“How am I supposed to get from my class on the east side of campus to my class on the west side in only 15 minutes?!” Planning out a class schedule can be stressful and difficult for students in college, especially those at a large university.
Many large universities have massive, spread out campuses - even multiple campuses in different locations - that require some form of transportation system. Whether that be by walking, car, bus, bike or train, students and faculty members must find their way around.
This is why it is so important to have a campus map that is informative yet easy to use. With Concept3D’s interactive map software, schools can easily integrate live transit feeds, public transportation information, bike routes and paths, and parking information into a digital campus map.
There are a number of different colleges and universities that have integrated transportation information into their campus maps including Indiana University, Rice University, Florida State, UT Knoxville, Arizona State, Boston University, the University of Alabama, and Texas Christian University, among others.
Below are some of the ways that transit options can be displayed on a campus map.
Live Campus Bus & Shuttle Tracking
In 2017, U.S. News reported that on average 46.8% of students brought their cars to campus. That means that more than half of college campus students don’t have cars. While some students may live on campus and can walk to class, other students may live off campus or too far away to make walking a feasible option. This is why some large universities offer campus busses to help students get around.
Concept3D’s integration with live transit tracking systems is the most interactive feature when it comes to building transportation options into your campus map. These systems show the movement of busses around campus, with estimated arrival times and detailed route information. The University of Alabama’s interactive campus map is a great example of this feature. The university has all of its campus bus routes integrated, each showcased in a different color. When a map user clicks on a stop estimated departure times are highlighted and updated in live time. Additionally, the University of Alabama even has the summer-time specific routes for students remaining on and around campus for summer sessions.
Public Transportation
For urban campuses, highlighting city train and light rail stops is very beneficial to students and staff. Boston University has all of the MBTA train stop highlighted on their campus map. When a stop is clicked on, students have the option to find directions to or from the stop by putting in their current location and are then redirected to Google Maps for more information.
Arizona State University also has local light rail stations of the City of Tempe’s local shuttle service and the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport profiled on its campus map.
Bicycle Routes and Services
Not all students and faculty on college campuses use cars or public transportation to get to and around campus - according to UC Davis, 47% of students ride their bikes on campus.
Having bike routes, parking and services accessible to those on campus is important. For example, Boise State University has campus bike paths and parking displayed on its map. Each route is labeled and shows up in a different color, making it easy to navigate. Additionally, Boise State’s map has bike services, such as bike pumps and repair stations located around campus.
Parking
For those 46.8% of students that do bring their cars to campus, they will need somewhere to park. Between almost half the student population, faculty, staff, and visitors, parking at college campuses can be a challenge.
With Concept3D’s platform, schools can not only list where parking lots are located around campus but they can also include additional information such as cost and availability. For example, ASU’s campus map has a parking lot occupancy option through live data integration. When turned on, all campus parking lots are highlighted in red, orange or green to show if they are full, filling up or have plenty of space. Additionally, when a specific lot is selected, information about the cost of parking and how many spots are currently available is shown. Having this information readily available can help make the parking process smoother and less frustrating for users, and also reduce the need for people to drive around looking for parking, adding to congestion.
No matter how students and staff are getting around college campuses, having an interactive and easy to use campus map is vital to the transportation process.
