what is transportaton demand management?
The Burlington-Graham MPO is experiencing considerable growth. From 2010 - 2020, the total population in Alamance County increased by 13.4 percent, leading to increased congestion on roads and major corridors in the region. The traditional transportation management response to increased congestion is to increase the capacity of the road or network through building more roads and adding more lanes. An alternate approach, Transportation Demand Management (TDM), is quickly gaining traction as a superior transportation management approach. Instead of increasing capacity, a TDM approach seeks to reduce or reallocate transportation demand. By focusing on demand, we can work towards reducing congestion and traffic pollution and increasing the quality of life for Burlington-Graham MPO residents.
A TDM approach may consist of a variety of programs, policies and strategies that serve to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicle (SOV) trips. While the list of potential TDM strategies is extensive, they typically fall under a few main categories: Targeted incentives for employers and employees; prioritizing other transportation modes such as public transit, vanpool, or carpool; implementing systemic land use or parking policy enhancements; and encouraging the schedule and location of employment through telework or alternate commute schedules.
tdm plan
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) helps fund TDM measures and programs across the state. Piedmont Authority for Regional Transportation (PART) is the authorized distributor of TDM funds for the Piedmont Triad region, which covers the BGMPO. In response to an invitation by PART to increase TDM programming, BGMPO recently developed a TDM Plan that was approved by the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC) in October 2021. This plan defines the TDM Program and outlines the steps BGMPO can take to reduce or reallocate demand through prioritization of alternate modes of transportation. BGMPO will evaluate its implementation of the plan's recommendations on an annual basis.
VAnpool program
Did you know that PART manages a regional vanpool program all residents of the Triad are eligible to take advantage of? And did you know an estimated 87% of PART Express riders are residents of Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem, and Burlington. PART has reingrivated the regional vanpool program and if you would like to register to be PART of the vanpool program, follow the link here. If you would like to learn more about the TDM plan and strategies click here.