Research Triangle Park, N.C. - This week, more than 2400 Triangle residents took the SmartCommute Challenge by pledging to carpool, vanpool, telecommute, walk, bike or take the bus to work.

As gas prices hit an all-time high, organizers of the SmartCommute Challenge, which runs through Sept. 30, were pleased with participation levels during the first week of the campaign.

“During last year’s campaign, we had just over 2,400 participants at the end of our six-week campaign. This year, we reached that number in the first three days,” said Julie Woosley, director of SmartCommute@RTP. “We expected the numbers to be higher since this is the first year that employees outside of RTP can participate, but we’re still surprised by the early totals.”

Rising gasoline prices, combined with the price per mile for wear and tear, means that the typical Triangle commuter spends close to $160 per month to drive alone to work. According to national averages, if commuters use an alternate means to work just one day a week, they could save close to $300 per year. Two days a week spent sharing the ride, telecommuting or taking the bus adds up to almost $600 in savings per year.

Like many Triangle commuters, Laura Howard of Designing Solutions, LLC, lives in Raleigh and commutes to Durham. “Right after I spent $40.00 filling up my tank, I decided that I needed to find a carpool partner. A friend of mine told me about the challenge, so I went online, took the pledge and found a rideshare buddy,” said Howard. “Today, I carpooled for the first time and plan to do it again next week.”

The SmartCommute Challenge is a non-profit public service campaign that uses prizes and special promotions to encourage Triangle commuters to explore transportation alternatives. In exchange for taking the online pledge, participants enter a drawing for a chance to win a free vacation or one of more than 30 prizes. Participants are also provided with a list of links to resources such as mass-transit schedules, a rideshare matching database, bicycle and pedestrian groups and more.

SmartCommute @ RTP and the Triangle Transit Authority are responsible for the management and coordination of this campaign.

SmartCommute@RTP is the transportation management association (TMA) of Research Triangle Park. Its purpose is to coordinate the transportation demand management efforts of RTP employers to address common transportation concerns, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality. SmartCommute currently has 24 member employers, which account for over 80% of RTP employees, and several public affiliates, including the NCDOT and local transit agencies. SmartCommute is staffed by the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina in Research Triangle Park.

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, RDU International Airport, Research Triangle Park (RTP) and Raleigh. The Triangle Transit Authority also provides commuter resources and hosts GoTriangle.org, the on-line resource for public transportation information in the Triangle.

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. The rail transit system is expected to be operational in late 2008. For more information, visit www.rideTTA.org or call (919) 549-9999.