|
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Component - 1995 Update of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan for the Central Puget Sound Region, MTP-2, May 1994
Click HERE for graphic. TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION PAGE Overview/Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 VISION 2020 Policy Direction for TDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Opportunities and Challenges in Implementing VISION 2020 TDM Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Major TDM Issues to be addressed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 TDM Activities: Existing and Proposed. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Statewide TDM Efforts that Affect the Region . . . . . . . . . . .17 TDM Supportive Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Current Federal and State Regulations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 MTP Baseline/Framework Document TDM Resource List. . . . . . . . .20 TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT COMPONENT OVERVIEW / BACKGROUND Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is the term for programmatic strategies designed to make efficient use of the existing transportation system. Specifically, demand management strategies attempt to increase transit ridership, vehicle occupancy, walking and bicycling, and to reduce the lengths of some trips, move them to off-peak hours, or eliminate them altogether. Implementation of demand management strategies can reduce dependence on the single- occupant vehicle, thereby reducing traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, and fuel consumption. In the last decades, trip making has grown at a much faster rate than population. Transportation demand management strategies are designed to reverse this trend. The region cannot build its way out of congestion; it has neither the financial resources nor the willingness to bear the environmental impacts of such a strategy. TDM is one approach of many that will be used to maintain mobility and access as the region continues to grow and prosper. Historical Perspective and Regional Success Stories To some extent, the central Puget Sound region has been in the forefront of transportation demand management since the 1970s. The country's first vanpool program was established by Seattle's Commuter Pool in 1979, and the guaranteed-ride-home concept was originated by Metro for downtown Bellevue in 1987. Some of the region's jurisdictions began incorporating TDM requirements into their land-use strategies in the early 1980s. The region's transit agencies have assumed responsibility to help provide alternatives to SOV travel. When other transit agencies in the country were looking at rideshare and travel-reduction programs as competition to their transit service, Puget Sound transit agencies saw it as a chance to augment their transit operations. They developed rideshare programs and worked with employers and developers to implement demand management strategies. In response to the gas shortage of the early 1970s, the Seattle/King County Commuter Pool Program was created to serve jurisdictions in King County. It grew from a free ridematching service to a program that included subscription buses; a network of Park-and-Pool lots; free and reduced-rate work-end public parking for high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs); development of an HOV-priority fare and loading system for the state ferries; and development of a legislative initiative that eliminated sales and motor vehicle excise taxes for vanpools. Several of Commuter Pool's programs benefitted the region as a whole, and some became models for similar strategies throughout the country. In 1984, the Commuter Pool program was transferred from the City of Seattle to Metro. In 1990, the ridematching service was expanded to include Pierce and Snohomish counties through coordination with Pierce Transit and Community Transit. It was renamed the Regional Ridematch System. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page I In 1981, the City of Seattle began requiring large, new and existing central-business-district developments to implement specific TDM measures. In 1983, Seattle's Major Institutions Code set parking and transportation standards (including an employee single-occupancy-vehicle rate of 50 percent) for major institutions in the city. The City of Bellevue reduced maximum parking ratios for new development in 1979, and in 1983, the city established a regulation that required developers of new buildings in the central business district to submit TDM plans. Other east and south King County jurisdictions followed suit with demand-management requirements of their own. Numerous private and public employers have also been active in transportation demand management for many years. Creation of the Bellevue Transportation Management Association in 1986, the Seattle/King County Commuter Challenge Program in 1989, and the Overlake TMA in 1991 heralded the movement for greater private- sector participation in TDM and transportation issues in general. Private-sector involvement was very important in the creation of the Commute Trip Reduction Law and in development of guidelines for its implementation. Passage of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act in 1991, for the first time, provided federal funds for local TDM projects. ISTEA also reflected the growing awareness of the connection between land use and transportation by requiring that planners and decision makers coordinate land-use and transportation plans. VISION 2020 POLICY DIRECTION FOR TDM When VISION 2020 was adopted in 1990, its transportation demand management policies called for promotion of TDM projects and programs that "get the most efficiency out of our existing investments" and "shift travel demand to high-occupancy vehicles and to less congested times of the day and eliminate part of the travel demand altogether. "The policies also encouraged the private sector to "share responsibility and participate in transportation demand management." In March 1993, multicounty planning policies were adopted by the Regional Council to meet the requirements of the Growth Management Act. They replaced the earlier VISION 2020 policies. The multicounty planning policies both support and are supported by countywide planning policies, also a requirement of the GMA. Those that directly address demand management are: RT-5 Emphasize transportation investments that provide alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles, such as transit, bikeways and pedestrian paths, passenger ferry service, and demand management. RT-8 Work with both the public and private sectors to promote demand management and education programs that shift travel demand to high-occupancy vehicles and to less congested times of the day and eliminate part of the travel demand altogether. RT-12 Local jurisdictions are encouraged to consider establishing mode-split goals for nonsingle-occupancy vehicle travel to all significant employment centers to reflect that center's contribution to the solution of the region's transportation problem. