Triangle Transportation Choices
What's New
As access to jobs, housing and services in our region continues to shift, personal choice for commuters has never been more important. The newly rebranded Triangle Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program, Triangle Transportation Choices, aims to address this growing need for choices. The new name and smart logo (above) reflect three key aspects of the long-standing program: the geographical area (Triangle), the evolving concept of Transportation, and the demand for options. Over the past six months program staff worked with program funders and grantees to get direction on their vision for the program and build consensus on the rebrand. In the 2021-2022 year, the program will disburse over $1.5 million in grant money across fourteen different local organizations including all major universities, the regional transit agency, and a group of municipalities and counties. Most of these organizations have participated in program for many years but implement their own approach to TDM. Through the rebrand, all program stakeholders hope to convey the holistic and novel approach to TDM in the Triangle and the strength of the partnership and look forward to engaging a broader group of commuters as people begin returning to physical spaces.
About the Program
Triangle Transportation Choices is a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program in the 7-county Triangle region of the state of North Carolina. It aims to reduce commuter reliance on single-occupancy vehicles (SOV) by encouraging healthier, much lower cost, greener and sustainable alternative options such as carpool, vanpool, public transit, biking, walking, teleworking, and flexible work weeks. TJCOG has served as the Program administrator since its very beginning in 2008. The program links NC state policy and funding with local and regional service providers. It draws from the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) developed jointly by CAMPO and DCHC MPO for the Triangle region, as well as the NCDOTs TDM Strategic Plan. The MTP is the long-range plan for transportation improvements across the Triangle region. Durham, Orange and Wake, the three counties in the Triangle, too have their own transit Plans.
These can be accessed below:
Program funding is provided by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) and Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) Improvement Program. These funds are provided on behalf of two Triangle Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO): North Carolina Capital Area MPO (NC CAMPO) and Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro DCHC MPO.
The Annual Impact Report for the Triangle Transportation Choices program calculates reductions in vehicle trips, vehicle miles traveled, and vehicular emissions resulting from programs funded in that grant cycle by the Program. For more information about the program please read our latest Impact Report.
FY22 Request for Proposals
Grant awards against the FY22 Request for Proposals (RFP) for the Triangle Transportation Choices Program were announced in May 2021.
The information below about the RFP is only for reference purposes. Please contact Shuchi Gupta at sgupta@tjcog.org for any questions regarding this.
The RFP has a new section on equity in alignment with the joint MPO policy priorities of the two of the Program funders i.e., DCHC MPO and CAMPO. This section is on page 3 of the FY22 Guidance document. Attachment D also has a new equity section on page 2 that all applicants must respond to. Attachment C2 depicts overlay of three key equity indicators on TDM hotspots, and is intended to help the applicants respond to questions in Attachment D.
Attachment A: 7-Year Plan Revised Table of Activities
Attachment B: Prioritizing Geographic Areas of the Triangle for Provision of TDM Services
Attachment C1: FY22 Map of Hotspots
Attachment C2: FY22 Equity Indicators Overlay on TDM Hotspots
Attachment D: FY22 Proposal Narrative
Attachment E: FY22 Budget Application Template
Attachment F: FY22 Conferences & Membership Policy Guidelines
Attachment G: FY22 Grant Application Cover Sheet Template
Attachment H: FY22 Workplan Timetable Template
Attachment I: Cost-Match Commitment Letter Sample
Attachment J: FY22 Scope of Contractor Services Template
Attachment K: FY22 Quarterly Reporting Template
Attachment L: Triangle TDM Program Roles and Responsibilities
FY22 Grantees
One (1) Regional Service Provider, twelve (12) Local Service Providers (LSPs) and 2 innovative projects are being funded under the FY22 Triangle Transportation Choices grant. GoTriangle as the Regional Provider will implement and coordinate regional TDM services. It works closely with the LSPs and is the lead agency on all regional marketing and outreach initiatives. The LSPs develop and implement TDM campaigns and/or activities and provide TDM outreach in their specific hotspots. Below is the list of all Providers funded for the FY22 cycle:
GoTriangle
NC State University
NC Central University
Center for Advanced Hindsight, Duke (Innovative project)
Duke University
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Wake Technical Community College
City of Raleigh
City of Durham (Innovative project and LSP)
Orange County
Towns of Chapel Hill and Carrboro
Wake County
Research Triangle Park
Best Workplaces for Commuters
Triangle Transportation Choices Plan Update Process
In April 2019, TJCOG started work on updating the original 7-Year Long Range Triangle TDM Plan developed in 2006-07. It facilitated several focus group meetings with different TDM stakeholder groups with the assistance of Gresham Smith (NCDOT’s lead consultant on Statewide TDM program). As a part of the Update process it also worked closely with its Oversight Committee and other Partners to ensure that the Updated Plan aligned with NCDOT PTDs Statewide Strategic Plan.
Here is the draft of the proposed Updated TDM Plan/Goals.
TJCOG presented the draft to the Technical Committees and the Executive Boards of both its funders- Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization (DCHC MPO) and Capital Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) in fall 2019. Both invited public comment in December 2019. The update process had to be put on hold initially in February 2020 due to NCDOT funding issues. This then got extended due to the pandemic. TJCOG anticipates resuming in fall 2021.