UPEI business students recommend transportation and parking improvements on campus
Four student teams from the McDougall Faculty of Business presented options and strategies for transportation and parking improvements on campus to UPEI’s Facilities Management and Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee, and representatives from the City of Charlottetown and the provincial government recently at Schurman Market Square, Don and Marion McDougall Hall, UPEI.
The project came about when the UPEI Transportation and Parking Committee asked Dr. Juergen Krause, who teaches BUS-3910 (Strategic Management), about potential student engagement opportunities in the planning process. The committee recognized that UPEI students are important stakeholders who commute to and park on campus.
As a result, earlier this year, several student teams from BUS-3910 were tasked with formulating strategies to answer this question: How can UPEI improve commuting and parking options on campus as an integral part of the new UPEI Transportation and Parking Strategy?
Based on initial proposals, four teams, with four students each, were selected to develop and present their proposed options and strategies to Facilities Management, the Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee, and officials from the City of Charlottetown and the provincial government.
Facilities Management provided the student teams with the information they needed to develop their strategies and implementation approaches for the campus. This was complemented by a presentation and a question-and-answer session with Anna Keenan, the City’s Sustainable Transportation Officer.
The student teams embraced the challenge and considered all data and facts previously provided in their analyses and formulation of strategic recommendations. The teams’ presentations addressed issues like parking permit fees, revenue generation and losses, infrastructure limitations, lot oversubscription, increasing numbers of electric vehicles, summer parking options and fees, and parking meter enforcement approaches. Their suggestions included, among others, revisiting the parking fee structures and tiers, gradually increasing fees, stricter and improved parking enforcement, parking meter digitalization and online payments options, new pathways and naming campus roads and walkways for easier orientation, dedicated bike paths, provision of secure bike racks and covered bike lockers, and options for bike sharing programs.
The teams also addressed the fact that the current city infrastructure does not adequately support alternative transportation methods to reach campus especially during after-hours and weekends.
Brittany Ziegler, Project Officer; Logan Dawson, Transportation Coordinator; and Andrew MacDonald, Charging Infrastructure Manager—all from the Office of Net Zero at the PEI Department of Environment, Energy, and Climate Action—provided feedback on how the teams’ proposals aligned with provincial sustainability goals. Dawson commented that the students did an excellent job and that the provincial government would happily provide feedback on future projects on similar topics.
All students involved agreed that the assignment was a great learning experience to analyze issues relevant to their daily lives and to learn how to develop strategic recommendations and improvements. As key infrastructure users, they were appreciative that UPEI valued their input and provided the opportunity to look at a case from their perspective and concerning their needs. The students were also excited to apply and showcase the skills they learned during the course in a way and context different from standard in-class assessments.
“All of the students worked with dedication, put in a lot of energy and emphasis, and suggested compelling solutions,” said Dr. Krause. “The four teams represented the McDougall Faculty of Business very well.”
UPEI’s Facilities Management and Transportation and Parking Advisory Committee, represented by Greg Clayton, Director, Facilities Management; Ashley McKenna, Manager, Administration and Facilities; Scott Gosse, Manager of Security Services; and Dr. Travis Saunders, Acting Chair, Department of Applied Human Sciences, commended the teams for a fantastic job in providing unique and comprehensive perspectives on the challenges faced by students and the campus community and valuable remediation suggestions.
They all agreed that the student teams competing in this challenge should take pride in their contributions to innovative progress in the strategic evolution of transportation and parking on campus over the next few years.
Congratulations to the UPEI Transportation and Parking Strategy Case teams:
BUS 3910-1
Team 1: Katelyn Dockerty, Tia MacPherson, Youssef Tadrous, and Jordan Knudson
Team 2: Hadiqa Sulman, Logan Kelly-Murphy, Simon Dubois, and Chukwudalu Egwuatu
BUS 3910-2
Team 3: Luciana Quiroa Paredes, Raghad Roshdy, Seth Dockendorff, and Benjamin Watson
Team 4: MacKenzie Alexander, Shijan Lamichhane, Toshi Zhaxijimeigeli, and Matthew Antle
