M E M O R A N D U M. Enclosed for your review is the 2nd Quarter October, November, and December 2009 TRP Progress Report.

Transcription

1 M E M O R A N D U M TO: FROM: Dave Biddle, Project Manager Arizona Dept. of Environmental Quality Ruth Reiman, TDM Manager Pima Association of Governments DATE: February 3, 2010 RE: Fiscal Year nd Quarter Progress Report TRP ADEQ Contract No. EV Travel Reduction Program Grant Termination Date: June 30, 2010 Enclosed for your review is the 2nd Quarter October, November, and December 2009 TRP Progress Report. Thank you, TRP staff may be reached at (520) cc: Dave Frysinger, Chief Accountant, PAG Cherie Campbell, Transportation Director, PAG

2 Travel Reduction Program (TRP) 2 nd Quarter Progress Report October, November and December 2009 PREPARED FOR: Arizona Department Of Environmental Quality ADEQ Contract No. EV Travel Reduction Program Grant Termination Date: June 30, 2010 PIMA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS 177 N. Church Ave., Suite 405 Tucson, AZ (520)

3 Sun Rideshare Pima County Quarter 2, October to December FY Commuter Development RidePro database activity - The second quarter of FY saw large increases in the number of commuters added to the database due to the Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest. Deletions in December tapered off after a high level of deletions to eliminate old records. Deletions should be minimal in the future, since we are performing regular monthly purges to delete records older than 24 months. Active commuters on file: 3,090-1% vs. December 2008 Records added: % vs. Qtr 2 FY Records deleted: 475-5% vs. Qtr 2 FY Registered carpoolers: % vs. December 2008 Registered vanpoolers: % vs. December 2008 Registered bikers: 288 increase over 100% vs. year ago Registered bus riders: 576 increase over 100% vs. year ago Regional Guaranteed Ride Home Program (GRH) There are 1,332 commuters currently registered for GRH, an increase of 36 percent vs. last quarter. Pima Association of Governments and Sun Tran expenditures for GRH usage increased by 60 percent in calendar year 2009, due to a larger number of registrants, a more accessible voucher system, and increased awareness of the GRH program. The City of Tucson and Pima County stopped offering their own GRH to reduce costs and joined the Sun Rideshare GRH program. Even with the increase, the total expenditure of $1, 246 is rather small given the number of potential users and the perceived value by participants. Vanpool Program One new vanpool was added in the quarter going from Tucson to the Tohono O odham Nation in Sells. This is the first vanpool that is going to a non-trp employer. We are now working with the Tohono O odham Nation to organize additional vanpools for the many workers traveling between Tucson and Sells. A small vanpool was discontinued to the federal prisons due to shift changes for the driver and passengers. The total number of vanpools is now 24. The number of vanpoolers decreased from a year ago, but there are four more vanpools operating than a year ago. One reason for this discrepancy could be that we are doing a better job of updating our commuter database. We are now matching the vanpool rosters in the database with the vanpool logs submitted by the drivers, deleting passengers that are no longer riding and asking new passengers to enter their commuter profiles when necessary. Another reason is that some of the vans are operating with fewer passengers, because of the increase in the federal subsidy to $230.

