The 2012 Florida Commuter Choice Summit, sponsored by the Florida Department of Transportation, and hosted by the Center for Urban Transportation Research, was held April 12 and 13, 2012 at the University of South Florida Marshall Student Center in Tampa. The Summit is an annual event that includes innovative presentations on Transportation Demand Management topics and updates from the seven FDOT districts.  Recipients of the Florida Travel Choices Awards and Road Scholar (Commuter Choice) Certificates will be recognized at an awards ceremony. Use the links below to download PDF copies of the presentations featured at the event.

April 12, 2012

Recognition Programs for Employers – How to Get Employers and Politicians Excited About TDM. Both Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) staff and the employers they assist want others to know that the work they do is important and that they are making a difference for their organization. CAPs partner with employers to find transportation solutions that will not only make their company more successful, but improve the economic vitality and quality of life for their community. Recognition programs can help meet these needs and in doing so, motivate everyone involved in the TDM process. During this innovative session, attendees heard from a District that is recognizing and rewarding employers and from employers getting recognized for their efforts in return.

1. Best Workplaces for Commuters for Florida Commuter Assistance Programs – Julie Bond, CUTR
2. Getting Local Officials Excited about Commuter Assistance: Program Ambassadors Program and Best Workplaces for Commuters – Christine Diaz-Pagan, Commuter Services of Southwest Florida/URS
3. Best Workplaces for Commuters: The Tindale-Oliver Experience (Creative Ways to Market the Program to Employees – Laura Everitt, Tindale Oliver & Associates, Inc.
4. Leave the Car Parked in the Driveway: Achieving Alternative Methods of Transportation – Erin Bryce and Stan Frank, City of North Port, FL

Federal Initiatives in Support of TDM. Demand management continues to evolve from responding to hot button topics of the day like energy crisis and expanding the focus beyond commuters to a more systematic integration of TDM in the way transportation agencies will operate in the future. Internationally recognized TDM expert, Eric Schreffler, shared his perspectives of where demand management is headed in the US and abroad.

Snap, Crackle, and TDM Pop Marketing. This session was designed to learn more about basic strategies to help invigorate your promotional marketing efforts, including an overview of FDOT-supported resources. This session provided tools to help you re-imagine your approach to marketing with an emphasis on marketing aesthetics and visual branding. – Jeff Horton, The Marketing Institute, Florida State University

April 13, 2012

Commuter Choice Certificate Graduates

2012 Florida Travel Choices Awards

Bus Rapid Transit and Managed Lanes: Miami and Minneapolis have implemented managed toll lanes on their interstate highways through a USDOT funded program known as the Urban Partnership Agreement (UPA) Program. The Miami project is known as the I-95 Express Lanes, and the Minneapolis project is known as the I-35W MnPass Lanes. A portion of the UPA funds were set aside for enhanced bus service in the managed lanes. Brian Pessaro (CUTR) presented on what impacts these managed lanes have had on bus service. Registered 3+ carpools, vanpools and hybrids are allowed to use the 95 Express lanes in Miami toll-free. Robyn Chiarelli (FDOT) presented on the toll-free usage of the lanes, and the marketing and outreach efforts that have been implemented to support the goal of reducing traffic congestion on I-95.

1. Bus Rapid Transit and Managed Lanes – Brian Pessaro, CUTR
2. Managed Lanes Experience of South Florida’s 95 Express – Robyn Chiarelli, Florida Department of Transportation District 4

Show Me the Money – Show Me the Results: This presentation reported on progress of the ongoing effort to estimate the aggregate effects and effectiveness of six of Florida’s Commuter Assistance Programs. The focus was on the chain of interactions from recruiting customers to matching them into carpools and vanpools; customer satisfaction; and on measures of performance (reductions in vehicle trips, emissions, and fuel use). – Ed Hillsman, CUTR and Michael Wright, Florida Department of Transportation