Frequently Asked Questions
- What is commute trip reduction (CTR)?
- Why should the average citizen care about CTR?
- Which employers are affected by the state's CTR law?
- What are the goals for CTR-affected employers?
- What are employers required to do under the CTR law?
- What can employers do to encourage employees to use commute alternatives?
- What if an employer doesn't comply with its local CTR ordinance?
- Have any other states passed a CTR-type law?
- What is the major difference between Washington's regulations and those of other states?
What is Commute Trip Reduction (CTR)?
Washington's CTR law (RCW 7094.521) was adopted by the legislature in 1991 and incorporated into the Washington Clean Air Act. Its purpose is to improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and minimize energy consumption by convincing people to other ways to get to work besides driving alone. The law requires the state's largest employers to promote commute alternatives such as buses, carpools, vanpools, bicycle riding, walking, working from home, compressed work weeks, and flexible work schedules.
Why should the average citizen care about CTR?
Wherever congestion occurs, the delay in employee productivity and freight delivery translates to lost money. Washington's economic vitality depends on personal mobility and the efficient movement of goods and materials. And yet, traffic congestion continues to grow worse as we fail to take advantage of viable alternatives to driving alone. If we could drive 500,000 fewer miles in our state each day, traffic congestion could be improved without building a single road. Since 1993, CTR has resulted in 18,000 fewer vehicles on the road during peak commuting hours, that's over 94 million fewer miles traveled each year.
Which employers are affected by the state's CTR law?
The CTR law applies to both public and private employers that have 100 or more employees who work at a single worksite, and who begin work between 6 and 9 a.m. on two or more weekdays for at least 12 continuous months. This applies only to worksites in counties with 150,000 or more residents (currently Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom and Yakima). The law also includes local jurisdictions (i.e., cities) where an affected employer is located, as well as all state agencies, even if they have fewer than 100 affected employees.
What are the goals for CTR-affected employers?
Every two years affected employers use a state-supplied survey to ask employees how they get to work, how many miles they travel to work, and other information about their daily commute habits. The results of this survey are used to measure the employer's progress against assigned baseline values for SOVs (single occupant vehicles) and VMTs (vehicle miles traveled). If an employer meets either the SOV or VMT goal, it is considered to have made goal. The reduction goals are:
- 15 percent after two years
- 20 percent after four years
- 25 percent after six years
- 35 percent after 12 years
What are employers required to do under the CTR law?
An affected employer must make a good faith effort to develop and implement a CTR program. This means, at minimum, doing the following:
- Designating an employee transportation coordinator (ETC)
- Displaying the ETC's name and contact information where employees are likely to see it
- Distributing information to employees about commute alternatives to driving alone
- Implementing a set of measures geared toward achieving the CTR goals
- Surveying employees about their commuting habits every two years
- Reporting annually about progress toward meeting CTR goals
- Meeting additional local requirements
What can employers do to encourage employees to use commute alternatives?
Under the CTR law, an employer must implement at least two measures to reduce commute trips to the worksite. However, ETC's are only limited by their imagination. Some of the more popular program elements include:
- Encouraging ridesharing by matching employees for carpools and vanpools
- Encouraging bus ridership by subsidizing bus passes or vanpool fares
- Allowing employees to work from home one or two days per week
- Implementing parking management programs that minimize drivealone commuting by charging employees for parking or designating preferred parking for carpools and vanpools
- Installing showers, lockers and bicycle racks for bikers and walkers
- Offering flexible work schedules that allow people to alter their start and quit times in order to take advantage of alternative commute options
What if an employer doesn't comply with its local CTR ordinance?
The CTR goals are just that, goals. As long as the employer is making a good faith effort to implement its CTR program, it cannot be penalized for failure to meet the CTR goals. Those employers that don't meet the minimum requirements of the law will be asked by their city or county to do certain things to come into compliance.
The city or county is there to work with employers to create successful programs, not to penalize those that don't succeed. However, civil penalties may be assessed against employers that fail to meet either the SOV or VMT goals, that do not make a good faith effort to comply with the law, and that fail to work collaboratively with their local jurisdiction. Since 1992, civil penalties have only been assessed against one employer in Washington State (in this case $100 per day).
Have any other states passed a CTR-type law?
California, Arizona, Wisconsin, Texas, New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and Illinois all have CTR-type laws in place for regions within their states.
What is the major difference between Washington's regulations and those of other states?
Overall, Washington's regulations, and specifically the City of Seattle's, emphasize public/private cooperation. By contrast, in Southern California affected employers felt that change was the issue, not choice, and penalties became more important than designing successful commute trip reduction programs. Our law allows employers to choose from a menu of incentives they think will work for their location and employees. The local jurisdictions are there to help employers make these decisions by offering training, workshops and by proving materials designed to support employers' efforts. |
