AGENDA #5a
to: Roger L. Stancil, Town Manager
from: J.B. Culpepper, Planning Director
David Bonk, Long Range Planning and Transportation Manager
Len Cone, Go Chapel Hill TDM Community Outreach Coordinator
subject: Transportation Management Plan – Annual Report
date: May 19, 2008
PURPOSE
This memorandum summarizes the results of the 2007 Town of Chapel Hill Transportation Management Plan Mobility Survey. The memorandum includes information on the travel characteristics of individuals working at Chapel Hill businesses included in the Town of Chapel Hill’s Transportation Management Plan program. The memorandum also reviews the travel characteristics of Town employees.
The Transportation Management Plan program is intended to reduce the use of single-occupancy vehicles and encourage travel by alternative modes of transportation. The program, initiated in 1993, requires the development of a Transportation Management Plan as a requirement of special use permits by the Town. The provisions of the Transportation Management Plan require employers and employees at Transportation Management Plan sites to complete travel behavior biennial surveys. Town of Chapel Hill employees are also required to complete commuting surveys.
Also as part of the Transportation Management Plan the Town offers annual training including information on alternative transportation, the North Carolina Best Workplaces recognition program and information on best routes to and from work according to the individual businesses’ needs. The Town’s Go Chapel Hill Transportation Demand Management Coordinator works throughout the year with businesses to assist with best practices for employees’ daily commute to and from work.
The draft Orange County Greenhouse Gas Reduction Plan identifies the transportation sector as the single largest producer of carbon and greenhouse gases within Chapel Hill and Orange County. The transportation management plan program has been incorporated into the Town’s overall efforts to reduce the use of single occupant vehicles, particularly during peak hours.
DISCUSSION
As part of the Transportation Management Plan, three surveys were distributed in September 2007. The Business Survey is intended to be completed by the designated Transportation Manager business of each site (Attachment 1). The Employee Survey was completed by each employee at the business. The slightly modified employee survey was distributed to Town of Chapel Hill employees. The University of North Carolina conducted a separate employee survey in 2007 (Attachment 2). Of the 91 Transportation Management Plan sites surveyed 7 sites did not respond. The surveys were distributed before the increase in recent fuel cost prices, which we believe has affected employee travel behavior.
Town Wide Business Survey
The number of sites and employers participating in the program has tripled since 2001, and the number of employees surveyed has doubled. Approximately 363 employers at 91 sites completed the business surveys and administer travel behavior surveys to their employees (Attachment 3). The Business Surveys indicated the average employer in Chapel Hill provides free parking to employees and customers and is located within walking distance of a Chapel Hill Transit bus stop. Some businesses provide some amenities to employees that encourages walk, bike, or transit trips either for their journey to work or for trips during the work day (such as lunchrooms, lockers/showers, or bike racks).
Table 1. Transportation Management Plan
Employee Response Rate 2001-2007
|
TMP Profile |
2001 |
2003 |
2005 |
2007 |
|
# Sites Surveyed |
36 |
61 |
74 |
91 |
|
# Employers |
115 |
266 |
292 |
360 |
|
# Employees (reported) |
4000 |
5500 |
7962 |
8539 |
|
# Surveys returned |
2385 |
2581 |
3966 |
3979 |
|
Response Rate |
59.60% |
46.90% |
49.80% |
46.60% |
Town Wide Employee Survey
The employee survey results provide information to the Town to profile on the transportation behavior of those workers who commute to jobs in Chapel Hill and work at businesses required to implement programs to encourage alternatives to the single-occupancy vehicle (Attachment 4). The surveys show that only 34.8% of the employees at the Transportation Management Plan sites live in Chapel Hill as shown below in Table 1. Results show that 90% travel alone with the average commute being more than 10 miles to work. Transit use has increased since 2001 at which time the Chapel Hill Transit system went fare-free. Those employees reporting bicycling has doubled between 2005 and 2007. Employees indicated in the surveys that they would consider changing their travel mode for reasons including saving money, having a ride home in an emergency, or the availability of more convenient transit service. The table below summarizes reasons employees reported for considering commute changes other than single occupancy vehicles. It includes a summary of responses from the town wide survey and highlights the responses from Town employees.