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 2 Five TDM strategies are recommended in VISION 2020: - Telecommuting. This strategy should be implemented through a phased approach that utilizes demonstration projects. - Compressed Work Week. Local and state governments should implement and evaluate this strategy with their own work forces. State laws regarding definitions of the work week and overtime should be examined. - Parking Pricing and Subsidy Removal. Parking strategies should be implemented at all designated centers. Approaches include removal or reduction of employer-subsidized parking; parking taxes or other means to increase prices at commercial lots; programs to guard against parking spillover into adjacent neighborhoods; price increases at publicly owned parking facilities; and permit parking programs for private facilities. - Parking Supply Strategies. On a regionwide basis, parking-space minimums should be lowered, and maximums should be established. - Employer-Based Demand Management. Employer-based TDM programs should be implemented at all centers, and legislation to enable local governments to regulate employers should be enacted. [Note: Since the adoption of VISION 2020, legislation has been enacted, and major employers are now required to implement commute trip reduction programs.] OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES IN IMPLEMENTING VISION 2020 TDM STRATEGIES ISTEA and other recent legislation elevated the role and credibility of demand management in the transportation planning process. Consideration of TDM strategies, both as alternatives and enhancements to capital investments, is critical. Transportation demand management strategies encourage the use of alternatives to the single occupant vehicle. To enable effective demand management, travel options must be provided simultaneously with TDM implementation. If there are not sufficient alternatives, then TDM measures become punitive. TDM strategies and programs must be integrated with investment decisions in a way that is mutually supportive. Based on experience here and in other areas of the country, experts agree that demand management strategies are beneficial and provide part of the solution to the transportation problems of the region. However, the political reality is that measures designed to reduce people's automobile usage aren't always popular, especially if some of those measures include disincentives such as pricing. People need evidence of the benefits of demand management before they can accept such proposals. In order to demonstrate the benefits, TDM's effect on the regional system must be measured. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 3 Most of the available TDM research has centered on employer-level assessment and comparison of various types of employer-based strategies. Currently there are no tools with which to measure the effects of demand management on the regional system. However, such an evaluation is essential if TDM programs are to be given serious funding consideration. Currently, funding for regional demand management strategies is negligible or nonexistent from most funding sources. While TDM projects fared well in the 1994-96 Transportation Improvement Program's regional funding competition, all of these projects were funded through the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality program, which may no longer be available when this region achieves attainment of the national air-quality standard. New and stable methods for funding TDM programs and strategies must be considered. MAJOR TDM ISSUES TO BE ADDRESSED The issues cited below should be considered in the context of a dynamic environment with changing demographic and employment patterns. Changing population and employment demographics (e.g. the aging of the "baby boomer" generation and the shift from blue- collar to white-collar jobs) need to be recognized and served. Technologies that are new or even unknown to us now will affect the way we conduct the business of demand management in the future. Some of these changes will support TDM implementation, and some will be detrimental. Some will be both. The Metropolitan Transportation Plan must be flexible enough to accommodate them. Planning Issues - Lack of TDM-Effectiveness Data. Currently there is very little data with which to compare the regionwide effectiveness and costs of TDM strategies to those of traditional supply-side investments. In addition, the effect of certain TDM strategies are not represented in the regional transportation demand model and will require other evaluation methods. - Emerging Technology and Social Shifts. The impacts of emerging technologies and cultural changes cannot be forecast, yet they could have profound effects on demand management and the transportation system in general. - Lack of Regionwide Coordination. Most of the current and planned TDM efforts in the region are conducted locally or countywide and are based on diverse needs and political perspectives. Implementation Issues Need for TDM Strategies to Address Non-commute Trips. Non-commute trips constitute the majority of trips, but their diversity of origin, destination and purpose makes them the most difficult to address with TDM strategies. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 4 - Lack of Funding Flexibility to Finance TDM Investments. Most current funding sources are dedicated to infrastructure investments and preclude the financing of TDM strategies. Also, the issue of funding inequities among HOV modes needs to be addressed as it relates to demand management. - Lack of Alternatives to SOV Travel. TDM strategies can be effective only if alternatives to SOV travel are available. - Lack of Public Support. TDM strategies are often poorly understood and perceived as draconian or punitive. Existing Conditions that Support Transportation Demand Management Although TDM strategies have not achieved wide public acceptance, a number of conditions are helping to give demand management credibility as a viable alternative to increasing transportation supply. Environmental Awareness. As the public becomes increasingly concerned about air pollution and congestion and how they affect the quality of life in the region, they are more likely to accept demand management strategies that reduce the number of vehicles on the road. HOV Facilities. HOV routes present visible evidence of the time- savings potential to SOV commuters who are stuck in stop-and-go traffic while HOV travelers pass them by. Limited Resources. TDM strategies are less costly than construction both in direct costs and in terms of disruption to the existing transportation system. Delays caused by construction affect freight and goods movement and reduce productivity. If the effectiveness of low-cost TDM strategies can be demonstrated, it will likely influence the public to accept them as part of the overall transportation system. TDM Funding. The decision makers of the central Puget Sound region have shown a willingness to fund TDM projects. About 9 percent of the regionally competitive dollars funded through the 1994-96 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) were for TDM projects. Between 45 and 50 percent went to transit and other projects that are supportive of demand management strategies. This is a high percentage when compared to other areas of the country. Technology. Technology will likely have a significant effect on transportation demand management. The "information super highway" will support demand management by eliminating the need for many trips-not only for work commutes, but also for shopping, education, health care and many other purposes. The net effect of such technology has yet to be determined. Obstacles to Successful Transportation Demand Management Subsidized Auto Use. The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that roadway user taxes and fees pay for only 60 percent of governmental expenditures for roadway construction, MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 5 maintenance and administration. The other 40 percent represents a direct taxpayer subsidy for auto-use, from nontransportation- related sources. Also, there is an inequity in the taxing of employer benefits for auto users versus transit users. Employer- provided parking benefits of $155 or less are tax free to employees, whereas the tax-free limit for transit subsidies is $60. Ample Parking. Over the years, the suburbs and outlying areas have seen more and more growth in commercial and residential development. Along with that development came more, less-costly space to provide parking. In such areas, free and convenient parking makes it easier for commuters, shoppers and residents to use their single-occupant vehicles. Except in established downtown areas, free parking is available to virtually all commuters. Lack of Competitive Mobility Options. Alternatives to SOV travel must compete with the automobile for convenience and travel-time savings. Buses and other HOVs that can utilize HOV lanes and other preferential facilities can provide shorter travel times than they would using general purpose lanes. Buses caught in the same congestion that delays the rest of traffic offer no time savings. Scattered land-development patterns and prevailing suburb-to-suburb commutes are difficult to serve by transit. And pedestrian access to transit is often unsafe-or at the very least inconvenient-in many of the region's neighborhoods that don't have sidewalks or other pedestrian safety features. Despite the problems associated with traffic congestion, in the central Puget Sound region, more often than not, the auto is still the most convenient way to get around. Incomplete HOV System. There are a few areas in the region where freeway HOV lanes have been in use for a number of years and have served their purpose well. However, other parts of the system contain gaps that reduce the lanes' effectiveness. HOV facilities on arterial roadways are almost nonexistent. Many of the region's park-and-ride lots are at or near capacity. Some of the "fill-in" HOV-lane construction is currently under way. The state's HOV System Plan calls for closure of the gaps and completion of a "core" system that includes 292 miles of freeway HOV lanes (subject to funding) by the year 2000. Countywide consideration is also being given to previous recommendations and current and potential studies for development of arterial HOV facilities. (See HOV appendix.) Existing Land-Development Patterns. Like transit service, demand management strategies work best where development is concentrated. In suburban and rural areas, lower land and development costs, lack of restrictions, and roadway systems built to serve new growth have encouraged dispersed, low-density development. In many areas, this suburban sprawl has resulted in increased distances from residential areas to employment, shopping, services and recreation. For short trips, the lack of sidewalks, bikeways, street lighting and security in most suburban areas discourages walking or bicycling. Under such circumstances, the automobile is usually the only convenient and safe means of travel. Trip-Making Characteristics. The easiest kind of TDM measures to implement are employment-based strategies. Unfortunately, only about 20 percent of all daily trips are to or from work. The other 80 percent are much more varied, less predictable, and therefore more difficult to serve by public transit and rideshare programs. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 6 Lack of Funding. Recent changes in the regulatory environment have opened the door for TDM funding where it wasn't previously available. But that funding is minor in comparison to the total transportation funding package. There is still a lack of flexibility in most funding sources, that directs transportation dollars into roadway projects. Also, the current era of tax- limitation initiatives means stiff competition for available dollars not only in the transportation arena, but for all public services. Private-sector funds for TDM are also scarce. Lack of Regionwide Coordination. Most of the current and planned demand management efforts in the region are conducted locally or countywide. Regional consolidation of efforts and resources would strengthen and amplify the effects of demand management strategies. Lack of Seamless Transit Operations. The proportion of workers in the region that live in one county and work in another increased from 13.3 percent in 1980 to 16.2 percent and 1990. Because each county is served by a different transit agency, that commute pattern is complicated by bus transfers, difficulties in accessing regional information from a single source, and purchasing fares. Although transit agencies provide intercounty transit service in some areas, much remains to be done to provide transit, rideshare and paratransit customers with convenient, intercounty travel options. TDM ACTIVITIES: EXISTING AND PROPOSED One Regionwide Program in Place The region's jurisdictions and transit agencies have answered Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law mandates for coordination to develop and implement CTR plans. They've also coordinated activities in other arenas such as transit and rideshare operations. Even so, there is currently just one regionwide TDM program in place. The Regional Ridematch System is a database of more than 16,000 King, Pierce and Snohomish county residents who have expressed interest in sharing rides to work or school. It's designed to help commuters form new carpools or vanpools and maintain ridership of existing ones. Applicants are given information about carpooling, vanpooling, custom buses (if appropriate) and park-and-ride lot locations. Metro, Community Transit and Pierce