Commute Trip Reduction

1. Commute TripReduction Washington State Department of Social & Health Services Division of Alcohol & Substance Abuse By Beverly Smith Employee Transportation Coordinator August 25, 2005

2. Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Is A Law • RCW 70.94.521-551 was enacted into law in 1991 to improve our quality of life through employer-based programs. • Washington State’s CTR Law requires many large employers to encourage the use of alternatives to driving alone. • Nearly 1,100 worksites in Washington State participate in the program.

3. CTR Goals • Reduce air pollution. • Reduce traffic congestion. • Reduce petroleum consumption. • Decrease the number of commute trips made in SOVs.

4. CTR is mandated in nine counties: • Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom, and Yakima. • In these counties, employers with over 100 employees commuting at peak hours are required to participate in CTR. • All Washington State residents are encouraged to reduce Single Occupancy Vehicle (SOV) commuting.

5. Why Impose CTR Law? • Motor vehicles are major energy consumers and sources of air, noise, and water pollution. • Traffic congestion is increasing steadily in Washington, particularly in urban and suburban areas. • This threatens our air quality, quality of life, and economy.

6. Air Pollution • Air pollution is a health issue. • It damages plant and animal life. • It can cause an economic impact on the world. 2002 Criteria Pollutants Emissions Department of Ecology's Air Quality Program

7. The major cause of air pollution is carbon monoxide (CO) released by burning fossil fuels. • After being inhaled, CO inhibits the delivery of oxygen throughout your body. • It can build up in high concentrations along roadsides in heavy traffic.

8. According to the United States Energy Administration, U.S. transportation emissions from Carbon Dioxide (CO2), the principal greenhouse gas resulting from human activity, grew 19.4% between 1990 and 2003. • Vehicle exhaust accounts for about 60% of all CO2 nationwide and individual vehicles account for about 33% of America’s total emissions of CO2. • Here in the West Coast states cars emit more than half of all CO2 emissions.

9. What About Your Health? • Air pollution can pose serious health threats to everyone, especially to children, the elderly, pregnant women, and people with respiratory and heart diseases. • Air pollution makes healthy people unhealthy. • Exposure to air pollution has been linked to increased deaths.

10. Toxic Emissions • Toxic substances can damage the immune system and are known to cause • Respiratory and nervous system problems. • Cancer. • Reproductive and birth defects. • Other serious health effects. • Vehicle tailpipes are major sources of toxic air pollutants.

11. We are exposed to air toxics by breathing air that contains toxic air pollutants. • Toxic pollutants from the air can also be found in water and in soil. • If we drink contaminated water or eat sea life living in contaminated water we are also eating toxic chemicals. • If we eat fruit and vegetables grown in contaminated soil we could be eating toxic chemicals. • Not only people – but all living things on Earth can be affected by toxic pollutants. • (Washington State Department of Ecology’s Air Quality Program)

12. Vehicle Pollution Emissions Types of Vehicle Pollution Emissions and Their Impacts

13. …and More

14. Emissions and Global Warming • Climate change is one of the four most important moral issues in the world. • Burning of fossil fuels have greatly added to the natural greenhouse effect.

15. Climate Change Could Affect Washington’s Ecosystem Health • More flooding in winter and spring, but more water shortages in late summer and fall. • A rise in sea level resulting in • flooding, increased coastal erosion, landslides, changes in habitat, and saltwater intrusion into fresh water. • Increased risk of extinction for marine life • as ocean temperatures rise, nutrient levels drop, and habitat changes. United States Environmental Protection Agency

16. …and More • Reduced hydropower. • Less water for irrigation. • Endangered salmon stocks. • Less wetland habitat. • Loss of forest land as a result of • forest fires, wind storms, and insect infestations. • A possible increase in human diseases as warm weather • boosts tick and other parasite populations. • fosters the spread of viruses and bacteria. United States Environmental Protection Agency

17. Way to Go! Washington! • Nationally, drive-alone commuting increased 3.4% during the past decade. • In Washington State, the drive alone rate decreased from 95% in 1993 to an estimated 78.3% in 2005. Department of Transportation CTR Task Force

18. CTR Works! • According to a comparison of Census and CTR data, people are changing the way they get to work at CTR sites, more so than at non-CTR worksites.

