Bal Harbour Village - FL
FAST FACTS ABOUT: BAl Harbour Village - FL
Types of TDM: Modal Shift
Keywords: Vanpool Subsidy
Employer Demographics: The Village of Bal Harbour is
a small community located south of Miami Beach. Traffic congestion is
not a problem in Bal Harbour, but traffic around the Bal Harbour area
is challenging.
Results: 48% drive alone, 12% vanpool, 2% telework,
38% flextime (police officers)
Cost: $7,440: 93% = Vanpool subsidies, 7% = staff/management
Staff: Minimal staff time and staff costs once program
was set up.
Contact: Alfred Treppeda, manager@balharbourflorida.com
Vanpooling: A New Idea Presents Itself
Bal Harbour Village is a small, upscale resort town located in South
Florida. With a population of 3,309, the Village has implemented strict
growth management policies since its incorporation in 1946. Today, the
Bal Harbour Village Manager seeks out ways to sustain Bal Harbour’s
appeal to both Village employees and in turn to visitors. Despite good
bus service, Bal Harbour Village employees are not avid bus riders.
The presence of free parking for employees may be one explanation for
low bus usage. Residential location may be a second explanation. Most
of Bal Harbour Village’s employees commute from outside the town
limits and prior to August 2001, a great majority of them drove alone.
In August 2001, the Village Manager received a flyer advertising the
South Florida Commuter Services (SFCS) vanpool services. SFCS works
with the South Florida Vanpool Program (SFVP) to provide vanpool services
and programs. SFVP works directly with employers to design a vanpool
program, present vanpooling options to employees and manage the program
from the start-up through implementation. The Village Manager’s
interest was peaked and he scheduled an employee vanpool presentation.
In just 2 years, 12% of Bal Harbour Village’s
employees are vanpooling.
Immediate Vanpool Formation
The presentation concluded with high employee interest in starting a
vanpool. Immediately, eight Bal Harbour employees signed up to form
a vanpool. In addition to presenting the Vanpool program to employees,
the Village Manager began researching subsidies and payment options
for employees. In order to tap into employee motivation, the Village
Manager leveraged a subsidy paid by Miami-Dade County with funds from
the Village of Bal Harbour to establish the first vanpool. The employee
and Village divided the remaining vanpool costs.
Employees that participated in the first vanpool began to report reduced
commuting costs and influenced other employees to consider vanpooling.
Not long after the first van formed, the Village Manager acquired enough
employees to sponsor a second vanpool. In just 2 years, 12% of Bal Harbour
Village’s employees are vanpooling. Due to the vanpool popularity,
the Miami-Dade County subsidy and new transportation tax proceeds, the
Village of Bal Harbour is able to pay 100% of the vanpool costs. Thus,
as of Summer 2003, employees pay only the cost of gas to vanpool. All
vanpoolers are eligible to participate in the County’s Guaranteed
Ride Home program.
Results
The Village Manager’s interest in promoting alternative mode choices
to employees has resulted in the formation of a strong vanpooling program.
Today, Bal Harbour’s mode split reflects the high interest in
vanpooling. 12% of employees vanpool, 2% telework and 48% drive alone.
The remaining 38% are police officers that work irregular shifts.