Transit market the program and process the applications, while Metro maintains the computerized database. Although Kitsap Transit currently operates a separate, countywide ridematching service, they participate on the Regional Ridematch System Task Force, as does Intercity Transit in Thurston County. The Task Force is a forum for system coordination and information exchange. The future could see expansion of the Regional Ridematch System to include Kitsap County and adjacent counties outside the central Puget Sound region. Regionwide Activities Under Development The recent federal and state legislation and regional and countywide policies (see below) have created a climate that has allowed demand management projects to be funded. The projects and MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 7 programs described below are currently planned or in the beginning stages of implementation. TDM Resource Center Activities. With the help of other state and local agencies and employer representatives, the TDM Resource Center is currently developing two programs to address employer- based demand management. The Public/Private TDM Partnerships Program will encourage and support collaboration among public and private-sector organizations to increase effectiveness of TDM activities and resources. Its primary focus will be employer- driven partnerships such as transportation management associations. (See "Private/Public Partnerships" below.) Support for these partnerships will include start-up funds and assistance with development and promotion. The Resources and Services Program will develop TDM materials, information services and resources. Also included in the Resource Center's budget is funding for special projects to encourage telecommuting and compressed work hours. Other TDM projects may be added to the Resource Centers work plan in the future. Regional Ridematch Hotline. The purpose of this project is to research, develop and implement a regional telephone-number system to provide commuters in the four-county region with easy and direct access to regional ridematching services. The project will also include investigation and alternatives analysis for expansion of the system to include all regional transit and ferry-service-rider information systems. Metro is the lead agency for this project. Regional Ridematch Signage and Education Campaign. This project will provide signage, materials, and incentives to increase public awareness and participation in the region's rideshare programs and services. The goal of this stimulus campaign is to increase ridematching, carpooling and vanpooling. Specifically, WSDOT and the region's transit agencies will coordinate to design, produce and install strategically located new roadside signs regarding ridesharing throughout King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish and Thurston counties. It will provide and test stimulus incentives for vanpools, carpools and participants, and develop and distribute related educational and informational posters, brochures and other materials. Regional Pass System Planning. This project will plan for a regional pass system linking Community Transit, Everett Transit, Kitsap Transit, Metro, Pierce Transit, and the Washington State Ferry System. The goal is to make intercounty and intermodal travel more convenient by providing customers with a "seamless" fare system using automated fare-collection equipment. The planning includes development of an automated pass-sales accounting system to reconcile all pass sales and regional revenue allocation. Metro is the lead agency for this project. Centralized Vanpool and Carpool Registration/Incentives. This project is intended to provide centralized registration services through the existing and upgraded Regional Ridematch computer system. This registration provides car/vanpoolers access to incentives and public transportation support services. As noted above, the Regional Ridematch System serves King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, but, potentially, the system could be expanded to include other nearby counties. Metro is the lead agency for this project. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 8 Vanpool/Carpool Operator Association. The purpose of this project is to assist development and implementation of a four-county owner/operator association that would promote vanpooling and carpooling. This association would develop incentives for ridesharing, educate the public, promote the use of shared resources, provide and share information on behalf of ridesharing, and work cooperatively with the private sector and WSDOT to design a sedan-pool lease program. Metro is the lead agency for this project. Commuter Bonus Program. Currently this program is offered only by Metro, but consideration is being given to expanding it to include all five transit agencies and the Washington State Ferry System. The program provides a convenient means for smaller employers to offer transit incentives to their employees. Checks are sold to employers to be given to employees who use them like cash to pay transit fares. The program requires less of the employer's staff resources to administer than other employer transit-subsidy programs. City and County TDM Requirements That Address New and/or Existing Development. To respond to environmental concerns and to meet federal and state regulations and local policies directed at these concerns, many jurisdictions that have not already adopted TDM- related development regulations are currently considering such measures. Most of these discussions are taking place at the countywide and subcounty levels. This coordination is necessary to avoid or reduce the potential for stricter regulations in one jurisdiction to drive development to adjacent jurisdictions. The Countywide Planning Policies of each of the four counties state an intention to coordinate TDM planning. The groups involved in this coordination are the four countywide planning bodies established by the Growth Management Act, along with the Eastside Transportation Program in East King County and the South County Area Transportation Board in South King County. Because of CTR compliance deadlines, recent local TDM efforts have centered on development of Commute Trip Reduction programs. Now, with the major part of that development work finished, jurisdictions have begun to address the issues of parking-supply management and parking pricing. Other TDM-supportive land-use issues, currently or subsequently under consideration, include the following (as listed in countywide planning policies): - Development siting and design standards that support and are compatible with non-SOV alternatives such as transit, ridesharing, walking and bicycling. - Transportation impact fees for new development. - Road/congestion pricing. - Auto-restricted zones. - Land-use density increases. - Mixed land use. - Rideshare-incentive requirements. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 9 Local TDM Strategies in Place TDM activities at the local level are more prevalent than in previous years. Collectively, these local efforts affect the region as a whole and should be included in any description of regional transportation demand management. The following is not intended to be a complete inventory of all local demand management activities. Rather, it gives an overview and cites examples of the different types of TDM efforts at the local and countywide levels. Commute Trip Reduction. The Commute Trip Reduction law requires major employers to implement programs to reduce vehicle miles traveled and SOV rates. In this region, 39 jurisdictions and about 700 worksites are currently affected by this law. Approximately 320,000 (about one fifth) of this region's estimated 1,576,000 jobs are covered by affected employers. To carry out the mandates of the CTR law, countywide groups comprised of city, county and transit agency staff members and employer representatives worked together to develop local CTR ordinances. These groups continue to collaborate to address issues such as administration, training, employer assistance and recognition, marketing and promotions. Following are examples of strategies included in employers' CTR programs: - Employee transportation coordinators (ETCS) to administer programs and assist employees. - Subsidies for transit or other non-SOV commuting. - Preferential parking for carpools and vanpools. - Parking charges for SOVS, free parking for HOVS. - Provision of vehicles for carpools or vanpools. - Flexible work hours to facilitate ridesharing and transit use. - Special loading areas for transit and shared rides. - Bicycle amenities such as storage and shower facilities. - Programs that allow employees to work at home for a portion of the work week (telecommuting). - Alternative work schedules such as compressed work weeks, to reduce the number of weekly or monthly commute trips and to move commute trips out of the traditional peak periods. - Guaranteed-ride-home programs that give non-SOV employees a way to get home in case of emergency. - Promotions and special events such as transportation fairs. - Ridematching services. Employee Transportation Coordinators (ETCS) and ETC Networks. The CTR law requires all affected employers to designate employee transportation coordinators. In most cases, this function is added to the employee's existing responsibilities, and most ETCs are not transportation professionals. As noted above, training is one form of assistance provided by state and local agencies. To augment this training and to support ETC efforts, ETC networks have been established. Their purpose is to facilitate exchange of information about what works and what doesn't, to inform ETCs about any jurisdictional or state activities that may affect them, and to provide recognition for achievements of individual ETCS. This is accomplished through regular or as-needed meetings, newsletters and workshops. In addition to ETCS, MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 10 participation in most of these networks includes staffs of jurisdictions and transit agencies. Private/Public Partnerships. The region's more formalized private/public partnerships are listed below. WSDOT's TDM Resource Center is developing a program to support private/public partnerships. Such support and the need to maximize TDM resources will likely result in additional similar partnerships. The most common form of such partnership is the transportation management association (TMA), also known as transportation management organization (TMO). TMA partners include employers, developers, building owners, jurisdictions and transit agencies, They provide a forum to collectively address local transportation issues and typically emphasize developing and implementing TDM strategies and reducing traffic congestion. TransManage and Overlake TMA are currently the only TMAs in the region. - TransManage. Formerly known as the Bellevue TMA, this association was established in 1986. It provides client services for nine major participating employers and organizations representing 9,000 employees. The TransManage client list includes PACCA-R, Puget Power, US WEST Communications and several multi-tenant buildings (including Koll Center, Quadrant Plaza, and Skyline Tower). - Overlake TMA. Formed in 1991, this Redmond TMA now includes eight participating firms with 13,000 employees. Membership includes Group Health, Microsoft, Nintendo, Safeco Insurance, Sundstrand Aerospace and Unigard Insurance. - Bothell Transportation Partnership and Paine Field Transportation Cooperative. These two groups began as ETC networks but are evolving into more formalized organizations. They're not as formal as transportation management associations, but they may choose to become TMAs in the future. - Commuter Challenge Program of Seattle/King County. The purpose of this program is to encourage local employers to offer TDM incentives to their employees and to facilitate communication between the private and public sectors regarding transportation issues. Commuter Challenge provides a forum for education, dialogue and networking. The sponsoring agencies are The Economic Development Council of Seattle and King County, the City of Seattle, King County/Metro, the Washington State Department of Transportation, and the Washington State Energy Office. Employer Recognition Programs. In King County, the Commuter Challenge Program (described above) has been recognizing businesses for their voluntary employee transportation programs since 1989. With the advent of the CTR law, more employers than ever will be implementing programs, which means that more employers will be deserving of public recognition. Using CMAQ funds available through grants to Metro and King County, this program is being broadened to enable that recognition. In addition to CTR-affected employers, the recognition program in Kitsap County extends to businesses that participate in the Smart Commuter Discount Program. Merchants are given large MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 11 window decals to proclaim their support of ridesharing, and participating merchants are given recognition through the local newspapers. Employer recognition programs are under development in both Pierce and Snohomish counties. Transit Agency Work with Individual Employers. The transit agencies in the region assist employers with development and implementation of employee transportation programs. This assistance, which extends to employers not subject to the CTR law as well as those who are, includes program development, ridematch services, training of employee transportation coordinators, vanpool and custom bus programs. Ridematching. Most CTR-affected employers incorporate ridematch assistance into their CTR programs. For most employers this means providing employees with information about the Regional Ridematch System or Kitsap County's Ridematch System, but several employers have chosen to