Table 2. Reasons reported for considering commuting change
|
Reason employee would change commuting habits |
Number of Town Employees* |
Percent % of Town Employees* |
Number of Other Employees* |
Percent % of Other Employees* |
|
Could save money |
223 |
19.6 |
1414 |
35.9 |
|
Had a ride home in an emergency |
124 |
10.9 |
972 |
24.7 |
|
Could work a reduced work week |
106 |
9.3 |
709 |
18 |
|
Could find someone to carpool with |
100 |
8.8 |
745 |
18.9 |
|
Transit was more convenient/frequent |
96 |
8.4 |
1028 |
26.1 |
|
Could maintain a more flexible work schedule |
75 |
6.6 |
484 |
12.3 |
|
Had access to a shared vehicle/shuttle at work for errands |
60 |
5.3 |
544 |
13.8 |
|
Did not have parental responsibilities that required my car |
52 |
4.6 |
839 |
21.3 |
|
Had information about transit/carpooling |
34 |
3 |
343 |
8.7 |
|
Had help setting up/learning about a vanpool |
34 |
3 |
168 |
4.3 |
|
Had reserved/preferred carpool parking |
17 |
1.5 |
145 |
3.7 |
|
Had showers/lockers at my workplace |
12 |
1.1 |
206 |
5.2 |
|
Other |
71 |
6.2 |
506 |
12.9 |
|
Would not consider changing my commuting habits now |
135 |
11.9 |
1114 |
28.3 |
|
Total Respondents |
1139 |
|
3934 |
|
* Employees could select multiple options; percentages are out of total employees, not total responses
Chapel Hill Town Employee Survey
The Town of Chapel Hill employees, as part of the Transportation Management Plan program, had a response rate of over 73%, with results indicating that Town employees are less likely than other TMP employees to commute by alternative modes (See Attachment 5 for other comparisons between Town and Transportation Management Plan employees). Those employees living in Durham County experienced 2.1 % growth since 2005 while those living in Alamance grew by 2.8% showing the most growth of Town Employees since 2005. Survey results indicated that 92% drive alone. Less than 10% use alternative modes of transportation. Those employees walking or bicycling has increased by 1% while employees using transit has decreased from 1.9% to 1% and those carpooling has decreased from 4.5% to 4% since 2005. 68% of the employees reported commuting more than 15 minutes to work. The survey showed that employees would consider using alternative transportation if they could save money and have a ride home for emergencies. Other responses for increasing alternative transportation usage include reduced shifts and a more flexible work schedule. Town employees surveyed responded with 11.9% indicating that they were not interested in using alternative transportation, with the majority indicating that they would consider decreasing their single occupancy vehicle patterns.
University of North Carolina
The University of North Carolina Employees 2007 data (Attachment 2) indicates that 25.5% of the employees commute less than 5 miles while 32% commute more than 20 miles daily. This is a 20.6% and 29%, respectively, overall comparison to the larger Town wide program and 15.4% of Town employees living less than 5 miles from work and 34.5% living more than 20 miles from work. Only 68.7% of University of North Carolina employees drive alone compared to 89% of the TMP employees with 92.4% of Town employees driving alone to work. The University has limited parking, forcing alternative modes of transportation to be used by employees as well as students. Transportation Management Plan employees and Town employees are usually provided with parking areas.
Key Findings
There are some emerging trends since the inception of the Transportation Management Plan program.
NEXT STEPS
We will use the information from the survey to assist in on-going studies, including the Chapel Hill Long Range Transit Plans and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization 2035 Regional Transportation Plan updates. The information will also support the Town’s participation in the Triangle Regional Transportation Demand Management program.
Chapel Hill is now part of the Triangle Regional Transportation Demand Management effort, in collaboration with the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization and Triangle Transit. As part of this effort, the Town will participate in both regional and local efforts encouraging alternative modes of transportation and less use of single-occupancy vehicles.
As part of a regional Transportation Demand Management program the local Transportation Management Plan program will allow for continued outreach to the business community and Chapel Hill Town employees, encouraging alternative modes of transportation other than single occupancy vehicles. The Transportation Management Plan guidelines will continue to be reviewed and revised annually. Business, employee and Town employee surveys will continue to be distributed every 2 years. Town staff will continue to coordinate with the Transportation Demand Management Coordinator for the university to coordinate various promotion campaigns, such as the regional Smart Commute Challenge. Close collaboration with Triangle Transit is also necessary in order to assist employees in finding the best routes to and from their workplaces.
The Chapel Hill Transportation Demand Management program will include promoting Chapel Hill Transit and use of park and ride lots. We will also coordinate site visits, workshops, advisement on flex schedules, telecommuting, carpool coordination and provide one-on-one assistance concerning the peak commute times with promotions also encouraging alternative transportation during work errands, lunch breaks and meetings outside of the work place. In addition, the Town will develop a revised Transportation Management Plan for Town facilities by increasing efforts to reduce single-occupancy commuting by Town of Chapel Hill employees. Findings from the regional program will also allow Town staff to revise the Chapel Hill Transportation Management program.