About CTR
In 1993, Spokane County implemented the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law (RCW 70.94.521-5 5 1) to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and petroleum consumption through employer-based programs that reduce the number and distance of commute trips in single occupant vehicles (SOV). After eleven years of implementation, all measurements point to the success of CTR. In December 2003, the Governor's Commute Trip Reduction Task Force submitted their 2003 Report to the Legislature that included statewide trip reduction results, cost measurements and input gathered from employers around the state. CTR Works
Washington State commuters are increasing their use of alternatives to driving alone. A number of factors influence individual choices in commuting, including the CTR Program. However, the significantly higher use of commute alternatives at CTR worksites compared with other worksites in the same areas makes it clear the CTR Program is working. Washington (Commute Trip Reduction Law) and Oregon (ECO Law) were the only states where the percentage of people driving alone to work decreased between 1990 and 2000. For all other states, the average rate for drive-alone commuting increased during the decade on average of 3.4 percent. The drive-alone rate decreased even more at CTR worksites compared to statewide rates. The drive-alone rate at CTR worksites dropped from 71.1 percent in 1993 to 66.0 percent in 2003. Spokane County 2003 Survey Results: - SOV rate = 70.8%, a 11.9% reduction from base
- VMT rate = 9.2, a 9.7% reduction from base
- 12% (12) of all (100) affected employers and 1 of 14 voluntary employers met their most recent reduction goals in SOV and/or VMT. This statistic includes 6 out of 64 of those employers already measuring against their 2005 goal of a 35% reduction.
*These figures will be updated after the 2005 measurement surveys are conducted.
Why Trip Reduction is Important in Spokane County: - Improves Spokane's air quality
- Enhances quality of life
- Reduces impact of increased traffic on infrastructure
- Enhances mobility and economic vitality
In Spokane County, the CTR Program removes over 5,400 vehicle trips each day on Spokane County streets. To help put this into perspective, if the 5,400 vehicles removed in the Spokane County area each morning were lined up bumper to bumper, they would fill one lane of traffic beginning at Division Street and I-90 and continuing to the east side of Post Falls, Idaho, approximately 21 miles. The cost to Spokane County to provide this additional capacity would be up to 25 million dollars. Each year, the commute trip reduction program prevents 264 tons of air pollution from being emitted and reduces petroleum consumption by 434,000 gallons, saving Spokane citizens over 1.1 million dollars in fuel costs alone. Of particular concern in Spokane County is the emission of Carbon Monoxide (CO) by automobiles. One of only eight U.S. cities to be classified as a "serious" non-attainment area for CO, the CTR program reduced CO emissions by 490 tons per year in 2001, 276 in 2003. Since the Washington State CTR Law was passed, Spokane has gone from twenty-two CO exceedance violations in 1991 to no violations for the past eight years! The values for the years 1995 - 1999 were 628 tons in 1995, 702 tons in 1997 and 475 in 1999. In the thirteen years since CTR was implemented, the drive alone rate among targeted employees has been reduced by 10.1%, from 81.5% in 1993 to 73.3% in 2003. The most popular alternative to solo commuting, carpooling has seen the largest increase in usage from 10.5% of trips in 1993 to 13.1% of trips in 2003. CTR has reduced air pollutant emissions by 1,731 pounds per day and the average number of daily person trips has decreased over the 1992 baseline by more than 1,500 daily trips. CTR is a good investment
Each dollar the state invests in CTR leverages more than eighteen dollars in investments from its private sector partners, a 10 percent increase compared to 2000. Employers invest in CTR because it makes good business sense and because they are supported by a strong and active countywide program. More than 1,070 worksites participate in the CTR Program statewide. In Spokane County, 130 worksites are part of the CTR program, including 30 worksites participating voluntarily. CTR will become more valuable
With population growth in Spokane County projected to grow by over 20% in the next 20 years, the importance of the CTR Program for managing demand on the transportation system has greatly increased. For more information, contact the Spokane County CTR Office at 477-7650. |
