If you’re not volunteering for undergraduate commencement this Friday (June 10), consider your car-free options for coming to campus, or work remotely if you can that day.

“We’re asking the campus community to do what they can to lessen vehicle congestion,” Perry H. Eggleston, executive director of Transportation Services, advised in a June 1 email to the campus.

Each of the three undergraduate ceremonies — Friday, Saturday and Sunday (June 10-12) — will bring an additional 12,500 people to the campus for commencement from 8 to 10 a.m. in UC Davis Health Stadium.

Friday will bring the biggest impact to staff, obviously, because it is a workday for most. Transportation Services estimates traffic volume on highways and off-ramps could be double that of a typical Friday. And all those cars will eat up parking spaces. The congestion is likely to start before 6 a.m. (when the gates to the stadium will open).

So you can see why Transportation Services recommends the following:

• Go car-free — If you need to be on campus, we encourage you to take public transportation, bike or carpool (not car-free, but helps). 
• Work remotely — If you have the ability to work remotely that day, we strongly urge you to do so. If your job requires you to be on-site, then please consider choosing an alternative to driving.

Transportation Services’ Sustainable Commencement webpage suggests walking or biking as car-free options for employees who live in Davis, with this commencement caution: “Just be sure to keep an eye out for vehicular traffic as there is sure to be an influx of vehicles on surface streets.” The webpage also includes links to bus and train options.

The campus transportation team engages with the campus community via a Slack channel: #transportationservices.