Active Commuting
GOAL: Increase employee commutes that are bike, walk, transit, or carpool
Goal Update
Baseline (2019): 19% of staff get to work in ways other than driving alone in a car
2023: 30% of staff get to work in ways other than driving alone in a car
Goal TBD: Increase employee commutes that are bike, walk, transit, or carpool
How you can help!
Consider if you can divert one trip a week from driving alone to carpooling, taking transit, bicycling, or walking. Many employees do not live close enough to the Dallas Zoo to bike, walk, or take transit. Others do not know who they might carpool with at the Zoo. If you are able, consider taking transit, biking, or walking for one trip during the week, even if it is not to work.
2023 Dallas Zoo Employee Mode Split
What is Active Commuting?
Active commuting is defined in this case as using modes of transportation other than driving alone in a car to get to and from work, which includes bicycling, walking, working from home, carpooling and riding buses or trains.
Dallas Zoo is fortunate to be positioned well on a DART line today, with available bicycle parking in several locations as well. As a result of the pandemic, some staff members now work from home a few days a week.
2023 Active Commuting Survey Results
In March 2023 staff were surveyed on their commuting habits, this survey found that 30% of Dallas Zoo staff actively commute to work each day, which is a 11 point increase from 2019. Of this 30%, 11% carpool, 7% take the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), and 4% work remotely.
Current Efforts
Bicycle Parking Audit
The Active Commuting Focus Team recently completed an audit of existing bicycle parking opportunities and made sure that parking opportunities are represented on the Dallas Zoo Map.
Supporting Work From Home
Since the pandemic, Dallas Zoo is able to support more administrative staff in working from home a portion of their time. This helps reduce emissions from employee commutes.
Upcoming Efforts
Active Commuting Focus Team
Now that the results from the Active Commuting Survey have been found, the Dallas Zoo can now focus on creating new strategies for improving their sustainable transportation, through the Active Commuting Focus Team.
Carpool Matching & Commuting Calculator
The Active Commuting Focus Team has been investigating implementation of both a carpool matching tool for staff to find opportunities to share rides, as well as a commuting calculator that helps both staff and guests calculate the impacts of their commuting choices.
