Research Triangle Park, N.C. - The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) has honored seven businesses and one individual for work in promoting an alternative to commuting to and from work.  The awards ceremony was held at the Millennium Durham Hotel.

The Durham County Board of Commissioners enacted the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Ordinance in 1999.  TTA is the administrator of CTR with the aim of improving the quality of life by reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and fuel consumption.  To achieve these goals, employers develop programs that encourage employees who drive alone to work to consider an alternative mode such as buses, vanpools, carpools, biking, telecommuting or walking. 

At the awards event, Fourth District Congressman David Price thanked the businesses for their continued efforts to promote alternatives in times of high gasoline prices.

Every day in Durham County, the total car mileage avoided by alternative commuting is the same as driving from Durham to Los Angeles and back 35 times. 

The winners announced at today’s ceremonies:

Innovator Award - Small Business

EMC has 250 employees and has a number of on-site amenities to make alternative commuting attractive to employees. The company has also started subsidizing TTA passes for RTP employees. During the year, an employee became the driver of a vanpool and additional vanpool riders have been recruited.  The company’s Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) says there is greater interest in alternative commuting now because of gas prices.

Innovator Award – Medium Business

AW-North Carolina, Inc.  has 800 employees and provides information about transportation services in new employee orientation and informational materials are distributed at all employee functions.  For a company that has recently committed to reduce single occupant vehicle travel, nearly 20% of AW-North Carolina’s employees carpool.

Innovator Award – Large Business

Duke University and Duke Hospitals have 20,000 employees and are in the process of developing an aggressive transportation demand management (TDM) program focusing on ridesharing and transit.  Currently, Duke subsidizes vanpool and carpool parking and there is no parking priority charge for vanpools.  Plans are now being discussed for the development of a UPASS to be used for transit for both daily commuters and for other transportation needs.  Duke, in cooperation with UNC, through the Robertson Scholars program, hopes to provide free shuttles between the two campuses. Plans are underway for more bike racks and improved    on-campus bike trails.

Leadership Award – Small Company

Syngenta Biotechnology, Inc. has 260 employees.  The company has added preferred parking for carpools and vanpools and recently implemented subsidies for transit and vanpools.  In addition to participating in TTA’s Emergency Ride Home program, Syngenta also encourages employees to use commuting alternatives on Ozone Action Days and permits flex time and teleworking as options.   

Leadership Award – Medium Company

Wal-Mart, Inc. urges its employees to use alternative commuting modes and the two Durham stores at New Hope Commons and Roxboro Road have been very active.  Information about TTA, Durham Area Transit (DATA) and other transportation services are given to employees in their orientation.  Employees are also given pins, showing their part in alternative commuting options.  The New Hope location has nearly 20% of its employees using alternatives, the Roxboro Road store at 16%.  Wal-Mart is the employer with the highest percentage of staff who ride the bus at each location.

Leadership Award – Large Company

GlaxoSmithKline has 5000 employees and 2000 consultants in RTP.  GSK has increased its information sharing on the intranet about alternative commuting options and offers a subsidy for employees who vanpool and ride the bus.  Cafeterias, bike racks, clothes lockers and showers are available on-site, as well as shopping, postal facilities, a cash machine, exercise room and campus shuttle.  Employees do have the option of adjusting their work schedule and to telework, based on arrangements with their department manager.  In the most recent work survey, nearly 20% of GSK’s participants used alternative transportation for their work commute.

Employer with the Highest Percentage of Employees Using Alternative Commuting

IBM has 13,000 employees in RTP and promotes bus, carpooling, vanpooling, walking, biking, motor bikes and telecommuting.  IBM maintains a consistently high percentage of employees using alternative commuting modes.

Employee Transportation Coordinator Of The Year

Denise Selden - GlaxoSmithKline has been a key to the company’s success in promoting commuting alternatives.  She has consistently promoted energy conservation and less traffic congestion in her job and serves as a role model in demonstrating what the community can do about these concerns.

The event was co-sponsored by TTA, Durham County and the Durham Chamber of Commerce.

TTA is a regional public transportation provider, offering a wide variety of transit and vanpool services to North Carolina's greater Triangle Region and outlying counties. Bus service is available to Apex, Cary, Chapel Hill, Durham, Garner, Hillsborough, RDU International Airport, RTP and Raleigh.  The Triangle Transit Authority also provides commuter resources and hosts GoTriangle.org, the popular on-line resource for public transportation information in the Triangle and ShareTheRideNC.com, the state's rideshare matching service.

TTA plans to implement a 28-mile rail transit system with 12 stations connecting Durham, RTP, Cary and Raleigh, with shuttles linking RDU International Airport and RTP.   For more information, visit www.rideTTA.org or call (919) 549-9999.