19. CTR Is Valuable • Each year CTR prevents 3,200 tons of air pollution. • CTR reduces yearly petroleum consumption by 6.5 million gallons. • It saves Washington residents over $10 million in fuel costs alone! Department of Transportation CTR Task Force

20. CTR Improves Traffic Congestion • Every morning, our CTR Program removes 18,500 vehicles from the state's roadways. • 12,600 vehicles are removed in the Puget Sound region alone. • Removing the equivalent of 22.5 additional lane miles. • Eliminating $36-$169 million cost to our state. Department of Transportation CTR Task Force

21. CTR Is A Foundation for More • CTR provides a base program and network to build on for other transportation and land use efforts. • Many employers and jurisdictions believe the impacts of the program would be increased by • Expanding the program to additional worksites. • Investing in supporting infrastructure. • Curtailing urban sprawl. • Aligning local parking policies with CTR goals. Department of Transportation CTR Task Force

22. Your Commute Alternatives • Ridesharing • Park and Ride Lots • Transit • Shuttle Services • Carpool/Vanpool • Train • Ferry • Bicycling • Walking • Alternative Work Schedules • Telecommuting

23. Ridesharing • Improves productivity. • Produces a healthier work force. • Offers a tangible, low-cost employee benefit. • Can decrease parking demand at the worksite. • Contributes to improving the economy.

24. Park and Ride Lots • Make it more convenient for people to choose commute alternatives. • Are necessary supplements to the freeway and regional high occupancy vehicle (HOV) system. • Serves as a staging platform for the vanpool programs of local transit agencies. • All car and vanpools, formal or informal, are entitled to use existing facilities.

25. Transit Services • There are 28 transit systems in Washington. • Approximately 87% of the state's population resides within the service boundaries of a transit system. • Most transit agencies provide fixed route and demand response services (including complementary ParaTransit, Americans with Disabilities Act services). • Transit agencies are partnering in retrofitting vehicles and using ultra-low sulfur diesel fuel, bringing air quality benefits in advance of federal requirements.

26. State Employee No-Charge Bus Pass Benefit in Thurston County • State employees headquartered in Thurston County can ride anytime without charge on any Intercity Transit route, including the express service between Tacoma and Olympia. • State Agency Rider (STAR) Pass is provided through a partnership between the State and Intercity Transit. • Passes are pre-paid by the State, with no charge to the employee. • Eligible state employees must sign up for a STAR Pass though their agency’s CTR Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC).

27. Shuttle Services • Airport Shuttles - Daily shuttle services to airports and hotels. • Events Shuttles - Provides transportation to select events. • Charters - Provides transportation for groups of all sizes with a variety of vehicles to custom fit group and budget. • Contracted event shuttle or parking shuttle - long-term, short-term or seasonal.

28. Carpooling • A carpool is a group of two or more people who commute to work or other destinations together in a private vehicle. • Carpool members work out their own agreements on who drives and how often, schedules, and payments for gas and maintenance. • Carpoolers can take advantage of High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. • Your ETC can help you locate carpool partners.

29. Vanpooling • Vanpooling brings 5-15 commuters together in a public or privately-owned vehicle. • Provides insured vehicles. • Utilizes commuter-drivers. • Provides pay for fuel, oil, and maintenance and repairs. • For many people, vanpooling offers other benefits • More personal or work time. • Possible subsidy with tax benefits. • Preferential parking. • Access to HOV lanes.

30. Train • Many stations and destinations • Commuter discounts • Trains can offer • Onboard entertainment, such as free movies, audio headsets, and power supplies available at your seat for personal electronic devices, such as PCs, DVD players, and CD players. • Up-to-the-minute travel information. • Sleeping accommodations. • Food, beverage, and medications. • Cellular pay phones. • Quiet areas.

