Oakland County Traffic Improvement Association Nominates SMART For Commuter Award

7 August 1997
Oakland County Traffic Improvement Association Nominates SMART For Commuter Award

    DETROIT, Aug. 7 -- SMART (Suburban Mobility Authority for
Regional Transportation) and the Chrysler Corporation were recently
nominated by the Oakland County Traffic Improvement Association for a national
commuter award.
    SMART and Chrysler Corporation are nominated for the 1997 Association for
Commuter Transportation Award for Outstanding Service, cooperative/joint
effort.
    With the input of Chrysler and the Traffic Improvement Association, SMART
developed a unique reverse commute peak travel service.  SMART introduced two
new linehaul routes, one paratransit express route, and plans for another
paratransit express route in the fall of 1997, all of which service the
employees in the Oakland Technology Park.
    "The project at the Chrysler Technology Center is so unique, so creative,
so much a part of the new SMART attitude, in terms of being creative and being
willing to try something new, that we wanted to recognize SMART," said Frank
Cardiman, Jr., president of the Traffic Improvement Association.
    There are basically two reasons the new reverse service is unique.
Typically the peak hour commute transports riders to a downtown area with a
strong workforce.  However, SMART's new service takes people from downtown to
areas of job growth in the suburbs.  It also takes riders from the suburbs to
more distant suburbs.
    Route 465 (Woodward Limited) begins in Detroit, and on a limited basis,
services the Auburn Hills/Chrysler Technology Center.  The 865 Park and Ride
route begins in Harper Woods, continues with stops in Roseville, Fraser and
Sterling Heights, and ends in Auburn Hills.
    The project has been successful so far.  The average daily ridership of
the SMART service is 348, which is significant in an automobile-dominated
community.  Oakland County has the highest drive alone rate in the nation at
87.4 percent, and prior to the SMART service, 98 percent of the Oakland
Technology Park employees drove alone.
    The new SMART service is reducing traffic congestion and reducing the
number of parking spaces needed at the Chrysler Technology Center.  More
importantly though, it is an example of private and public agencies working
together to benefit the commuter.
    "We think this nomination has a lot of merit," Cardiman said.  "This is an
example of the community-based spirit that SMART has embraced.  At least 300
cars have been removed from the road as a result of this program, and while we
have helped with the base data, SMART put this together."
    SMART and TIA expect the service to grow as marketing continues to the 16
major offices and additional 40,000 commuters at the Oakland Technology Park.

SOURCE  Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation