University of Texas at Arlington
OP-T2-32: Carpool/Vanpool Matching

The Dallas-Fort Worth region is the fourth largest metropolitan region in the nation with almost 6.5 million residents. Rapid population growth in the past decade has led to increasing transportation problems here in the region. The construction of additional roadway lanes has not kept pace with this population growth. As a result, traffic congestion has become a major concern for regional travelers; and with increased traffic congestion comes air quality concerns. One way for commuters to help improve traffic congestion and air quality in the region is to reduce the number of vehicles that travel on our roadways by using alternatives to driving alone to work. Alternative commute options include carpooling, vanpooling, transit, walking, telecommuting, etc. Try Parking It is a two-part solution for reducing the number of vehicles on the road and for tracking the savings that result from those vehicle reductions. By using Try Parking It, we can locate carpool or vanpool matches within the North Central Texas region. UTA can also track the contributions by the employees and staff and students to clean air and congestion reduction and receive an estimate of miles saved, trips reduced and harmful emissions reduced,