31. Benefits of Ridesharing and Ferries • Registered carpools and vanpools are entitled to priority loading on 19 of the most congested ferry routes. • Vanpool traveling by ferry removes an average of 2,312 SOVs each day from ferry sailings. • Some larger registered vanpools (5+ riders) are not charged a vehicle fare and the driver travels free. • Washington State Ferries has switched its fleet to low-sulfur diesel fuel and is testing ultralow sulfur diesel and bio-diesel.

32. Bicycle Commuting • Bicycle commuting in Washington has increased over 75% in the last ten years. • Helps avoid hassles of traffic congestion. • Works exercise into commuting time. • Many state offices provide bicycle racks.

33. Combining Bicycle and Transit • Bicycles and transit are used together around the world. • Combining transit service and a bike gives you • More flexibility. • Keeps you out of congestion. • Expands your recreational bicycling opportunities. • Protective bike lockers are available for rent at some transit centers.

34. Walking • Improves energy. • Can improve your overall health. • Is one of the best forms of exercise. • Many people can do it almost anywhere and anytime. • It’s free.

35. Compressed Work Weekand Flex Schedules • Lets employees work schedules that fit their lifestyles and allows them to commute more efficiently. • Some flex schedules allow a compressed work week. (For example, four 10-hour days per week rather than five 8-hour days.) • Others allow employees to come and go from work on a custom schedule. (Examples include accommodating a child's daycare schedule or a carpool or vanpool schedule.)

36. Guaranteed Ride Home Program • This program is provided at no charge to CTR participating state worksites in Thurston, Pierce, Kitsap, King, Snohomish, Spokane and Whatcom counties. • Provides state employees using alternative commute modes a free ride home when they encounter an emergency (such as family or own illness) or who have to unexpectedly work late.

37. Thurston County Worksite SAFE-Ride Program • If an emergency occurs during your work hours – such as a family illness, unexpected overtime, or a missed ride – you can take a taxi home and the SAFE-Ride program will pick up the tab (excluding gratuity). • SAFE-Ride will pay for up to 65 one-way miles. • You may take up to 8 trips per year with no more than 4 for unexpected overtime.

38. The SAFE-Ride program is available to state employees assigned to worksites in Thurston County. Employees are eligible for this benefit on any day they ride the bus, vanpool, carpool, bicycle, or walk to work. Thurston County

39. SAFE-Ride Can Be Used For… • Employee or family illness. • Working late unexpectedly – i.e. your supervisor informs you that day that you must work overtime. • Missed normal ride home - i.e. your carpool driver had to leave early for an emergency. • Other emergency situations that may occur during the work day.

40. What if the emergency requires an additional stop before going home? • If your emergency requires an additional stop before going home (for example to pick up a sick child at school or daycare), SAFE-Ride will take you there first and then take you both home or to your vehicle. • The intermediate stop must be pre-approved by your SAFE-Ride Coordinator.

41. Finding Alternatives to Driving Alone • Look for alternatives to SOV commuting that fit you and your schedule: • Daily • Weekly • One or more times a month • Your ETC will assist you in finding commuting alternatives that could fit your needs.

42. $$ Incentives $$ • Ask your ETC about local and statewide incentive programs that can pay you with CA$H and prizes for using commute alternatives.

43. Today Is A Good Day to Start! • Ask your ETC for information and assistance. • Try one or more commute modes to find which work the best for you. • Join in the many local and statewide promotional campaigns and receive prizes, cash incentives, and more! • Save time and money. • Enjoy the benefits of smart commuting!

44. Your Decision To Help Our World Affects Everyone! • Parents and children • Animals and plants • Our neighbors • Our friends • The whole world • And you!

45. Thank you for taking the time to learn about Commute Trip Reduction.Your time is our future. All comments about this presentation are appreciated. Please send comments to: BevSmith@dshs.wa.gov Beverly Smith, Employee Transportation Coordinator Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Post Office Box 45330, Olympia, Washington 98504-5330