Emory University Names New Alternative Transportation Director To Oversee Ambitious Program

Emory University has named Brian Shaw, former principal transportation planner for the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC), to head its ambitious alternative transportation program designed to alleviate traffic congestion and improve air quality on campus and in the surrounding community.

Shaw is no stranger to Emory -- while at the ARC, Shaw helped to lay the groundwork for the Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association (TMA) that was established in fall 1997. During his four years as an ARC transportation planner, Shaw planned and created three other TMAs in the metro area, and helped to implement Commute Connections, Atlanta's regional rideshare program.

Before joining the ARC, Shaw served as transportation planner for the Greater North Penn Area Transportation Management Association in Lansdale, Pa., and as planning technician for the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission in Philadelphia and for the Montgomery County Planning Commission in Norristown, Pa. He received a master's degree in city planning from the University of Pennsylvania and his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

At Emory, Shaw will assume responsibility for an aggressive alternative transportation program that has been in place six years (previous director Cheryle DeDios left Emory to head the Hartsfield Area Transportation Management Association). The program plays a major role in implementation of the university's campus master plan, which calls for the creation of a pedestrian campus by replacing cars and concrete with green spaces and walkways, and moving parking to the campus perimeter. Emory's alternative transportation efforts and results include:

o Emory is building a fleet of alternative-fueled shuttles and buses to provide transportation for its community members and visitors. With the help of federal funding, Emory plans to purchase five electric shuttles that will establish Emory as a national leader among universities and other large organizations in investing in new technology to improve air quality. The electric shuttles, which will be delivered to campus later this year, will complement a group of 13 CNG (compressed natural gas) buses and an electric tram that are part of Emory's 30-bus fleet.

o More than 1,200 employees participate in the MARTA subsidy program. Emory is active in the state's Partnership for a Smog-Free Georgia and continues to work with other DeKalb leaders to bring MARTA and Georgia Passenger Rail Service to the Clifton Corridor area.

o More than 450 employees participate in Emory's car- and vanpool programs.

o Emory is not alone in trying to resolve the traffic problems in the area. Emory and other major organizations along the Clifton Corridor, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Cancer Society, employ 22,000 people -- in addition Emory has more than 11,000 students, and daily visitors to the area exceed 10,000. Emory is working with other members of the Clifton Corridor Transportation Management Association (CCTMA) to request federal funding for expanded commuter option programs, and with other groups to obtain funding for electric shuttles. The CCTMA also is working hard to bring more public transportation into the area.

o Collaborative efforts with groups such as Georgia Power, Atlanta Gas Light and the Southern Coalition for Advanced Transportation have given Emory access to various electric and other alternative-fueled vehicles. Last year Emory, along with Georgia Power and Clean Cities Atlanta, received a $225,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy to fund charging stations for electric vehicles. The stations will be located in a new parking deck currently under construction at the University Apartments complex off Clairmont Road.

o The university's facilities management department has replaced 44 of its gas-powered vehicles with electric carts that are recharged at stations located around the central campus.

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