UCSD Transportation Services' New Programs Aim to Speed Up Communication

Connor Gorry / The Triton

This past month, UC San Diego Transportation Services introduced two new programs, First to Know and Virtual Town Hall, in order to improve communication and address current parking and transportation issues on campus.

These programs are aimed to assist students, faculty, and staff with ongoing campus transportation problems through direct communication between Transportation Services and students.

First to Know functions as a notification service, bringing timely updates concerning transportation events, changes, and impacts. By subscribing to the mailing list, anyone can choose locations for which they want to receive email updates. For example, one can choose to see parking availability, shuttle information, and commuter and project updates for the nearby Living Learning Communities.

In order to address student concerns, Transportation Services aims to “begin an ongoing dialogue that helps students influence transportation planning and transit service,” according to Director Josh Kavanaugh.

The Virtual Town Hall provides a platform for the Transportation Services Department to receive feedback from the community on new ideas, such as the North Torrey Pines Living and Learning Neighborhood parking reallocation during Summer Sessions I and II 2018. Customers are encouraged to provide feedback to proposed programs through a comment form provided on the website. Transportation Services will regularly post updates about their proposals and continue to look for public input year-round.

Challenges faced by commuting and on-campus students differ, but these two feedback-based services aim to resolve those issues through effective and direct communication with students.

“The Virtual Town Hall gives us a way to make sure we understand and plan for those differences, while First to Know makes sure we share information in a way that is responsive to them,” Kavanaugh explained.

Orianna Borrelli is a Contributing Writer for The Triton. You can follow her on Twitter at @orianna_b.