Research Triangle Park, N.C. – The SmartCommute Challenge 2006 is coming.  A press conference will kick off the event Tuesday, August 15 at 9:30 AM in the lobby of the A.J. Fletcher Opera Theatre at the Progress Energy Center for Performing Arts in Raleigh.

The annual SmartCommute Challenge is a regional public awareness campaign that works to reduce traffic congestion in the Triangle by using prizes and incentives to promote transportation alternatives to the “one person, one car” status quo. Commuting alternatives include carpooling, vanpooling, biking, walking, teleworking and riding the bus.

The Keynote Speaker will be Ed Willingham, Executive Vice President of First Citizens Bank and Chairman of the Regional Transportation Alliance.

Other speakers will include five Triangle commuters who use various forms of commuting alternatives. The commuters will be available for one-on-one media interviews beginning at 8:30 AM.

This year’s 7-week SmartCommute Challenge runs Aug. 15-Sept. 30, 2006.  Participation is free and anyone who drives to work or campus in Durham, Orange or Wake counties can sign up online at www.SmartCommuteChallenge.org. Last year, participation was limited to anyone working in the three county area. This year, the Challenge has expanded to include college/university students.

Participants will be asked to sign up for the Challenge and use one of the alternate commuting method listed above at least once during the campaign period. In exchange, they are entered into a drawing to win prizes including a free vacation for two.

The organizers of the 2006 SmartCommute Challenge are SmartCommute@rtp, Triangle Transit Authority (TTA), and Triangle Air Awareness.

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

During last year’s campaign, over 12,000 Triangle commuters took the Challenge. Based on follow-up surveys, we found that 31% of Challenge participants are still using their alternate mode two or more times per week. That’s three times the success rate of similar campaigns in other parts of the country.

Supporting Organizations:

• NC Department of Transportation
• Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization
• Durham - Carrboro - Chapel Hill Metropolitan Planning Organization
• RTP Owners & Tenants Association

The 2006 SmartCommute Challenge also has the support of:

• 6 Platinum Sponsors:  IBM, Triangle Air Awareness, Cary Transit, Capital Area Transit, Durham Area Transit Authority, Triangle Transit Authority
• Over 30 other business sponsors, offering financial support and in-kind services
• Over 50 participating Triangle employers, representing over 100,000 of area employees

About SmartCommute@rtp: SmartCommute@rtp is the transportation management association (TMA) of the Research Triangle Park. Its purpose is to coordinate the transportation demand management (TDM) efforts of RTP employers and address common transportation concerns, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality. SmartCommute currently has 24 member employers. SmartCommute is staffed by the Research Triangle Foundation of North Carolina, owner and developer of the Research Triangle Park.

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

About Triangle Air Awareness: The Triangle Air Awareness Coalition provides leadership that educates and mobilizes individuals both inside and outside of their organizations to be aware of the air quality forecast, to improve air quality by the choice of their actions, and to protect their health on bad air quality days.  Triangle Air Awareness is funded by Triangle Tomorrow and a grant from the NC Division of Air Quality.