
This survey was given to students and faculty to understand their total means of transportation to and
from Stockton University’s campuses. This survey found that the average distance for the students and
faculty traveling to campus would be around 1,709 miles with a gas consumption of around 64.45 gallons
per semester. This means that Stockton University's effect of the carbon footprint based solely on
transportation is 13,487,000 lbs of carbon dioxide per semester. This large input of carbon dioxide needs
to be decreased in order to protect the environment from further damage. It is recommended that Stockton
University switch to fully or partially electric shuttles and buses, increase the number of students living on
campus, or give incentives to the students who drive electric or hybrid vehicles to reduce the campus’
carbon dioxide emissions.

Introduction:
There has always been a need for transportation for the movement of goods and people. This
trend of movement and transportation continues to grow with our populations, economic growth, new
technologies, and public demands (Xie et al., 2017). With many of these methods of transportation, they
have negative impacts on the environment by increasing carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, due to
the combustion of fossil fuels, further adding to the greenhouse effect (Choi et al., 2014). However, with
the recent pandemic of COVID-19, the carbon dioxide levels in NJ between 2019-2020 were reduced by
17% as many people remained in their homes instead of going out (Yao et al., 2022). Even though CO2
levels were decreased from 2019-2020, as more people start to go back to their normal activities and
lifestyles before the pandemic, the CO2 levels are likely to start increasing again and cause further damage
to the environment due to transportation. As Stockton University returns to mainly in-person classes,
bringing more students to the campuses, it’s likely to increase their transportation and CO2 emission
levels.
To better understand Stockton University’s impact, a study was conducted through a survey
given to Stockton students and faculty to find out travel schedules. This study found that the average
distance for the students and faculty traveling to campus would be around 1,709 miles with a gas
consumption of around 64.45 gallons per semester. This would mean that for the Stockton University
campus, the total carbon dioxide emissions released would be 13,487,000 lbs per semester. To combat this
large release of carbon, Stockton University could switch their shuttles to fully or partially electric buses,
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convince more students to live on campus, or find ways to incentivize students to drive electric or hybrid
vehicles.

Methods:
For this study, a survey was created and filled out by 100 individuals from Stockton University.
This survey attempted to get a random selection from the campus attendants through various methods
which ranged from an in-person questionnaire to distribution by email. The questions which were asked
can be seen in the survey represented in Figure #1. The data collected from this can be seen in Appendix
A.
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The purpose of this survey was to calculate the average amount of fuel emissions of those who
attend Stockton University. The calculations will be based solely on each person's commute to and from
the campus. The calculations used the personal vehicles of each individual who commuted to campus and
how often the residents visit home. Figure # 2 below represents the home addresses of each individual
surveyed. See appendix B for a full scale map representation.
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Along with this, the Atlantic City shuttle system which connects the Galloway and Atlantic City
campuses was also included since a multitude of students rely on it to attend class. The campus shuttles
which are on the Galloway campus were not included in the calculations because the variations in each
vehicle's make and model and how often each day it runs were inconsistent and would not provide a
reliable answer. Finally, transportation due to participants' personal lives was not included in these
calculations because this had many inconsistencies and variables. An example of this could be traveling
for groceries.

Data Analysis:
Stockton University has approximately 11,159 people on campus with a ratio of about 86 percent
students to 14 percent employees according to the Fall 2020 enrollment (Stockton, 2022). Through the
survey, 80 percent of the responses were from students, with 44 percent of them residing on campus. The
other 20 percent of the responses were from workers around campus, which included workers from the
cafeteria, bookstore, professors, and campus coordinators. Based on the close percentage of the survey
sample to the real campus ratio, it would be reasonable to use the data collected to estimate the campus as
a whole. From the 100-person
survey, it was found that the average
fuel economy for the cars and other
modes of transportation on campus
is around 26.519 miles per gallon.
This is much higher than the
estimated 17.9 miles per gallon for
all cars, motorcycles, and buses in
2015 (Sivak, M. & Schoettle, B.
2017). The survey also found that
the average distance that both
students and workers traveled to be
on campus for work and school was
about 1,709 miles per semester.
From this, it was calculated that the
average gas consumption per person
was 64.45 gallons per semester.
Figure # 3 below indicates where
each commuter or employee is
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traveling from. See Appendix C for a full scale map.