4 Staff participated in employee presentations at the Southern Arizona Veteran s Administration Health Care Complex. Meetings were held for employees to learn about Sun Rideshare services, vanpooling, and the federal subsidy now available for employees. There are at least two groups ready to start once the administrative side of the subsidy program is finalized. Web Site Activity Web site visits recorded an increase in the thousands this quarter. Web site activity has been steadily growing since the implementation of our interactive carpool matching system at the end of However, the huge increase in Quarter 2 is the result of our commuter contest. In December alone, there were over 10,000 visits to the Sun Rideshare web site, which is triple the normal activity in the most recent months. Employer Development TRP employers A business development consultant was hired on a short-term contract to assist in recruiting new TRP employers, meeting with existing employers, and building employee participation at the workplace. In the second quarter, 11 new TRP employers joined the program. At the end of the quarter there were 315 participating employers compared to 301 in June Any increase in employer participation is quite positive given the number of employers that are downsizing. In November 2009, a mailing was sent to all CEOs at TRP companies clarifying the objectives of the Travel Reduction Program and how the program will be implemented in 2010 and beyond. PAG staff wanted to make sure all the employers got a clear explanation of the future of the TRP given the variety of messages they received while we were discussing program revisions. Sales Meetings and Presentations With the addition of the business development consultant and support from other PAG departments, TRP had representation at a variety of outreach events and employee presentations. In the second quarter, the employer transportation coordinator and other employer representatives conducted 54 meetings along with 12 events and one employee presentation. Sun Rideshare initiated a new type of outreach event for all TRP and Rideshare employers in the second quarter. On Oct. 27, 2009, the first Transportation Coordinator Workshop was held. It was a two hour session held off site for all employers interested in learning more about transportation and air quality in Pima County. About 45 people attended the workshop. The response was very positive from the attendees, so three more workshops are planned for See Attachment 1 for the October workshop agenda. Outreach, Marketing and Communications Sun Rideshare Web site The Sun Rideshare web site got a total makeover in the second quarter. The home page was redesigned to have a similar look as the print materials that already are in circulation. Navigation was simplified so commuters and employers can easily 2

5 find the information needed. The tasks most often performed by commuters are readily accessible on the home page. See Attachment 2 for the new Sun Rideshare web site home page. Newsletters The quarterly TC newsletter was issued in December. The newsletter can be viewed at the following link: TC Spotlight Charles Franz from the University of Arizona was the TC spotlight in the quarterly newsletter and is now the spotlight on the Sun Rideshare Web site. His testimonial can be seen at the following link: Management/TravelReductionProgram/TRPTCInformation/TCSpotlights/tabid/397/Default.as px Best Workplaces for Commuters PAG participated in two webinars sponsored by Best Workplaces for Commuters (BWC). The first was about all the alternative transportation options and benefits provided by Google for their employees. The other webinar was an awards presentation of the winners for the Race for Excellence, a program sponsored by BWC. Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT): Elections were held for the board members of the local chapter for ACT. Ruth Reiman, the PAG TDM Manager, will serve as the Pima County Representative on the local board of ACT. Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest The Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest was kicked off on Nov. 1, The contest was created to promote the use of alternative transportation and add new registrants to the commuter data base. The contest provides an incentive for commuters to change their behavior and then continues to reinforce that behavior with monthly prize drawings. The extended contest period of 12 months should establish a pattern of behavior for the commuter that will not change once the contest ends. The contest rules and prizes change each month to maximize the number of people who can play and win and to keep people engaged in the promotion over an extended period. Most of the monthly contests will require commuters to log in their travel mode each month to qualify for the prize. See Attachment 4 for the November and December Web site posting and Attachment 5 for the press release describing the contest. Provided below are the results of the contest for November and December November 2009 December 2009 New registrants Commuters eligible for the prize drawing Alternative mode trips recorded NA 12,362 VMT reduced NA 117,609 Greenhouse gas reduction (lbs) NA 103,355 Web site visits 3,573 10,356 3

6 Travel Reduction Task Force The TRP Task Force held a meeting on Oct. 27, 2009, preceding the Transportation Coordinator Workshop. The task force discussed the employee survey beginning in 2010, the 2010 Activity Inventory Report (AIR), the results of the 2009 AIR, business development and outreach activities, the Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest, and the task force meeting schedule and format. In the recent past, TRP task force meetings were expanded to include a variety of other topics not necessarily specific to TRP. All Transportation Coordinators were invited and encouraged to attend. Future task force meetings will now be limited to TRP related materials and all other items will be presented at the Transportation Coordinator workshops. See Attachment 6 for the meeting agenda, Attachment 7 for the draft minutes, and Attachment 8 for the 2010 meeting schedule. The terms for the task force members expired in June 2009, so elections were held in the second quarter to fill all the seats on the task force. All the seats for the major employers were filled, all the jurisdictions are represented and one seat for public interest organizations was filled. See attachment 9 for a complete listing of the new task force members. Attachments: 1. Transportation Coordinator Workshop agenda, October 27, Sun Rideshare Web site home page 3. November 2009 Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest 4. December 2009 Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest 5. Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest press release 6. October 27, 2009 TRP Task Force agenda 7. October 27, 2009 TRP Task Force meeting minutes 8. TRP Task Force 2010 meeting schedule 9. TRP Task Force member listing 4