utilize their own in-house ridematching systems in addition to, or in lieu of, the regional system. Vanpools. Together, the region's transit agencies currently operate more than 700 vanpools. Metro's vanpool fleet is currently the largest publicly owned such fleet in the country. Very few of the region's employers operate their own vanpool programs. Worker/Driver Bus Program. Initiated in 1967 with two buses, Kitsap Transit's Worker/Driver program now serves approximately 1,200 people on 47 routes. The work-end destinations of the routes are Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, the Naval Underwater Warfare Engineering Station, and the Naval Submarine Base at Bangor. The unique feature of the Worker/Driver program is that the driver is one of the commuters and becomes an employee of Kitsap Transit as well. Custom Buses. Metro's Custom Bus Program consists of a fleet of 27 buses, each one serving 40 or more commuters on routes with one end of the trip at institutional or work facilities not served by Metro's regular transit service. Ferry Fast Lane. This program gives registered carpools and vanpools a guarantee of boarding the next ferry. This preferential loading and an accompanying fare reduction give commuters an incentive to rideshare. Currently, there are about 230 carpools and 100 vanpools regionwide registered with the Washington State Ferry System under this program. Specialized Transit Pass Programs. Transit agencies are making it easier to use their services through special transit pass programs that meet specific customer needs. In addition to programs that meet the needs of the elderly and disabled, other passes offer incentives to use TDM programs. FlexPass Program. Metro works with employers of 100 or more employees to determine those employees' commuting needs. Customized pass programs are then developed to fit each employer. A program can include any or all of a number of Metro's services such as riding Metro and other area transit, vanpools, work-site shuttles, free carpool parking, MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 12 merchant discounts and emergency rides home. U-Pass Program. The U-Pass Program is a cooperative effort of Metro, Community Transit, the City of Seattle and the University of Washington. It includes a Metro/Community Transit integrated fare structure, ridematching and vanpool promotion, increased service on bus routes serving the University District, nighttime security shuttle, subsidized transit passes, and increased parking fees on the University campus. Currently, more than 70 percent of the University's students, faculty and staff purchase the pass. In the first year of the program (1991-92), transit ridership increased 20 percent and carpool participation increased 17 percent. Areawide Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Programs. GRH programs provide assurance to those who share rides or use other non-SOV travel modes that they will have transportation in case they need to leave work at an unscheduled time because of emergency, unplanned overtime or other authorized reason. The guaranteed ride may be via taxi, company vehicle or other mode and is provided by the employer at little or no cost to the employee. Metro offers the Home Free Guarantee subscription service to employers at a cost of $1 per year per employee. Kitsap Transit is in the process of developing a countywide GRH program. TDM Promotion and Public Education. The Commute Trip Reduction law has precipitated numerous TDM promotional activities throughout the region. Most of the efforts are geared toward the commute trip, but some target school children and the general public. Key messages of the promotions address the harmful effects of SOV commuting, non-SOV choices commuters can make, and the fact that alternative commute modes need not be utilized every day to have a beneficial effect. Although a number of one-time, short-term promotions have been and are being produced, only those that are long-term or ongoing are described below. - Partners for Smart Commuting. This alliance was formed in Oregon in 1991 as a means of pooling resources for development of a public service campaign about the benefits of using non-SOV modes of travel. In 1993, a group of Washington jurisdictions and public agencies joined with the Oregon group to form a regional coalition. The objective of the group is to raise public awareness about the effects of driving alone. They have produced a number of promotions for radio, television and print media and have utilized hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of donated air time to get their message to the public. - "Oil Smart" Promotion. This annual campaign was begun in 1991, during the Gulf War, as an effort to promote intelligent use of fossil fuels. The focal point of the campaign is to promote a month of Oil Smart Wednesdays during March by challenging people to try an SOV alternative for one day a week, four weeks in a row. It was initiated by the Bullitt Foundation, and its broad- based support comes from business, government, environment, education, neighborhood, recreation and religious groups. Oil Smart is an organized campaign in the Puget Sound region, but the concept and promotional materials are also being used in several other areas of the state. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 13 - Bellevue's "One Less Car: It Adds Up" Campaign. This community education campaign encourages ridesharing and driving less in general. Its basic elements include educating middle-school students about their transportation choices before they reach driving age; making it easier for Pony League participants to carpool to their events; providing incentives to use non-SOV transportation to citywide events; and implementing an intensive program to reduce SOV travel specifically in the Crossroads neighborhood. - Community Transit's School Transit Education Program (STEP). This program teaches elementary school children in Snohomish County the value of transit. A kit is available for use by preschoolers. Community Transit's mascot "Rabbit Transit" visits first-graders and can be seen at parades and festivals throughout Snohomish County. - Kitsap Transit's "Smart Tripper" Promotion. This promotion seeks to educate Kitsap County's sixth graders about the problems associated with increased use of SOVS; introduce them to alternative transportation modes; teach them how to use and benefit from public transportation services; and develop an interest in becoming regular public transit users. - Merchant Discount Program. The Kitsap Transit Smart Commuter program provides "Smart Commuter" Discount Cards to members of registered carpools and vanpools and Worker/Driver bus commuters. The cards provide discounts on merchandise and services offered by participating businesses in Kitsap County. Telecommuting. While telecommuting is often thought of as using a computer to work at home, it can take many other forms such as staying