Reducing the number of single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) coming to campus each day is a challenge for Emory that calls for a comprehensive approach. Emory is about to get some assistance in planning and implementing those approaches from one of the region's foremost planning agencies, the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC).
As a participant in ARC's forthcoming Commute Connections program, Emory will be part of a regional effort to reduce the number of people commuting to and from work in SOVs, thereby reducing the level of air pollution in the area. For several years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has designated Atlanta as one of a number of metropolitan areas with unacceptably high levels of air pollution, particularly during the warmer months.
Courtney Carroll, an ARC commute consultant and recent MBA graduate of Emory, presented the Commute Connections program to Emory's Carpool Task Force Feb. 23. Carroll said under the program, ARC will work with employers with more than 100 employees to determine which alternative commuting options are most appropriate for those employees and help implement the programs. Some of those options include carpooling/vanpooling, mass transit (MARTA), bicycling, telecommuting and flexible work schedules
"It will be a couple of months before we are up and running," Carroll said. "We are in the process of ordering the software we need. Once we have that, we will be able to pull the employees into our database and tell them who is living in their area and working similar hours."
The function Carroll described was previously handled by the Georgia Department of Transportation's (DOT) Rider Matching Service. Although the DOT will continue to conduct rider matching outside the Atlanta region, ARC is assuming responsibility for the Atlanta area's rider matching services as part of Commute Connections.
Services Emory will receive as a Commute Connections participant include:
*Computerized carpool and vanpool rider matching;
*Mass transit information;
*Employer work site assessments;
*Employee commuter transportation surveys; and
*Implementation of employee incentive programs.
The employee survey will be one of the first steps in implementing Commute Connections. In addition, Emory will receive technical assistance in the form of commuter efficiency program planning and training, ride sharing orientation, employee transportation coordinator training, variable work schedule planning, and telecommuting planning.
Emory employees have much to gain from using alternative transportation methods for their commute, said Carroll. She said the benefits include: a savings of up to $2,000 per year on gasoline and maintenance, savings on hang tag and parking deck fees, lower auto insurance rates, and faster commutes via carpool/vanpool lanes on interstate highways.
"We want to get Emory to the point where no more parking decks are needed," said Carroll. "We want to be able to point to Emory as an example for other employers [looking at alternative commuting options]."
Carroll, who specializes in creating commuting options for medical centers, will be working on the Emory project with ARC Commute Consultant Barry Steig, whose specialty is commuting options for colleges and universities.
Steig said the federal grant ARC received to conduct Commute Connections will play a key role in reducing the number of SOVs in the Atlanta region. "The federal Clean Air Act says that we must reduce the number of SOVs by 15 percent by 1996," said Steig. "The regulations call for certain mandates to take effect if those levels aren't met, which could mean fines to the region's businesses and other institutions."
Cheryle Crumley, manager of alternative transportation programs with Emory Parking and Community Services, is excited about the possibilities that Commute Connections presents. "We are very pleased that ARC will provide the necessary resources to help us pursue alternative commuting options," Crumley said. "There probably are lots of business and institutions that would not take the time to participate in such an experiment without the ARC assistance. We are very excited about having the resources and expertise that will allow us to come up with a broad range of commuting options for the Emory community. We need to be creative and open-minded in our approach to addressing clean air and traffic and parking issues, and Commute Connections does just that."
--Dan Treadaway