7 Transportation Coordinator Fall Workshop City of Tucson Community Resource Center - Sentinel Building 320 N. Commerce Park Loop, Rillito/Sabino Room, 1 st Floor October 27, :30 pm to 4:30 pm 1) Introductions 2) Sun Rideshare new brand, new services a) Marketing materials b) Web site i) Interactive web site ii) Commute Calendar iii) Customized web sites iv) GRH c) Services i) Vanpooling ii) Outreach iii) TDM planning and assistance d) Sun Rideshare is on Facebook e) Best Workplaces for Commuters 3) Commuter Fringe Benefits a) Subsidizing commuter transportation b) Pre-tax payment c) New bike subsidy 4) Sun Tran services (15 minutes) a) Sun Tran (local) b) Sun Express c) Sun Shuttle d) New park and ride lots e) Bus pass sales f) Get on Board 5) Briefing on air quality nonattainment status 6) Travel Reduction Ordinance in 2010 and beyond a) TRO update b) 2009 Activity Inventory Report 7) New Sun Rideshare Commuter Contest starts November 1, ) Wrap-up a) Transportation Coordinator feedback b) Future topics for next workshop c) Possible dates and locations

8 Pima Association of Governments > Programs > Transportation Planning > Plans an... Page 1 of 1 2/3/2010 PAG HOME PROGRAMS Transportation Planning Sun Rideshare Register/Sign in Commuter Services Employer Services Contact Us/Links News & Events Search Home About PAG Programs Regional Data Committees Calendar Press / News Contact Us 2007 Pima Association of Governments 177 N. Church Avenue, Suite 405 Tucson, Arizona Telephone (520) Fax (520)

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11 Nov. 3, 2009 For immediate release Contact: Ruth Reiman, (520) or Sun Rideshare announces monthly Commuter Contest Sun Rideshare, a program of Pima Association of Governments, started a monthly Commuter Contest this month. Over the next 12 months, Pima County commuters will have a chance to win a variety of prizes by greening their commute to work. Each month the prizes and the rules change so everyone will have a chance to play and win. The promotion is running for a year to reinforce the use of alternative modes of transportation over a long time period, keep the community engaged with different ways to play and win, and support as many Travel Reduction Program companies as possible. During the promotion, PAG will buy all the contest prizes from TRP employers. We know many TRP employers are suffering with the economic downturn, so PAG and Sun Rideshare want to help stimulate the local economy and thank the TRP companies for their dedication to reducing pollution and congestion, said Ruth Reiman, Manager of PAG s Travel Demand Management program. The first month of the contest, November 2009, focuses on getting new commuters in the database. Commuters may qualify by entering their profile to find a carpool partner, join or start a vanpool, find a bike buddy, or register for Guaranteed Ride Home. Six winners will be randomly selected from all the new entries this month. The prizes are a $50 gift card from one of the following Travel Reduction companies: JC Penney, Macy s, Kohl s, Target, Dillard s, or Wal-Mart. Other months will focus on rewarding carpoolers, vanpoolers, bus riders, bikers and walkers when they log in their mode of transportation for their daily commute. Commuters may qualify to win weekend getaways, car care packages, gift cards or plane tickets if they record a minimum number of green commutes. Commuters who become a fan of Sun Rideshare on Facebook will get a sneak preview of the new contest each month. Pima County residents can visit 884ride.org for more information or call 884-RIDE. Pima Association of Governments is an association of local, state and tribal governments with a mission to build consensus among its members and the public on regional planning for transportation, air quality and water quality Pima Association of Governments 177 N. Church Ave, Suite 405, Tucson, AZ (520) [tel] (520) [fax] [web]

