Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): General Use Permit
38% Drive-Alone
Thanks to our sustainable commute programs, the drive-alone rate for commuting students, faculty, and staff went from 67% in 2003 to 38% in 2023.
A key focus for Stanford Transportation is to mitigate the transportation impacts of additional development and population growth at Stanford by providing sustainable transportation commute options to the Stanford community in accordance with the Stanford University General Use Permit (GUP). In December 2000, the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved the GUP, which placed many conditions on Stanford’s land use, growth, and development. Stanford agreed to comply with the conditions of the GUP in order to gain the needed approval to further develop Stanford land. Find additional information in our FAQ’s.
On this page
- What is the GUP?
- What is the peak period?
- Who measured our baseline count in 2001?
- What is a cordon?
- When are the cordon counts?
- Who is measured?
- Where is the cordon line located?
- Who are those individuals in the orange jackets, and why are they writing down license plate numbers?
- Do Hospital employees count? If not, how do you account for some Hospital employees who may be entering campus, and contributing to the GUP peak period commute trips?
- Do off-campus students count toward the cordon? Does event traffic count?
- Where can I get information on sustainable transportation options available to me?
What is the GUP?
The 2000 General Use Permit (GUP) authorized the first increment of new academic and academic support space, housing, parking, and other infrastructure that could be constructed on the campus pursuant to the Community Plan’s legislative policies.
A Condition of Approval G.4 of the 2000 GUP, states that “Stanford shall mitigate the transportation impacts of its additional development and population growth either through a program of ‘no net new commute trips’ or through proportional funding of mitigation measures for specified impacted intersections.” Stanford chose the “no net new commute trips” approach and has exceeded the 2001 measured number of vehicles entering and exiting the university during peak commute periods for nearly 25 years.
Traffic monitoring is conducted twice a year to determine if Stanford is meeting the goals specified in the GUP condition.
What is the peak period?
The “peak commute period” is defined as the one hour with the highest traffic volume, as determined by cordon counts. Peak commute times occur between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Based on past counts, the one-hour peak traffic periods occur between 8:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. and between 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Who measured our baseline count in 2001?
The Santa Clara County Planning Office selected a third party, Korve (now AECOM) Engineering. The initial baseline counts were taken three times during the year, for two weeks each time, to determine the peak hour and measure the traffic volumes during that hour. Since then, similar counts have been taken twice each year, totaling six weeks in the spring and two in the fall, for a total of eight weeks of measurements.
What is a cordon?
A boundary, or cordon, was established around the campus to identify campus entryways where sensor tubes could be installed to measure vehicle trips into and out of the campus. Sixteen entry/exit points define a cordon line around the campus. Trip counters (rubber hoses extended across the roads) are used to measure vehicular trips across the cordon line (trips to and from the university).
When are the cordon counts?
Exact dates for the cordon count periods vary from year to year; however, they always occur during the spring and early fall. You can usually expect traffic monitoring in April, May, and early October.
Who is measured?
All university vehicular traffic crossing the cordon during peak commute periods is measured. Hospital employees parking in university lots that require permits are excluded from the count. Trips generated by Stanford Medicine and SLAC employees who do not work within a parking permitted zone are not counted toward the cordon count.
Where is the cordon line located?
The cordon line is defined by 16 cordon points located at:
- Campus Drive West north of Junipero Serra Boulevard
- Stock Farm Road east of Sand Hill Road
- Welch Road north of Oak Road
- Quarry Road north of Campus Drive
- Palm Drive south of Arboretum Road
- Lausen Street south of Arboretum Road
- Galvez Street south of Arboretum Road
- Serra Street southwest of El Camino Real
- Yale Street west of Stanford Avenue
- Wellesley Street west of Stanford Avenue
- Oberlin Street west of Stanford Avenue
- Olmstead Road north of Escondido Road
- Bowdoin west of Stanford Avenue
- Raimundo west of Stanford Avenue
- Santa Maria Avenue north of Junipero Serra Boulevard
- Campus Drive east of Junipero Serra Boulevard
Who are those individuals in the orange jackets, and why are they writing down license plate numbers?
The individuals in the orange vests are employees of the contractor hired each year by the county Planning Office to measure the number of peak-hour trips generated by the university. The last four digits of each license plate are surveyed for both inbound and outbound traffic on one day each week during the cordon count. Cars that have entered and exited the campus within 15 minutes through separate campus entrances are considered “cut-through” traffic and are subtracted from the count. Vehicles that enter and exit campus through the same location are not considered “cut-through” traffic—i.e., are considered a trip—since it appears they have dropped off a passenger and contribute to Stanford’s trip generation.
Do Hospital employees count? If not, how do you account for some Hospital employees who may be entering campus and contributing to the GUP peak period commute trips?
Hospital employees are excluded from Stanford’s trip‑generation calculations. To ensure accurate counts within the cordon, parking permit data are used to distinguish vehicles registered to university affiliates from those registered to hospital affiliates. Hospital-affiliated cars parked within the cordon are deducted from the total cordon count. Conversely, university-affiliated vehicles observed in lots outside the cordon are added back to the cordon count. This approach ensures that the cordon count reflects only university‑related trips.
Do off-campus students count toward the cordon? Does event traffic count?
Yes, if they are coming to campus in a vehicle. All vehicular traffic crossing the cordon during peak periods, whether single-occupancy vehicles, multiple-occupancy vehicles, motorcycles, visitor vehicles, or resident student vehicles, counts toward the cordon measurement.
Where can I get information on sustainable transportation options available to me?
Stanford Transportation offers a range of options and programs to encourage sustainable transportation. For a summary, please visit our "Find Your Sustainable Commute Options" page. For any other questions, feel free to contact Stanford Transportation at 650.723.9362 or transportation@stanford.edu.