From these findings, the estimated combined distance of all the people on Stockton University’s
campus commuting to work or school was over 19 million miles per semester. As a whole Stockton
University burns approximately 719 thousand gallons of gasoline only from the commute to and from the
school. The EPA estimates that with every single gallon of gas that is combusted, approximately 19.5 lbs
of carbon is released into the air (Environmental Protection Agency, 2022). As a second estimate,
Treptow found that combusting 1 gallon of pure octane produces around 18 lbs of carbon dioxide
(Treptow, 2010). To calculate carbon emissions, the average of 18.75 lbs of carbon dioxide per gallon of
gasoline was used to utilize both suggested amounts. It was found that per semester, every worker and
student will release around 1,208 lbs of carbon dioxide and the campus as a whole would release
13,487,000 lbs of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

Results and Recommendations:

Stockton University's influence on carbon emission per semester was 13,487,000 lbs of CO2.
Much of these emissions can be attributed to Stockton’s shuttle system. Stockton utilizes Ford F650 Super
Duties as its shuttles which have roughly 6 miles per gallon and are not only responsible for transporting
students from parking lots, but also from the Atlantic City campus to the Galloway campus. In order to
lower the carbon footprint on campus, the University should invest in electric or partially electric buses. A
study conducted by Xylia et al. (2019) on a fleet of electric buses in Stockholm, Sweden found that
switching to these new modes of transportation dropped the total amount of emissions from public
transport by 50%. Australia has adopted a similar plan to convert to electric transportation to reduce
emissions. In order to meet the green energy standards set by the European Union, Australia has replaced
40% of its heavy-duty vehicles with electric alternatives. By replacing the diesel-powered machines, the
country experienced a 40% drop in carbon emissions from their public transport sector
(Venkatanarasimhan et al., 2018).
To reduce carbon emissions on the student side, Stockton University could offer incentives for
those who make their commute using electric or low-emission vehicles. On a larger scale, the Energy
Policy Act of 2005 was a piece of legislation enacted by George W. Bush that allowed for tax relief and
economic incentives for those who purchase hybrid vehicles. A study conducted on the effectiveness of
the bill concluded that it had a positive outcome on the sales of electric vehicles, increasing sales from 3%
to 20% (Jenn et al., 2013). Inspired by the Energy Policy Act, the University could offer monetary
benefits to students driving electric or hybrid vehicles, such as a discount on tuition. In order to reduce the
carbon footprint of those who cannot afford to upgrade to electric vehicles, Stockton University could
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incentivize students staying on campus through lower housing prices. According to a study on the CO2
emissions of McGill University, the average student emits roughly 491 grams of CO2 per kilometer
(Mathez et al., 2012). To reduce carbon emissions overall, Stockton University has to implement more
practices like affordable housing and energy-efficient mass transit to decrease its influence on the carbon
footprint.
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Appendix A
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Appendix B
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Appendix C
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References

Choi, J., Roberts, D. C., & Lee, E. (2014). Forecast of CO2 emissions from the U.S. Transportation
Sector: Estimation from a double exponential smoothing model. Journal of the Transportation
Research Forum. https://doi.org/10.5399/osu/jtrf.53.3.4246

Environmental Protection Agency. (2022, June 30). Greenhouse Gas Emissions from a Typical Passenger
Vehicle. EPA. Retrieved October 3, 2022, from
https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/greenhouse-gas-emissions-typical-passenger-vehicle#:~:text=
Every%20gallon%20of%20gasoline%20burned%20creates%20about%208%2C887%20grams%2
0of%20CO2.

Institution Descripion. Stockton University. (2022). Retrieved October 1, 2022, from

https://stockton.edu/research-sponsored-programs/institutional-description.html#:~:text=In%20all
%2C%20Stockton%20University%20has,%2C%20graduate%20%2D%20734%20FTE).

Jenn, A., Azevedo, I. L., & Ferreira, P. (2013). The impact of federal incentives on the adoption of hybrid
electric vehicles in the United States. Energy Economics, 40, 936–942.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eneco.2013.07.025

Mathez, A., Manaugh, K., Chakour, V., El-Geneidy, A., & Hatzopoulou, M. (2012). How can we alter our
carbon footprint? estimating GHG emissions based on Travel Survey Information.
Transportation, 40(1), 131–149. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11116-012-9415-8

Sivak, M., & Schoettle, B. (2017). On-Road Fuel Economy of Vehicles in the United States: 1923-2015.
Sustainable Worldwide Transportation University of Michigan.

Treptow, R. S. (2010). Carbon footprint calculations: An application of Chemical principles. Journal of

Chemical Education, 87(2), 168–171. https://doi.org/10.1021/ed8000528

Venkatanarasimhan, A., & Cherukuri, S. (2018). Diffusion of Electric Busses for Public Transportation :
A Case Study in Three Indian Municipalities. Halmstad University.

Xie, R., Fang, J., & Liu, C. (2017). The effects of transportation infrastructure on urban carbon emissions.
Applied Energy, 196, 199–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apenergy.2017.01.020
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Xylia, M., Leduc, S., Laurent, A.-B., Patrizio, P., van der Meer, Y., Kraxner, F., & Silveira, S. (2019).
Impact of bus electrification on carbon emissions: The case of stockholm. Journal of Cleaner
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Yao, Y., Artigas, F., Fan, S., & Gao, Y. (2021). Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on air quality in
metropolitan New Jersey. Water, Air, & Soil Pollution. https://doi.org/10.1002/essoar.10505568.1