Triangle Region's Best Workplaces for Commuters

• 24 companies were recognized on the first annual list of the Triangle Region's Best Workplaces for Commuters
• The 70,000+ commuters covered by the employers on the 2004 Triangle Region's Best Workplaces for Commuters list will help reduce 33 thousand metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, a reduction equivalent to planting 27,000 acres of pine trees.
• 10 employers expanded their benefits package to qualify for the 2004 Triangle Region's Best Workplaces for Commuters list.
• BWC Progress Reports:
  • July 2006

Triangle Region Commuting Facts

• The table below highlights the average annual delay for, as well as costs of congestion and gallons of wasted fuel, in the Raleigh-Durham region. (Texas Transportation Institute, 2004 Urban Mobility Report):
  
  

  Annual Delay per Peak Traveler (person-hours)	Total Cost of Traffic Congestion	Congestion Cost per Peak Traveler	Total Annual Excess Fuel Consumed(gallons)	Annual Excess Fuel Consumed per Peak Traveler(gallons)
  26	$191 million	$460	19 million	44

• Over the last decade, the Triangle Region has had the second highest increase in commute time in the nation. (US Census Bureau, 2000)
• Cars and trucks cause up to 70% of air pollution in North Carolina. (NCDENR - Division of Air Quality, 2003)
• The number of miles driven each year by North Carolinians is increasing three times as fast as the population. (NCDENR - Division of Air Quality, 2003)
• Eight counties in the Raleigh-Durham area, including Wake, Durham, and Orange, are all in violation of EPA's clean air standards. (EPA Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards)
• Approximately 1 out of every 10 employees in Wake, Durham, and Orange counties work for employers that have qualified for Best Workplaces for Commuters. (Triangle J Council of Governments)

Nationwide Commuting Facts

• Best Workplaces for Commuters has been experiencing remarkable growth of almost 80% per year since its launch four years ago, growing from 175 employers to more than 1,000 employers. More than 2 million employees now work at Best Workplaces for Commuters employers. (EPA, 2004)
• Employees with commuter benefits are eight times more likely to use transit than those who don't have them. (Xylo survey, 2001)
• Nearly 50% of workers describe their commutes as unsatisfying or stressful, and 36% say they would be willing to take a 10% pay cut or more for a shorter commute. (HR Magazine Survey, Oct. 2001)
• Transit usage is currently at an all-time high and increased by 6.4% in the decade from 1990 to 2000. For every mile traveled, public transportation uses about one half of the fuel consumed by automobiles, and about a third of that used by sport utility vehicles and light trucks. (American Public Transportation Association, 2003)
• In a 2003 survey, 24% of workers said they would prefer to walk to work. (Commuter Culture Survey, 2003. WageWorks Center for Commuter Studies)

Health and Work/Life Effectiveness Facts

• 136 million Americans - 46% of the U.S. population - live in counties exceeding the 8-hour ground level Ozone standard. (EPA Office of Air Quality Planning & Standards and the Census Bureau)
• Walking two miles a day most days can reduce your chances of a heart attack by 28%. (Brookes University Health Walks Research)
• Workers with flexible options - such as telecommuting from home or having alternative work hours - are least likely to leave their companies, have the highest productivity, and enjoy better mental health. (Families and Work Institute, 2004)

Financial Facts

• The average American household spends 18% of every dollar on driving - more than the 14% it spends on food. (Bureau of Labor Statistics)
• The average driver spends about 44 cents per mile including vehicle ownership and maintenance. (American Lung Association, April 2000)
• Americans who commute by car or truck spent about $1,280 per year in 1999. In contrast, those Americans who were able to use public transportation to get to and from work spent just $765 per year, an annual savings of $515 per year. (Issue Brief, 2003. Bureau of Transportation Statistics)
• Economic development professionals in the Triangle region frequently cite traffic congestion as an impairment to attracting new companies. (Regional Transportation Alliance, September 2003)