Campus commuting: Barriers to walking and bicycling use in a university town

Amongst the growing calls for environmental sustainability comes the frequently-expressed desire to increase the use of non-motorized modes of transportation for commuting. However, walking and bicycling are only viable commuting modes if people live within acceptable distances of their destination and transportation networks can safely accommodate pedestrians or bicyclists. This research explores the potential for non-motorized modes to substitute for private-vehicle commuting for travelers to a large employment and activity center; in this case, the area surrounding Clemson University. This methodology uses a combination of stated maximum-acceptable commute times for walking and bicycling and an assessment of the suitability of the transportation network to develop walking and bicycling commute catchments from which a person could be reasonably expected to commute to a destination by walking or bicycling. Identifying commute catchments such as these then allowed analysis of deficient infrastructure that presents barriers to non-motorized commuters, as well as an