Helping commuters 'Shift' their commute in San Diego

In 2012, Steer Davies Gleave prepared a Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategy for SANDAG and Caltrans along the North Coast Corridor (NCC), a 20+ mile stretch of planned HOV/express lanes, rail, and mobility investments along the heavily traveled Interstate 5 coastal corridor. The report studied existing travel behavior, attitudes towards transportation alternatives, and the perceived and real barriers to using alternatives.

As a result of the study, Steer Davies Gleave recommended developing a web portal to be a single source for NCC transportation information, trip planning, and construction information. Steer Davies Gleave also recommended an outreach campaign to educate and inform residents, businesses, and other stakeholders about construction, while also increasing awareness of alternative transportation options. Implementation of the study recommendations began with a pilot program branded as 'Shift' in the Golden Triangle region, the southern end of the NCC.  

A web portal (ShiftSanDiego.com) was developed by the Steer Davies Gleave team to serve as a one-stop-shop for Golden Triangle improvement projects and alternative transportation choices. In addition to providing project links and program resources specific to the Golden Triangle, ShiftSanDiego.com has several unique features:

• Interactive Map: Users can explore construction projects, transit options, alternative commute resources, and real-time traffic data* in a particular area. 
• Multimodal Trip Planner: Users compare cost-savings, travel times, and greenhouse gas reductions across travel modes.
• Mobile and Tablet Responsive: The portal is mobile and tablet friendly for on-the-go use.

*Coming soon!

The Steer Davies Gleave team also designs and manages the media and outreach campaigns to increase awareness of 'Shift' as a resource and improve mode shift in the region. Combining construction outreach and travel behavior change messages has proven effective in achieving these goals. Since the launch of 'Shift' in February 2015: 

• Nearly 9,000 individual users have visited the site;
• Engagement from Golden Triangle area businesses with the SANDAG employer services outreach program has nearly doubled, from 26 to 49 employers;
• Individual user registration from the Golden Triangle in the SANDAG trip tracking program is up 120%; and 
• The number of vehicles from the SANDAG regional vanpool program is up 10% in the area.

Visit ShiftSanDiego.com to learn more!

Written by Kara Kong