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Site selection makes all the difference
Site selection is the key factor in determining how easily a project can qualify for this credit. If your project is located in a densely populated area that is well-served by public transportation, it should be very easy to meet the requirements.
An all-around good idea
Facilitating access to public transportation not only brings environmental benefits in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions and fewer cars on the road, but it can also reduce commuting costs for building occupants and help attract new hires and retain employees.
Options for larger projects
Larger-scale projects may want to consider working with local transit authorities to bring public transportation access near the project site if none already exists. You may not need to ask...
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8 Comments
Ferries and Subway Stops for Exemplary Performance
If my CI project is with 1/2 mile to a ferry that then connects to 4 different subway stops that have several hundred stops in total, would that qualify for exemplary performanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements.? This is in addition to 22 different bus lines that are within 1/4 mile and 1 subway line that has 16 stops.
Also, to clarify, if a subway has 20 stops and the schedule shows 30 scheduled trains, am I correct in multiplying the two?
Tristan Roberts replied Editor – LEEDuser, BuildingGreen, LLC May 24 2010
The Exemplary PerformanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. language in the LEED ID+C Reference Guide seems pretty clear that the project needs to be within 1/2-mile of the rail stops, or 1/4-mile of the bus stops, to qualify for EP.
If an occupant from your project needs to ride a ferry that would be a longer ride than those distances, then I don't see how you could earn the point here. Is there something you could clarify?
You might have better luck instituting a comprehensive transportation management plan to earn the EP point.
David Posada replied Sustainability Manager, GBD Architects Jun 23 2010
Robert, if your project is within 1/4 mile of 22 bus lines and 1 subway you may meet the Exemplary PerformanceIn LEED, certain credits have established thresholds beyond basic credit achievement. Meeting these thresholds can earn additional points through Innovation in Design (ID) or Innovation in Operations (IO) points. As a general rule of thumb, ID credits for exemplary performance are awarded for doubling the credit requirements and/or achieving the next incremental percentage threshold. However, this rule varies on a case by case basis, so check the credit requirements. requirements without the ferry service.
The reference guide helps clarify how to calculate the level of service - you want to determine how many "rides" are available within the 1/4 mile radius: a bus that stops every 30 minutes, day and night, would be 48 rides in a 24 hour period. 1 bus that stops every 15 minutes, 96 rides. 2 bus lines, one stopping every 15 minutes, and another every 30 minutes would be 120 rides.
In your example, if by "stops" you mean the number of times a subway stops at that station within a 24 hour period, then that sounds like the same thing as "rides." You'd want to add the number of stops/ rides per day for the subway and bus rather than multiply them. Hope that helps.
definition of "bus line" vs. "bus stop"
I'm not sure that the graphic above for this credit for option #2 is correct. The credit reads for option 2: "Locate the project within 1/4 mile walking distance...of 1 or more stops for 2 or more public campus or private bus LINES usable by tenant occupants".
We have (5) bus stops around our project site and each stop is for a different route, BUT, each stop is serviced by the same bus company. Does this qualify for this credit?
What is meant by "bus line"? Does it mean that there must be or or more stops for 2 or more different bus companies? If you Google "bus lines", Greyhound pops up, which leads me to think that in order to achieve this credit there must be more than one bus "company" that has 1 or more stops avaialable within 1/4 mile of the project site.
Can you offer some clarification?
Thanks!!!
David Posada replied Sustainability Manager, GBD Architects Aug 23 2010
Two bus lines would mean two different routes. They can be from the same bus company - many areas are only served by one public transit agency.
James Chueh replied Aug 25 2010
Hi David,.
How about i have 2 bus station/stop, separated by main road and facing each other, having the same buses lines (one going to the south and the other toward the north bound), and each is serving 48 times of transit for whole day, can i count the frequency as 96 transit per day?
David Posada replied Sustainability Manager, GBD Architects Aug 25 2010
If you have a single bus line that runs in opposite directions, such as North and South, you would count that as one bus line. With two bus stops, one for each direction, you can count the number of times a bus stops at each of the two stops as "rides", so yes, in your example that would be 96 transit rides.
and you can count the # of times a bus stops
James Chueh replied Aug 25 2010
Thanks Dave!
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