Mode Use Characteristics of MIT Faculty,
Staff and Student Commuters

1. Introduction

2. 1990 Journey to Work

3. 1997 MIT Survey

4. Comparisons of Travel Data

Appendix A. References

Appendix B. Census Long Form

Appendix C. JTW for Tract 3531

Appendix D. 1997 MIT Employee Questionnaire

Appendix E. 1997 MIT Off-Campus Student Questionnaire

The phrase "the MIT community" is often used to indicate that the Institute consists of more than professors and students. Research staff members conduct investigations in numerous fields and often supervise students. Support staff provide administrative and secretarial assistance to professors and departments. Administrators and senior officers oversee the day-to-day operations and long term planning activities of the Institute. MIT maintains its own medical and police staffs. Service staff members see that the physical infrastructure of the Institute functions smoothly.

In October 1997, a total of 18,057 people were affiliated with MIT. Of these, 8,177 were members of the faculty or staff. As Table 1-1 shows, 7,763 of these employees had offices on the main Cambridge campus. The remaining faculty or staff either had no office, or worked at the Haystack Observatory (including Millstone Hill Observatory) in Westford, Bates Linear Accelerator in Middleton, Lincoln Laboratory, Endicott House in Dedham, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution or other off-campus locations.

Graduate students outnumber undergraduates by roughly 25 percent - 5,499 to 4,381.

The large majority of undergraduates - about two-thirds - live in MIT residence halls. Another ten percent live in fraternities, sororities and independent living groups (ILGs) in Cambridge – considered on-campus for the sake of this study. (For example, Zeta Psi is across Massachusetts Avenue from Random Hall.) Just over a fifth live in fraternities, sororities and ILGs (or FSILGs) in Boston and Brookline. The remaining four percent of undergraduates live in private apartments.

In contrast to undergraduates, about 70 percent of graduate students live off-campus. MIT offers on-campus residence halls for both single and married graduate students. Additionally, MIT owns some apartment buildings off-campus (such as 1010 Mass. Ave.) and offers these rooms to rent to graduate students, in some cases at subsidized rates. Graduate students affiliated with the joint Health Sciences and Technology program with Harvard may opt to live at Vanderbilt Hall, near the Harvard Medical School in Boston. Still other graduate students lease apartments from private landlords, or may own their own homes.

Table 1-1. Institute Affiliates at Cambridge Campus.

Classification	Number
Faculty and Staff		7,763
Administrators	1,301
Faculty	910
Medical Staff	148
Other Academic Staff	2,316
Researchers	894
Senior Officers	9
Service Staff	754
Support Staff	1,431
Off-Campus Students		5,114
Graduate	3,957
Undergraduate	1,157
Total Commuters		12,877
On-Campus Students		4,766
Graduate	1,542
Undergraduate	3,224
Total		17,643

Sources: MIT Personnel Office (1997); Bernard (1997); Brennan (1997); Dorow (1997).

In addition to the roadway capacity in the vicinity of campus, public transportation is also readily available. MIT participates in the Charles River Transportation Management Association (CRTMA), which currently operates the Tech Shuttle between Kendall Square and the Hyatt Regency hotel. The Tech Shuttle operates weekdays from 7:15 a.m. to 7:10 p.m. The CRTMA shuttle debuted in May 1997, and was rerouted to its current Tech Shuttle configuration in February 1999, when Millennium Pharmaceuticals ended its participation in the TMA. MIT’s Parking and Transportation Office also contracts with Standard Parking to operate SafeRide, a night time shuttle to FSILGs and graduate residences in Cambridge, Boston and Brookline. SafeRide begins service at 6 p.m. and runs until 3 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday, or 4 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. MIT also provides a shuttle to the Bates Linear Accelerator in Middleton at no charge to passengers. Similarly, MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory in Lexington operates a shuttle to the main campus at no charge to passengers.

MIT is also an active participant in the shuttle services between the MIT campus and both Wellesley College and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution. These shuttles charge no fare to passengers, and are used by both MIT employees and students.

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) provides considerable service in the MIT area. Kendall Square is the location of a Red Line subway station. The Number 1 (Harvard-Dudley) and CT1 (Central Square-Boston Medical Center) buses serve Mass. Ave., including two major bus stops at 77 and 84 Mass. Ave. near the Stratton Student Center and Lobby 7, the entry to MIT’s Infinite Corridor. The CT2 (Kendall-Ruggles) bus runs along Vassar Street, with stops at the Hyatt Regency (near some of the westernmost MIT dorms), Mass. Ave. and Kendall Square. Routes 64 (Oak Square), 68 (Harvard via Broadway), and 85 (Spring Hill) also have a terminus at Kendall Square. The Crosstown Transit routes CT1 and CT2 began service in September 1994. Route 68 began service, and Route 64 was rerouted to Broadway in September 1998.

Additionally, MIT community members can purchase tickets for the Medical Area and Scientific Community Organization, Inc. (MASCO) M2 shuttle at the Cashier’s Office. The M2 shuttle operates between Harvard Square in Cambridge and Vanderbilt Hall in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area, stopping at 77 or 84 Mass. Ave. in transit.