12 Travel Reduction Program, Regional Task Force (TRP RTF) 1:30 p.m., October 27, 2009 Pima Association of Governments Offsite meeting location City of Tucson Community Resources Center Rillito Sabino Room 310 N. Commerce Park Loop Tucson, AZ Agenda 1. Call to Order and Introductions 2. Call to the Audience 3. TRP Status Update/Announcements 2009 Activity Inventory Report/Results TRP TC Update Newsletter June, September 2009 edition / TRP RTF Announcements 4. Approval of Minutes of May 18, In-Kind Forms Information/Discussion: The Task Force will be asked to sign the Local Share Contribution form for matching funds and attendance. 6. Future agenda items next meeting date: October Adjournment ACTION MAY BE TAKEN ON ANY ITEM Persons with a disability or language barrier may request this document in alternative formats or transactions or other reasonable accommodations by contacting Rita Hildebrand (520) Requests should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation. Pima Association of Governments 177 N. Church Ave, Suite 405, Tucson, AZ (520) [tel] (520) [fax] [web]

13 Travel Reduction Program Regional Task Force (TRP RTF) Minutes of October 27, 2009, Meeting Committee Members Present Charles Franz, University of Arizona Ron Gonzales, Raytheon Missile Systems Barbara Ricca, IBM Jenny Sirnio, alternate for Kate Riley, Sun Tran Willie Wash, Arizona State Prison-Tucson Complex Staff David Joseph Zonia Kelley Ruth Reiman Jurisdiction Representatives Beth Gorman, Pima County DEQ Yolanda Parker, City of Tucson Pima Association of Governments 177 N. Church Ave, Suite 405, Tucson, AZ (520) [tel] (520) [fax] [web]

14 1. Call to Order and Introductions The meeting was called to order by Ruth Reiman at 1:32 p.m. and introductions were made. 2. Call to the Audience No comments were provided. 3. TRP Status Update/Announcements 2009 Activity Inventory Report/Results - Ruth Reiman distributed a summary of the Activity Inventory Report (AIR). Ruth informed the members that this report took the place of the plan. Ruth Reiman mentioned that the AIR report showed that sites are not promoting the GRH program or carpooling. A majority of TCs are not familiar with the Sun Rideshare carpool matching system. The activities are down compared to other years, and this could be attributed to the economy, TC turnover, and mixed messages about the future of the TRP. Next year the AIR report will go out on June 1 and sites will have 30 days to fill out and return. There will be some minor modifications to the AIR questionnaire next year. There were some problems with sites submitting their report via the internet and we hope to resolve those issues next year. Some of the members who have very strict firewalls had the most problems getting their report submitted. Jenny Sirnio asked if she could obtain the AIR contact information electronically. Ruth Reiman responded that she would send it. Jenny used the plan information in the past to update her information. TRP TC Update Newsletter June, September 2009 edition / The TC Update Newsletter is sent out quarterly. The last issue was sent out in September, the links above are for the last two issues. Ruth Reiman asked the group to let her know if they had anyone in mind that could be highlighted in the upcoming issues. TRP RTF Announcements Ruth Reiman informed the members that the funding from ADEQ has been partially received. At this time only half of the funding has come in. ADEQ informed PAG that the remainder of the funding may be received later in the year. The quarterly progress report to ADEQ will be sent to ADEQ in the next few days. The annual report for TRP has already been submitted to ADEQ and was sent out to the TRP RTF members under a separate . 2

