Gas Prices Got You Down?

Nancy Childress, a NASCAR fan and Duke University Health System analyst, sat behind the wheel of an empty van. After a few moments, several university and health system staff climbed aboard at 6:25 a.m., and van No. 1885 pulled out of the furniture store parking lot in Roxboro and onto Highway 501.

As the van passed red barns, bait and tackle shops and grazing cows, the chatter centered on the previous evening's American Idol episode.

"I bet you Ace won't be in the bottom three this week," said Gay Hughes, a file clerk in DukeHospital.

The seven employees in the van have found relief from rising gas prices. They are members of a vanpool, a less costly commuting alternative.

"I save on gas and on parking, and if you're riding, you don't have to fight the traffic," said Childress, who has driven a commuter van 70 miles roundtrip from Roxboro to Duke since 1995.

Duke's Parking & Transportation Services works with the Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) to organize the vanpool program for employees. TTA provides the van, gas and insurance costs, and Parking & Transportation offers a reserved parking space at Duke for the van at no charge and up to a dozen free daily parking passes for each rider for times when they need to drive separately.

The vanpool program is one of several ways employees can save on commuting costs. The university also offers a reduced monthly parking rate for people who carpool and a program for those who bike to work that includes a dozen free daily parking passes if they need to drive to campus on occasion.

"These alternatives offer both environmental and economical benefits," said Cathy Reeve, director of Duke Parking & Transportation. "Ridesharing can help reduce cost, ease demand on parking, and help with traffic congestion and emissions that impact air quality."

With higher gas prices, more people may begin to explore transportation alternatives such as vanpooling or carpooling. At this time last year, gas stations in the Triangle were charging an average $2.24 per gallon, compared to this April's $2.84 per gallon.

"I don't know why anybody wouldn't want to be doing this," said Frances Moore, a university senior library assistant who rides a van about 35 miles each way from Roxboro. "The way gas is today, you end up saving. Plus, the van gives you time to unwind from work, or sleep."

Consider some incentives:

• TTA provides the van and pays for gas, insurance, and maintenance.

• Parking & Transportation Services provides each vanpool with a free parking space at Duke and each rider up to a dozen daily parking passes.

• Riders pay a monthly fare to TTA based on the average daily roundtrip mileage. The primary driver does not pay.

Currently, there are two vanpools at Duke using the TTA program, which provides 65 vans to commuters in the Triangle. The two vans begin and end in Roxboro each day and carry up to 14 Duke riders.

Moore, the university library assistant, rides TTA van No. 1884 to campus. She pays about $71 per month to ride. But she said she saves $1,800 to $2,000 annually. That's because she doesn't have to fill the gas tank in her Toyota Camry for the 70 mile daily trip. She also saves on vehicle maintenance. And she doesn't pay the $27.50 per month it would cost for a parking permit.

On a recent Wednesday, the other Roxboro van, No. 1885, pulled out of the Schewels furniture store parking lot and stopped in Timberlake nine minutes later. Four commuters climbed aboard. "Morning, morning," a woman announced as she took a seat.

In the back, Myrtle Lawson, a university accounting specialist, settled in for the rest of the ride. She closed her eyes and napped. The radio dial was tuned to Sunny 93.9 FM, and the lyrics to a Joni Mitchell song filled the van: "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot !"

At 7:13 a.m., the van arrived at DukeHospital and several employees hopped off. The next stop was the American Tobacco Campus, where Lawson, the accounting specialist, works and where the van is parked for the day.

Childress said she cannot imagine driving her car to work. "I put gas in the other night," she said, "and it cost $2.63 a gallon."

****

Want To Get Started?

• Get at least seven people (a driver and six riders) who live and work near you and share approximately the same work hours. The Triangle Transit Authority (TTA) can assist in finding commuting partners.

• One leg of the commute must begin or end in Wake, Durham, or Orange counties.

• Select a primary driver and backup driver. Determine pickup and drop off locations and times.

• Complete the TTA application and pay a $150 refundable security deposit to TTA.

****

Want more information?

• Triangle Transit Authority, (919) 485-7461, www.ridetta.org, or send email to ridesharing@rideTTA.org.

• Duke Environmental Sustainability, www.duke.edu/sustainability/news.html (click Campus Initiatives and then Transportation)

• Duke Parking & Transportation, (919) 684-PARK, http://parking.duke.edu.