6abc's Tamala Edwards recognizes Main Line Health, Vanguard, GSK and others as TDM Advocates

King of Prussia, PA - The Greater Philadelphia region has over four million people living and working throughout it which can lead to congestion and poor air quality if everyone drove alone. Thankfully the region has many TDM advocates who are working with GVF, a non-profit regional transportation association, who partners with local private and public sectors to combat these challenges through Transportation Demand Management (TDM).

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) are strategies that aim to reduce congestion, improve the environment and our quality of life. Examples of TDM include using different modes like a bus, bike or walking. It looks at the current design of our neighborhoods so that people can make choices other than driving alone. We believe TDM needs to be a priority with employers, employees, townships and communities.

Through GVF's annual TDM Advocate's program, which is a year-round benchmarking program, organizations are recognized for their commitment towards implementing programs that promote commuting alternatives and alleviate congestion for their employees and the community.

GVF works with its partners to develop programs and incorporate TDM and/or sustainability initiatives into their work environment. This could be installing and maintaining bike racks, implementing flex-time or telework programs and or ensuring an office has access to a bus stop or a train station.

On Monday, September 10, GVF held its 8th annual TDM Breakfast. Tamala Edwards, 6abc Action News anchor, served as the master of ceremonies, recognizing 40 organizations (listed below) as TDM Advocates. These organizations represent over 160,000 employees.

Nationally recognized TDM expert, Wendy Duren from Arlington Transportation Partners was the keynote speaker for the event. Wendy has over 20 years' experience in transportation. She is part of the executive team of Destination Sales & Marketing Group (DS&MG) and manages six TDM programs at Arlington Transportation Partners in Arlington, Virginia. Arlington has seen great success with implementing TDM. As the keynote speaker, Wendy shared how each of the TDM programs helps to reduce daily congestion. 

• Each workday, Arlington County Commuter Services helpshift 47,000 single vehicle occupancy trips to other modes like public transit 

• The six Arlington Transportation Programs are responsible for 68% of these trips removing around 31,000 daily

• Using a new TDM industry return-on-investment calculator it was determined for every $1 Arlington County spends on TDM, there is a $9 return on that investment to the community

"Arlington Transportation Partners began its work in Arlington County twenty (20) years ago, proof that the gains that the county has made in implementing TDM strategies across a large number of stakeholders takes concerted effort over a long period of time." said Wendy Duren, Arlington Transportation Partners Program Director, Arlington Transportation Partners. "Arlington Transportation Partners is very proud of the effort put into their newest tool, the return on investment calculator. Using this tool, planners can make the case for implementing TDM by showing the economic return calculated for each $1 of TDM investment." 

"Congratulations to all of our TDM Advocates. It's inspiring to see the number of advocates continue to rise and to see so many achieve the highest level. Thank you again to all our sponsors, and to our awards master of ceremonies, Tamala Edwards from 6abc. Thank you also to our keynote Wendy Duren who shared with us the inspiring programs and success they are seeing in Arlington Virginia. If we continue to utilize and expand our use of TDM tools our region will continue to improve our daily lives while also growing our economic prosperity. However, we can't do it alone so please join us on this journey to further enhance our collective mobility. " Rob Henry, Executive Director, GVF.

Due to ongoing innovation in mobility, we will see new transportation options become available in the future which could help or hurt commute time and expenses. TDM will be there to help guide us through those changes and share alternative ways to commute no matter what the future holds.

Congratulations to GVF's 2018 TDM Advocates

Diamond Level

• Cheltenham Township

• Chester County

• DVRPC

• Fitzgerald and Halliday Inc.

• GlaxoSmithKline

• Lower Merion Township

• Montgomery County

• Montgomery County Community College

• Saint Joseph's University

• SEPTA

• Traffic Planning & Design, Inc.

• Tredyffrin Township

• Upper Merion Township

• Urban Engineers

• Vanguard

• Wells+Associates 

Platinum Level

• AECOM

• American Heritage Federal Credit Union

• King of Prussia Mall

• Limerick Township

• McMahon Associates, Inc.

• Pennoni

• RK&K

• Suburban Transit Network, Inc.

Gold Level

• Bikesport

• Borough of Pottstown

• Brandywine Realty Trust

• Bryn Mawr Hospital, Main Line Health

• Crowne Plaza & Fairfield Inn - King of Prussia

• Enterprise Rideshare

• Lankenau Medical Center Main Line Health

• Pottstown Area Rapid Transit

• Radial Inc.

• Whitpain Township

Silver Level

• Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital, Main Line Health

• Paoli Hospital, Main Line Health

Bronze Level

• Borough of Phoenixville

• Century Engineering

• Riddle Hospital, Main Line Health

• Valley Forge Park Alliance

Click here to view pictures from the event.