Research Triangle Park, NC (Feb. 14, 2019) – Chances are, if you live in the Triangle, your relationship this Valentine’s Day is going nowhere fast.
You’re stuck in a rut (or at least on I-40), and the rest of the monogamous multitudes around you are, too.
Might be time to ditch the high-maintenance darling or even do some online dating -- at gotriangle.org. Swipe right for buses, bikes and carpools!
Getting car-struck motorists to explore a new match or, more accurately, a new mode of transportation was the goal of the online campaign that GoTriangle launched this month in tantalizing fashion.
During the first week of February, GoTriangle’s Twitter and Facebook posts featured pictures of Valentine’s Day cards with breakup themes but no other information. Who was breaking up with whom? The answers started trickling out in video form Feb. 6.
“It’s just for fun, a kitschy way to get people to stop and look at something that makes them laugh but also to say, ‘You know what? I haven’t thought about that. Is my car hurting my health? Is it taking money out of my pocket? Is traffic ruining my life?’ ” says Wendy Mallon, GoTriangle’s manager of marketing. “I personally spend an hour and half in traffic every day, and breaking up with my car would be a welcome change in my life. I’m really looking forward to the transit investments the community is making in Wake County that will increase my options.”
Each of the six videos highlights a different reason for people to give their cars the cold shoulder, at least some of the time, and try transit. What could be better than letting someone else do the driving through traffic, making better use of your time, saving money and helping the environment?
“I don't see a healthy future with us together.
“You are hurting me and the people around me.
“It's just not a good atmosphere. I'm feeling choked.”
That’s the video script highlighting a breakup for environmental reasons.
In another video, Mary Kate Morookian, a transit planner at GoTriangle and GoDurham, breaks up with her car because the relationship is just too difficult.
“A funny video of a crazy woman screaming at her car is useful if it can get people talking about transit, get people looking into what transit in the region actually looks like and then get people out of their cars and off the road,” Morookian says. “We honestly believe the service we provide can impact people’s lives in a positive way. Traffic, car maintenance, paying for gas and the sheer volume of cheerios in the back of my car -- thanks, kids -- are all pretty terrible. I love taking the bus!”
Not everyone in the Triangle can make a date with transit just yet, but as Orange, Durham and Wake counties continue rolling out improvements paid for by transit-designated taxes in each county, the pool of potential transit suitors widens.
“The counties have already added significant hours of new bus service and expanded and created routes with even more improvements coming in July, and the way we’re working together to connect the entire region is becoming a game-changer for the Triangle,” says Jeff Mann, CEO and president of GoTriangle. “We’re just trying to prompt our car-loving community to stay informed about all of the ways they can use transit to get to where they need to go and how much those options and connections are improving every year.”
Find out what investments have been made in all three counties and how their plans connect at goforwardnc.com. Even putting the keys down once a week can make a difference -- in the environment, in your wallet and on your health.
“First off, consider there is a problem with how much time we spend in our cars, in traffic, frustrated, then start thinking, what could I do differently?” Mallon says. “Whether bus is an option, carpooling, walking, biking, there are alternatives out there. This is a fun way to stop people and have them think for a second: What are the ways I can change my commute? My life? My bank account? It’s such a waste of life, this wonderful life we’ve all been given, to spend so much of it sitting in a car.”