NEWS ADVISORY
CONTACT: Nicole Clegg, 207-756-8173, 207-272-4477 (cell); nicoleclegg@portlandmaine.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 13, 2011
CITY LAUNCHES TRANSPORTATION PLANNING WEB SITE FOR EMPLOYERS
TDM2go will help local businesses adopt strategies to address transportation needs of employees
This Wednesday, the City of Portland and the Portland Area Comprehensive Transportation System (PACTS) will launch TDM2go.info, a web-based transportation planning tool designed to help employers reduce parking costs, decrease traffic congestion, improve air quality and provide a low-cost benefit for their employees through effective Transportation Demand Management (TDM). TDM utilizes a variety of strategies to help reduce travel demand for, in particular, single-occupancy vehicles used to commute to work.
“TDM2go will help the city continue on its path towards sustainability and livability by supporting local businesses develop plans to address their transportation concerns as well as help the city as a whole reduce traffic congestion,” stated City of Portland Mayor Nicholas Mavodones. “Transportation management is a cost-effective way to enhance transportation access while improving the environment and public health of the community.” More than 17,000 vehicles enter, exit or pass through the Portland peninsula every weekday.
An effective TDM plan can help both employers and employees save money, reduce congestion and create more livable working environments by encouraging employees to telecommute, bike, walk, ride transit, carpool or vanpool to work. Communities like Portland and many of its neighbors are beginning to require TDM plans when a business, developer or organization expands or builds a new facility that has the potential to impact local traffic and transportation infrastructure. The City of Portland now requires a Transportation Demand Management Plan for site plan approval for new large scale developments, more than 50,000 square feet, and institutions serving more than one hundred employees or students. Maine Medical Center was Portland’s first large employer to utilize Transportation Demand Planning and it has received national recognition for its successful program.
“PACTS funded this project because TDM is an excellent way to expand our transportation system’s capacity – without building new or wider roads. TDM2go is an innovative way to make TDM efforts more accessible and widely adopted. Employers will find that tackling an often complicated and challenging issue is as easy as a click of the mouse,” said John Duncan, PACTS Director. He referred to the web site’s user-friendly format and downloadable tools that provide step-by-step assistance as employers embark on the TDM planning process. The web site features sample before-and-after employee surveys and a “Plan-to-Go” form that walks employers through the process. There are also tips on how to implement and measure the success of an employer-based TDM effort and samples of successful TDM plans developed in Maine and around the country.
TDM2go was developed by the City of Portland’s Office of Transportation Policy, a team of planners and employers, as well as transportation professionals, Greater Portland METRO and GO MAINE Commuter Services, and was funded by a $20,000 grant from PACTS. The site will go live at the official launch and employers are encouraged to visit www.TDM2go.info to learn more about transportation planning and what they can do.
When: Wednesday, June 15, 2011, 12:30 p.m.
Where: State of Maine Room, City Hall, Portland
###