Université de Sherbrooke
OP-18: Support for Sustainable Transportation

Several facilities for cyclists are available on all three campuses of the Université de Sherbrooke. For example, bike racks, self-service bike repair terminals, showers, bike parking and secure bicycle parking are available to facilitate the active mobility of the university community. On the main campus, more than forty bike racks are located near the main buildings entrance, including the Innovation Park. In Longueuil, a bicycle station (Vélostation) is available for students and staff. This secure indoor parking for bicycles, accessible with an access card, contains 80 spaces, of which dozens are reserved for the university community. A secure bike shelter is also available at the Health Campus. In addition, lockers and showers for bicycle commuters are located in these buildings where these secure bicycle parking spaces are located.

The University offers over five hundred bike racks deployed on all three campuses. These bicycle parking spaces are located near the main buildings entrance. In addition, students in residences have access to a storage area for their bike during the winter.

The Université de Sherbrooke collaborates closely with the activities of the Center for Sustainable Mobility of Sherbrooke/Centre de mobilité durable de Sherbrooke (CMDS). This center allows stakeholders in the field of sustainable mobility and urban planning to meet and discuss about the various issues affecting the mobility of the Sherbrooke community. The University adheres to the CMDS active transportation plan. It includes: The development of cycling and walking paths at strategic locations in order to have a structuring network, in particular generating centers through concerted planning; Securing pedestrian and bicycle networks to the main generators involved in travelling (e. g. sidewalks, compliance with speed limits, pedestrian crossings); Accessibility to paved paths and street bicycle paths. https://mobilitedurable.qc.ca/le-plan/transport-actif/ In addition, the 2018-2022 University’s Sustainable Mobility Strategy makes it possible to intensify the institution's efforts in terms of standards and practices for active mobility. This strategy aims to mobilize the community and to integrate, in the same approach, the different actions put forward in terms of mobility.

The University offers free self-service bikes to the university community. The goal is to meet short periods mobility needs for personal or professional purposes. Bikes are available both at the main campus and the Longueuil Campus. At the main campus, the bikes are in a designated parking lot near the Multipurpose Pavilion. All members of the university community with an ID card can borrow one of these bikes by completing the loan form and reporting to the Transportation Management Center. To borrow a bike at the Longueuil Campus, students and employees must present themselves at the Campus Service Center with a duly completed loan form and an ID card in order to obtain a helmet, the padlock key and a magnetic card for access. Bikes are available in the indoor parking of the Campus. The maximum loan period is 24 hours and the bike must be returned during the Transportation Management Center or the Campus Service Center working hours. On weekends or holidays, however, bicycles can be borrowed for a longer period. https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/campus/mobilite/actif/velos-en-libre-service/

In 2004, Université de Sherbrooke was the first among Québec universities to put forward a free access to public transit program for its students. Thus, all students presenting a student ID card can use the public transportation for free everywhere in the City of Sherbrooke. Employees can also have access to this program if they request it. This program was made possible through an agreement between the University and the Sherbrooke Transportation Corporation (STS), and between the University and two students associations (la Fédération étudiante de l'Université de Sherbrooke (FEUS) et le Regroupement des étudiantes et étudiants de maîtrise, de diplôme et de doctorat (REMDUS)).

To meet urgent needs requiring a return home, the University introduced the concept of guaranteed return trip for staff participating in a carpool program. If one of the members of the carpool unit has to get home due to an emergency, the person can contact the Transportation Management Center to request a taxi. The Transportation Management Center pays the trip up to a maximum of $20. For individuals traveling from outside Sherbrooke but living in the Sherbrooke-Longueuil axis, the return home can be done by Limocar (a passenger bus carrier). The Transportation Management Center will provide, upon request, the travel ticket. Three guaranteed returns are offered during the year for a two-person carpool unit and five for a unit of three or more. https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/campus/mobilite/covoiturage/retour-garanti/

By means of an agreement between the University and the Agence métropolitaine de transport (AMT), members of the university community interested in carpooling can, in complete security and with respect to their private lives, be put in contact with people living in their neighbourhood and having compatible schedules enabling them to form a carpool unit. Members of the university community can enroll in a carpool program (local and daily) using the AMT carpooling software designed specifically to connect potential carpoolers. https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/campus/mobilite/covoiturage/

Several charging stations are available to the university community as well as visitors on all three campuses. Electrical circuit terminals can be used by all motorists. Other terminals, reserved for staff, were installed as part of the Québec's Government "Branché au travail" program. The parking spaces where the charging stations are located are identified as " Branché au travail " and can be used for up to four hours. To access the electric charging service, staff members must hold a specific parking permit and must obtain a card from the Transportation Management Center. To use the electrical circuit terminals, customers can use a cellular application to start charging. They can also request a prepaid card through the website lecircuitelectrique.com. https://www.usherbrooke.ca/developpement-durable/campus/mobilite/bornes/#c74385-2

Employees may telecommute upon agreement with their immediate superior and according to specific collective agreements. At the request of their immediate superior, some employees may also be required to work from outside their offices. To this end, a procedure for remote access to the University's computer resources is available https://www.usherbrooke.ca/pandemie/en-cas-de-pandemie/notre-personnel-et-la-pandemie/absence-du-personnel/teletravail/

For a few years now, regular employees (i.e. holding a 32 ½ to 35 hours/week position at the University) can take advantage of a condensed work week. This measure aims to reduce the work week with a view related to health and quality of life. By the same token, it reduces work-related commuting.

The Université de Sherbrooke offers to its employees an advantageous access to public transit programs on its three campuses. Employees who subscribe to such programs can benefit from the following: Full-time employees are awarded a monthly rate reduction on their regular pass, which represents close to 75% of the cost for choosing to use public transit; Flexibility in the packages available; A payment facility via payroll deductions; The equivalent of a daily parking fee per month for contingencies.