15 The TRP ordinance is still in effect and according to the stipulations there are four things that need to be implemented. First is to appoint a Transportation Coordinator (TC) second is to disseminate information, third is to do a plan and lastly is to do a survey. The Survey will be start again in 2010 and will be re-done every 4 years. Ruth Reiman explained that 25% of the sites will be surveyed the first year and 25% the following year and so on. The response rate will be lowered so that it becomes more realistic for sites to complete. Ms. Reiman asked the members to please provide any suggestions they may have. There will be a TRP RTF meeting approximately in March to discuss the survey. Charles Franz questioned if the same cycle would be used according to the start month of the site for surveying. Ms. Reiman replied that the start dates will be different than before, but that is still in the decision stage and may just start all sites at the same time since only 25% will be surveying at once. Barbara Ricca conveyed concerns about not staggering with possibly overloading the servers if everyone using electronic. Ms. Reiman asked the members for input on how long they felt was needed to complete the survey and the members responded that four weeks would be enough time for completion. New marketing materials have been designed and are available if needed. All posters and flyers are available in PDF format and can be printed at your site in any size that is needed. The new commuter brochure can be requested from staff and any quantity mailed to the work site. TRP/Rideshare Contest The Commuter Contest begins on November 1. More information regarding the contest will be provided at the Workshop following this meeting. The prizes for the contest will by purchased from TRP companies and a new contest will begin each month. Future TRP RTF meetings- TRP RTF meetings will be business items only and will be held on an as needed basis, most likely 2-3 meetings in Workshops - Two to three workshops a year will be held for TRP and Rideshare sites. TRP RTF Announcements Yolanda Parker, COT informed the group of the next CTAC meeting coming up on November 2, Beth Gorman announced that PDEQ is co-sponsoring green living fair with the HabiStore on Saturday Nov. 14, 2009 from 10 a.m. t o 2:00 p.m. All proceeds will fund the Habitat Tucson mission of eliminating poverty housing within our community. Barbara Ricca asked if the funding shortage from ADEQ would affect operations of the TRP program. Ruth Reiman replied that it has already affected it by the staff cuts that where done in June. We are using the marketing materials developed by Valley Metro to keep expenses down, which helped with the cost. We are also advertising for free on the Transview Website, and are 3

16 looking into providing outreach via Facebook and Twitter. TRP RTF members mentioned that a lot of them have Facebook blocked from their computers at work. The question also came up on what the roll of the TRP RTF will be. Ruth Reiman replied that the members would be a sounding board for the program. Ruth Reiman encouraged the members to participate in the workshops, this would provide good testimonials to all attending. TRP RTF Elections Ruth Reiman informed the group that we will be discussing TRP RTF elections at the next meeting in March. 4. Approval of Minutes of May 18, Approval of minutes was tabled for next meeting due to quorum. shortage. Members suggested looking into approval by . Staff will look into the possibility of approving minutes via In-Kind Forms In-kind form was routed to members. 6. Future agenda items next meeting date: March 2010 TRP RTF Election Discussion Employee Survey Activity Inventory Report 7. Adjournment - Meeting adjourned at 2:05p.m. 4

17 TRAVEL REDUCTION PROGRAM REGIONAL TASK FORCE 2010 MEETING SCHEDULE JANUARY FEBRUARY MARCH APRIL NO MEETING MONDAY 8 th NO MEETING NO MEETING MAY JUNE JULY AUGUST NO MEETING MONDAY 7 th NO MEETING NO MEETING SEPTEMBER OCTOBER NOVEMBER DECEMBER NO MEETING MONDAY 4 th NO MEETING NO MEETING Time: Place: 10:00 a.m. Pima Association of Governments 177 N. Church Ave., Suite 501 (5 th Floor) Main Conference Room

18 TRAVEL REDUCTION PROGRAM REGIONAL TASK FORCE MEMBERSHIP EFFECTIVE January 1, 2010 TERM MAJOR EMPLOYERS (10) ORGANIZATION EXPIRES Denise Germany Tucson Airport Authority January 12 Barbara Ricca IBM January 12 Charles J. Franz University of Arizona January 12 Joseph Portale Pima County Community College January 12 John Byler Federal Correctional Complex January 12 Dan Schulter TUSD January 12 Ron Gonzales Raytheon January 12 Maxima Miller Citi January 12 Kate Riley Sun Tran January 12 Willie Wash Arizona State Prison - Tucson Complex January 12 VOLUNTARY TERM PARTICIPANTS (2) ORGANIZATION EXPIRES JURISDICTION REPRESENTATIVES (6) ORGANIZATION Yolanda Parker City of Tucson Beth Gorman Pima County Aimee Ramsey Town of Oro Valley Loren Churchman Town of Marana Richard Salaz City of South Tucson Debbie Bice Town of Sahuarita PUBLIC INTEREST ORGANIZATION REPRESENTATIVES (2) TERM EXPIRES Nancy Moyer American Lung Association January 12