Promoting Travel Options in the City of Edmonton

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Promoting Travel Options in the City of Edmonton

• Mary Modrovcic
• Sustainable Transportation
• ACT Canada TDM Summit 2009
• November 17, 2009

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Edmonton, Alberta
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Presentation Summary

• Overview of Edmontons Transportation Demand
  Management (TDM) Program
• Employee Workplace Commuter Survey
• Carpool.ca
• Commuter Challenge
• reRoute Program

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City of Edmonton
Sustainable Transportation
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Background

• The vast majority of Edmontonians use the
  automobile as their default mode of
  transportation, and most of the resultant vehicle
  trips are made by single occupants.

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What is Transportation Demand Management (TDM)?

• Transportation Demand Management (TDM) includes
  a wide range of policies, programs, services, and
  products that influence when, where, and how
  people travel, thereby increasing the efficiency
  of the transportation network.
• Offer travel incentives and disincentives that
  provide a benefit or disbenefit related to travel
  choices
• Educate and promote to build awareness,
  understanding, and positive attitudes about
  travel options
• Provide a combination of infrastructure,
  supporting policies and supportive land use
  planning.

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TDM Principles

• Principle 1 Quality of Life
• By changing travel behaviour, significant
  improvements can be made to the quality of life
  of Edmontons residents, including but not
  limited to
• The Environment
• Affordability
• Health
• Principle 2 Equity
• Infrastructure and policies should be in place to
  support a full range of travel options for all
  Edmontonians.
• Principle 3 Efficiency
• By realizing the inherent potential of each mode
  of transport, the efficiency of existing
  infrastructure can be improved, and the
  effectiveness of future infrastructure
  investments can also be improved.

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Current TDM Initiatives
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Employee Workplace Commuter Survey

• Advertised via posters and emails
• Gift incentives provided

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Employee Workplace Commuter Survey

• Based on Transport Canada Survey.
• Both online and hard copy available to 9,000 City
  of Edmonton employees participation voluntary.
• Survey ran between Aug 1st to Sept 14th, 2007.
• Over 3,800 respondents 50/50 Male-Female Split.
• Success due to iPod draw? Only 50 of respondents
  entered draw

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Survey Sample
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Survey Results
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Survey Results
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Survey Results

• 59 work compressed work weeks (CD days).
• 53 have flexible working hours.
• 29 of transit users, participate in the Employee
  Transit Pass Discount Program (ETS _at_ Work).
• 61 have not participated in a carpool within the
  last year.
• 54 have not used public transit within the last
  year.
• 53 who drive alone, park for FREE.
• 23 live outside of the City of Edmonton.

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A Strategy for Edmonton
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Progress to Date
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Carpool Ridematching
33 of City of Edmonton employees would consider
carpooling if they could find compatible carpool
partners.
Based on 2007 City of Edmonton Workplace
Commuter Survey results
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Carpool.ca Registration
950 new users as of November 9, 2007
0 users as of September 1, 2007
As of October 2009 there are more than 2500
active registrants with Carpool.ca
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Carpool Parking

• One year pilot project intended to test the
  operations and effectiveness of Carpool Parking
  (Feb 2009 to Feb 2010).
• Offers extra incentive to try carpooling
• Five carpool parking stalls provided at
  Edmontons 3 LRT Park Ride Locations.
• Carpoolers using Park and Ride locations will be
  rewarded with a prime parking spot.

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Carpool Parking
LRT Station Entrances
Claireview LRT Station
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Commuter Challenge 2008
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Commuter Challenge

• The first Commuter Challenge began in Calgary
  in 1991 during National Environment Week.
• In 1997 the Calgary team discovered that other
  Canadian cities were hosting similar events and
  challenged Vancouver, Ottawa and London to an
  intercity challenge.
• In 1999 Sustainable Alberta Association was
  formed as an umbrella organization to host the
  Calgary event and to apply for the funding from
  the National Climate Change Action Fund required
  to develop a national campaign.
• Internet software was developed and piloted in
  1999 and by 2000 twenty Canadian Cities and over
  500 corporations participated in the Canadian
  Commuter Challenge.

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Commuter Challenge

• City Coordinators
• Define the local Commuter Challenge program.
  Coordinate local events workplace recruitment,
  media campaigns and local sponsorships for
  funding and prizes.
• Workplace Coordinators
• Deliver the program to their employees through
  internal communications, workplace events, prizes.

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Commuter Challenge
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National Commuter Challenge Results for 2008
Community Participants Population Percent Participation
Vancouver/Lower Mainland 6448 2116581 0.305
Calgary 6394 1079310 0.592
Winnipeg 6219 658700 0.944
Ottawa 3462 846802 0.409
Waterloo Region 2283 508000 0.449
Hamilton 1433 504559 0.284
Edmonton 1086 730372 0.149
Regina 906 190000 0.477
Burnaby 653 202799 0.322
Gatineau 410 242124 0.169

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Commuter Challenge 2009
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National CommuterChallenge Results for 2009
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National CommuterChallenge Results for 2009
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In-House Commuter Challenge

• A year-round commuter challenge program will be
  developed for City staff with the objective of
  launching the program in May 2009.
• This web-based program will be similar to the
  national Commuter Challenge program.
• City staff will be encouraged to use alternate
  modes of transportation as part of their commute
  and log their travels each month.

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Employee Commuter Tracking Program

• Creative new program
• Designed to encourage City
• of Edmonton Employees to
• Walk
• Cycle
• Carpool
• take Transit
• ..instead of driving to work alone

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• The purpose of the pilot project is to
• Engage employees to change and track their
  behaviour in the long term
• Develop a program of that effect to export to
  other employers in Edmonton
• Inform the development of TDM promotions for the
  general public

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reRoute

• Users set up a personal commuting profile
• Distance of commute
• Length of time of commute
• Vehicle model

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reRoute

• Users track their commuting habits
• through an electronic calendar

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reRoute

• Personal profiles compare commuting habits to
  Single Occupant Vehicle (SOV) commuting.
• 342 City employees registered as of November 13,
  2009.
• By choosing alternate modes of transportation,
  employees have saved
• 15,747 in travel related costs
• 90,114 Km in distance travelled
• 244 hours and 16 minutes of travel time
• 19,077 Kg of CO2 emissions (GHG)
• .since May 14, 2009.
• Goal of reaching 450 users (5 of City employees).

May 14, 2009 May 29, 2009
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Questions ?