Item #3 [Type text] Page 1 FY15 Washington Reg. TDM Resource Guide & Strategic Mktg Plan Final Report 12-16-14 Page 2 FY15 Washington Reg. TDM Resource Guide & Strategic Mktg Plan Final Report 12-16-14 Page 3 BACKGROUND The Washington metropolitan region initiated its first formal transportation demand management efforts in the early 1970s with Commuter Club, which was established by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG), the General Services Administration, and the Greater Washington Board of Trade to provide basic ridematching for carpools and vanpools. In subsequent years, the program grew into a COG-coordinated network of local rideshare agencies, and in 1989, it became the Ride Finders Network which provided free information and computerized ride matching services to area residents seeking to join car or vanpools or locate appropriate transit arrangements and park-and-ride locations. In 1996, the regional network was renamed Commuter Connections. In 1997, Commuter Connections expanded its services to include regional telework assistance and resources, its first website, a regional Guaranteed Ride Home program, information on bicycling to work, InfoExpress commuter information kiosks, and free assistance to employers for the development and implementation of alternative commute programs and benefits. In 1998 Commuter Connections began to honor employers in the region through the Employer Recognition Awards program. In 2000, Commuter Connections rolled out Bike to Work Day as a regional entity, initially started as a DC based event by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association. In 2003, Commuter Connections expanded its marketing efforts through the implementation of a regional mass marketing measure. The purpose of the measure was to brand the Commuter Connections name as the umbrella organization for commuter transportation information in the Washington Metropolitan area and to subsequently increase the use of alternative forms of commuting. In 2008 Commuter Connections began coordinating Car Free Day as a regional event, previously recognized in the District through Councilmember Tommy Wells’ office. In 2009 Commuter Connections introduced a carpool incentive project called ‘Pool Rewards, which was expanded in 2012 to include vanpools. In 2010 Commuter Connections expanded its Guaranteed Ride Home program to include the Baltimore region and St. Mary’s County. With origins beginning in 1974, Commuter Connections celebrated its fortieth year of service in 2014. The Commuter Connections regional network provides commute services and information to area residents and employers in the Washington metropolitan region in order to reduce traffic congestion and emissions caused by single occupancy vehicles (SOVs). The outreach mission is to create awareness of SOV alternatives and their resulting benefits; to build the Commuter Connections network as an umbrella resource that provides support services to network organizations and individuals who currently drive alone, and to facilitate those who are seeking to change SOV behavior by way of providing assistance about available commute options and alternatives. Primary activities promoted by the Commuter Connections network include ridesharing, transit, bicycling, walking, teleworking and employer services. The following agencies share the regional commuter database, provide ridematching services and share information and resources: Alexandria Local Motion, Annapolis Regional Transportation Management Association, Army National Guard Readiness Center, Baltimore City, Baltimore Metropolitan Council, Bethesda Transportation Solutions, Dulles Area Transportation Association, Fairfax County RideSources, Food & Drug Administration, Frederick County TransIT Services, GWRideConnect, George Washington Regional Commission, Harford County, Howard County, LINK/Reston Transportation Management Association, Loudoun County, Maryland Transit Administration, Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, Montgomery County Commuter Services, National Institutes of Health-Bethesda, North Bethesda Transportation Center, Northern Neck Planning District Commission, Northern Shenandoah Valley Regional Commission, Prince George's County, Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission, Rappahannock-Rapidan Rideshare, and Tri-County Council for Southern Maryland. COG provides ridematching services directly for Arlington County, the District of Columbia, and also to residents in other jurisdictions in both Maryland and Virginia not listed above. FY15 Washington Reg. TDM Resource Guide & Strategic Mktg Plan Final Report 12-16-14 Page 4 Commuter Connections is a program of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board, the region’s designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, and is funded through the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia Departments of Transportation, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. Other entities that play a major role in the delivery of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) products, services, and messages in the Washington region include transit agencies, local governments, business partnerships, bicycle associations, and transportation management associations. The partnership between agencies and jurisdictions has been encouraged in order to develop and promote a seamless inter-modal transportation system, and a coherent message to commuters that will accelerate the trial and adoption of alternative commute modes. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) marketing will assist the region in achieving its air quality conformity goals through implementation of regional transportation emission reduction measures, which in turn will help increase regional mobility through decreased traffic congestion, realize efficiencies in the use of the existing transportation infrastructure, help to improve system performance, conserve energy, and help to improve public health by reducing air pollution. The purpose of the Washington Metropolitan Region Transportation Demand Management Resource Guide and Strategic Marketing Plan is to summarize the TDM activities that are occurring in the region. It also provides background on TDM products and services, which offer choices to Washington area residents and businesses to assist commuters in finding and adopting alternative transportation methods. Resources to accomplish this goal are oftentimes limited; marketing activities therefore are carefully planned and executed. Regional TDM campaigns promote commute services to the workforce and have a call-to-action to visit the web site or call Commuter Connections to register for ridematching, GRH or other programs, or for more assistance. The messages are also tailored and targeted to audiences who are most inclined to try and adopt alternative methods of commuting, other than SOV. Evaluation methodologies will need to be validated in order to measure levels of change in travel behavior. Furthermore, the Washington Metropolitan Region TDM Resource Guide and Strategic Marketing Plan has been developed as a reference tool for use by the regional agencies and jurisdictions and outlines regional marketing campaigns and budgets that effectively promote TDM practices. FY15 Washington Reg. TDM Resource Guide & Strategic Mktg Plan Final Report 12-16-14 Page 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Commuter Connections, through partner input, conducts and reviews regional data and marketing research and applies it to planning and marketing communication programs by targeting alternative commute messages to specific audience groups likely to adopt such practices. This regional resource guide and marketing plan is designed to focus on key activity centers/clusters within the Washington metropolitan region. It includes data from previously collected research, together with new information gathered from members of the Regional TDM Marketing Group. An initial survey and interview process occurred in May 1997 for the inaugural report, and updates have been made each fiscal year since. A research appendix includes executive summaries of recent TDM related studies in addition to other TDM relevant research that stems back roughly five fiscal years. The Regional TDM Marketing Group updates this document on an annual basis. According to the Transportation Planning Board’s 2007-2008 Household Travel Survey, residents of the Washington region are making fewer daily trips per household and per person, on average, than they did in the 1990s. However, the walk and transit shares increased 1.6 and 0.7 percentage points, respectively. According to the survey, 73.1 percent of commute trips were taken by a single driver while those commuters using transit increased to 17.7 percent. Compared to 1994, persons in the 25-34 year old age group showed a significant shift from auto travel to transit and walking. It should be noted that the Washington region boasts one of the highest rideshare and transit rates in the country, but also some of the worst congestion in the country. The Transportation Planning Board (TPB) at the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) has conducted a Household Travel Survey of 4,800 households in 14 communities in the Washington region to gather updated information on area travel patterns. This data will help guide future transportation planning as the area continues to grow and assist local governments in determining which transportation improvements will benefit their citizens the most. The Washington region