Research Triangle Park, N.C.  A press conference today kicked off the largest alternative transportation campaign ever held in the Triangle. 

The 2005 SmartCommute Challenge is a public awareness campaign promoting the use of transportation alternatives to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality in the Triangle. The Challenge is open to employees throughout Durham, Orange and Wake counties.

The organizers of the 2005 SmartCommute Challenge are SmartCommute at RTP and Triangle Transit Authority (TTA).

Speakers at the kickoff at Exploris in downtown Raleigh included Joe Milazzo, Regional Transportation Alliance; Rick Weddle, Research Triangle Foundation; David King, Deputy Secretary NC DOT; Ellen Reckhow, Chair of the Durham County Commission and member of the TTA Board of Trustees; Mike Nelson, Mayor of Carrboro; Dave Gouveia, RTP Owners and Tenants Association; and John Claflin, TTA General Manager.

The coordination and planning of this event is a unique example of governments, metropolitan planning organizations and businesses working together to tackle the growing problem of congestion and air quality.

In past years, the SmartCommute Challenge had been held for businesses and organizations in the Research Triangle Park. It’s estimated that approximately 20,000 Triangle area commuters will participate in this regional campaign which runs from August 15th to September 30th. Participants will be asked to make their pledge and use an alternate commuting method during the campaign period.

Supporting Organizations:
  *NC Department of Transportation
  *Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
  *Durham - Carrboro - Chapel Hill Metropolitan Planning Organization
  *RTP Owners and Tenants Association

The 2005 SmartCommute Challenge also has the support of:
  *Over 70 business sponsors, offering financial support and in-kind services
  *Over 17 promotional partners, offering discounted merchandise and incentives to

       Challenge participants
  *Over 60 participating Triangle employers, representing over 100,000 area

       employees

About SmartCommute@RTP: 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.  Click here to go to the SmartCommute Web site.

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.