“Having choices” was the focus of recent presentations to the Joint Policy Advisory Committee on Transportation and the Metro Policy Advisory Committee, as Regional Travel Options program manager Daniel Kaempff presented the program’s bi-annual evaluation. The report, conducted by independent consultant Steer Davies Gleave, analyzed the successes and opportunities of RTO projects led by area partners and Metro staff.
“These programs go beyond ‘build it and they will come.’ We've shown through the evaluation – build it and they will come, and if you tell them about it, even more people will come,” said Kaempff.
The evaluation report showed that RTO programs, along with the infrastructure investments they support, have successfully given residents and visitors choices on how to travel for work, saved our region time and money, reduced pollution and provided opportunities for people to live healthier lives.
The RTO program is funded through state and federal allocations of approximately $2.2 million. Over half of those funds are awarded to local governments, transit districts and non-profit organizations through competitive grants. During the 2011 to 2013 RTO grant cycle partners conduct 27 projects that raise awareness and reduce barriers to using travel options.
Over 84,000 people participated in these projects, with information and assistance reaching them where they live, work and play. Because they used their cars less, those 84,000 people reduced their driving by 47 million miles annually. That’s the equivalent of 1.8 million trips from Intel in Hillsboro to Portland International Airport that didn’t happen with help from RTO programs.
Additional findings on the program’s success include $17 million per year returned to the local economy from reduced driving and 18,881 fewer tons of carbon per year going into the environment. Since tracking of the program began in 1997, the use of walking, biking, transit and rideshare at businesses that work with RTO partners has risen from 19 percent to 39 percent, far above the national average.
Program highlights from RTO grantees include:
- Discover Wilsonville saw a 12.9 percent increase in walking trips and a 9 percent increase in transit use in Wilsonville through their efforts.
- Portland Bureau of Transportation's SmartTrips program in northeast Portland saw a 13 percent reduction in driving trips among program participants and a 16 percent relative increase in active transportation use.
- With the help of the Swan Island Transportation Management Agency, 50 percent of UPS’ 1,500 employees carpool, bike, walk or take transit to work.
- Westside Transportation Alliance business members in Washington County saved over 3,200,000 miles through compressed work weeks and teleworking, and saved over 10,200,000 pounds of CO2 by choosing non-drive alone commuting options.
While the evaluation report highlights successes, it also points out that the programs have reached a plateau of growth, largely due to cuts in transit service, slowing of the growth rate in new active transportation infrastructure, and a flattening of funding levels. Current programs have primarily achieved success by engaging “the low hanging fruit” of the population; those most likely and able to change how they travel. The report suggests additional resources and innovative strategies will be needed to reach communities with barriers to using travel options and continue to produce significant increases in participation.
Over the next year, RTO and its community partners will be exploring travel trends, program successes and new opportunities in travel option use through written stories, videos and infographics available on the Metro web site.