home once a month to catch up on job-related reading to working at home everyday making telephone sales calls. A telecommuting program can be a casual "understanding" that it's to be utilized on a when-feasible basis, or it can be formalized and documented in a procedures manual. As it's most often practiced, it involves the option of substituting a normal work commute with working at home or at an office close to home on a regular, part- time basis (usually one or more times a week). Telecommuting is an option that is offered by individual employers to employees in positions that don't require their physical presence every day. Because it can take many forms, and because there is no organized, regionwide telecommuting network, it's difficult to estimate how many employers have such programs and how often employees take advantage of them. The Washington State Energy Office's evaluation of employer-program and employee-survey data, scheduled to be formalized in July 1994, will provide an indicator of the status of telecommuting in the region. In 1990, the Energy Office undertook a two-year telecommuting demonstration project in the Puget Sound area. Its goals were to demonstrate the concept of a structured telecommuting program; to evaluate its impact on organizations, individuals, energy consumption and the environment; to assess the potential for telecommuting regionwide; and to develop policy recommendations based on the findings. The project involved 25 public and private organizations. Ninety percent of them indicated their intention to continue telecommuting after the project ended, and two-thirds of those organizations intended to expand their programs. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 14 Among the findings of the project was the fact that, with or without governmental requirements or facilitation, telecommuting will probably continue to increase. The recommendation to the public sector was to support telecommuting in a variety of ways and to utilize the program for public-sector employees. Local Land-Use/Development-Based TDM. Several of the region's jurisdictions currently require TDM strategies to mitigate the transportation impacts of new and expanded development. Through an amendment to its traffic mitigation ordinance, Snohomish County now requires developers to provide transportation demand management if they add three or more peak-hour trips through an intersection that already has a low level of service. In general, a developer may make a voluntary TDM mitigation payment, provide TDM on site, or a combination of both. Developers who provide on- site transportation demand management are eligible for "trip reduction credits" to reduce a development's overall traffic mitigation fee. Seattle has established transportation and parking standards for major institutions through the Major Institutions Code. A performance standard of at least 50 percent HOV use is required for commuting employees at these institutions. State Environmental Policy Act authority is used to augment Seattle's land-use code to mitigate traffic impacts generated by downtown development. SEPA also is used on a case-by-case basis to impose conditions on projects outside downtown. Bellevue imposes TDM conditions on developments in the central business district through the land-use code. The guidelines are based on performance standards. Bellevue also has an ordinance that requires programmatic actions for new and expanding development outside the central business district. Requirements are based on the size and type of land use. Similarly, King County uses TDM to mitigate impacts through the development review process. Redmond requires TDM actions through administrative guidelines. Other jurisdictions, including Auburn, Bothell, Issaquah, Kent, Kirkland and Renton, all have required TDM actions at selected developments on a case-by-case basis through SEPA authority. Several jurisdictions in the region require impact fees of new development that generates additional traffic on the jurisdiction's roadways. The revenues are used to mitigate the impacts of that traffic increase. Transit agencies are working with public works departments of several of the region's jurisdictions to review new-development site designs to ensure their compatibility with transit service and other non-SOV modes of travel. SnoTran's publication, "A Guide to Land Use and Public Transportation", has proven to be a useful tool for many of these jurisdictions. Many of the region's jurisdictions regulate parking supply. Local Activities Under Development The following 1994-96 Transportation Improvement Program TDM projects are not regional in scope, but their products can enhance TDM throughout the region. For the most part, these MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 15 projects will demonstrate the benefits and identify the difficulties of implementing specific TDM programs. (The sponsoring agency is noted in bold type.) - Three Flex Pass Demonstration Projects. One of these is a Bellevue, joint public/private project that would demonstrate and test, over a two-year period, a comprehensive transportation incentive program offering a variety of interchangeable benefits to employees via a single pass. The other two are similar projects that are sponsored by Metro, one in the Overlake area and one at selected community colleges in King County. - "One Less Car: Use It Wisely." A pilot citywide marketing campaign targeting SOV trip reduction by Bellevue residents, especially for nonwork trips, with the -unusual twist of sponsorship by the automobile business sector. The three main elements are informational material, communications and motivational promotions. (Bellevue) - Various Programs to Encourage Innovative CTR Measures. Separate local programs that encourage employers to try innovative CTR measures are being developed by Metro, Everett, and Snohomish County. - Commute Trip Reduction for Small Businesses. This program will assist small employers that may not be affected by the CTR law to identify non-SOV commute alternatives for their employees. (Seattle) - Debit Card Parking Control for HOV Use. Development of debit card technology to access parking that would be priced for peak and off-peak trips, and transit and vanpool services that would be priced lower than parking. (Metro) - Cable TV Information and Promotional Programming. This project is to develop the concept, purchase equipment and produce informational programs to be aired on King County's cable TV station to promote the use of various modes of public transportation. (Metro) - Overlake/Willows Neighborhood Enhancement Project. Fostering an ongoing partnership between the public and private sectors through support of the Overlake Transportation Management Association and promotion of this as a model for other Redmond employers. (Redmond) - Employee and Event Transportation Management Program. Development and implementation of a transportation management plan to reduce vehicle trips to the Seattle Center both by event patrons and employees. (Seattle) Other local projects that support transportation demand management have also received TIP approval. They include vanpool purchases, construction of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, transit improvements, development of transit-supportive design standards, and construction and/or improvement of HOV facilities. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 16 STATEWIDE TDM EFFORTS THAT AFFECT THE REGION Commute Trip Reduction The Commute Trip Reduction law created a statewide CTR Task Force and a Technical Assistance Team. The Task Force members represent cities, counties, transit agencies, employers and the citizens at large, as well as the Washington State Energy Office and the Departments of Transportation, Ecology, General Administration, and Community, Trade and Economic Development. They are charged with providing guidance for implementation of the law and evaluating its overall effectiveness. Their findings and recommendations for continuation, modification or termination of the law will be reported to the Legislature in December 1995 and 1999. The Technical Assistance Team comprises staff members from the State Energy Office, the Department of Ecology and the Department of Transportation. They provide staff support to the Task Force and assist cities, counties and employers in developing and implementing CTR plans and programs. This assistance consists of statewide coordination, providing informational materials and consistent training, and promotional activities. The forum for statewide coordination of CTR activities is the Eight-County CTR Coordinating Committee. The members of this group represent the jurisdictions of each of the eight counties affected by the CTR law. The purpose of the committee is to exchange information and ideas and to provide input on statewide CTR issues. TDM-SUPPORTIVE ORGANIZATIONS A number of statewide, regional and local organizations support transportation demand management. Most of them were established to address general transportation issues, but their efforts in research, planning and implementation of TDM strategies make them worthy of mention here. WSDOT Office of Urban Mobility's TDM Resource Center. As noted above, the TDM Resource Center is being developed by the Washington State Department of Transportation's Office of Urban Mobility (OUM) to meet the following objectives: - To encourage public/private TDM collaboration. - To coordinate and develop needed TDM resources and tools. - To facilitate and support TDM partnerships. - To encourage and support TDM innovations and demonstrations. The OUM has secured statewide competitive STP funds and regional Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds to fund the TDM Resource Center through federal fiscal year 1996. The Center's primary focus will be on the central Puget Sound region, but much of its work will also benefit the other four CTR-affected counties in the state. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 17 Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC). TRAC brings together transportation research professionals from WSDOT, the University of Washington and Washington State University to conduct transportation research projects. Their interest is in every aspect of transportation, and over the years their work has contributed to the existing body of knowledge about TDM and the factors that influence mode choice decisions. Washington State Ridesharing Organization (WSRO). At its first meeting in 1988, WSRO members decided that its mission would be to "...advocate, promote, and support high occupancy vehicle transportation options and to encourage policy makers, employers and commuters to support the use of alternative transportation modes..." Membership, which is open to anyone with an interest in the mission of WSRO, includes representatives of state and local governments, transit agencies, civic groups, employers and others throughout the state. Alt-Trans. The mission of this broad-based coalition of civic groups and individuals is to promote alternatives to the single- occupant vehicle by influencing public policy and funding. Some of the groups represented by Alt-Trans are bicycle clubs, Greenpeace, League of Women Voters, Sierra Club, Washington Association of Railroad Passengers, and the Washington Environmental Council. CURRENT FEDERAL AND STATE REGULATIONS Recent legislation has garnered both political and financial support for TDM efforts. Local governments are now answering federal, state and regional policies and mandates by considering and implementing demand management actions. Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA). (Public Law 101-549). In 1990, the federal Clean Air Act Amendments established national air quality standards for certain air pollutants and designated the geographic areas where those standards were not being met. The central Puget Sound region was designated as a nonattainment area for carbon monoxide and ozone. As such, the region is subject to CAAA requirements, potentially including development and implementation of transportation control measures to be included in the State Implementation Plan for achieving and maintaining air quality standards. TDM strategies are considered transportation control measures. Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA). (Public Law 102-240). This federal law passed in 1991 has created a framework that addresses transportation demand as well as supply. The funding flexibility provided for in ISTEA allows funding of demand management projects with dollars that previously would have been earmarked for roads. Growth Management Act (GMA). (RCW 36.70A). The state's Growth Management Act of 1990 calls for local land-use decisions that support implementation of demand management strategies. In addition, the countywide and multicounty policies adopted pursuant to the GMA require local jurisdictions to address transportation demand management in their comprehensive plans. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 18 Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law. (RCW 70.94.521-551, a section of the Washington Clean Air Act). The state legislature passed the CTR law (originally referred to as the TDM law) in 1991. The law requires major employers (those with 100 or more employees arriving at a single work site between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on at least 2 weekdays for 12 continuous months) to implement programs that encourage employees to use alternatives to single-occupant vehicles (SOVS) for their work commutes. It sets goals for reduction of employees' vehicle miles traveled (and SOV rate) at 15 percent by 1995, 25 percent by 1997 and 35 percent by 1999. There is no penalty for not achieving these goals, but there is a penalty for failure to implement a CTR program or to modify a program as required by the local jurisdiction. To date, none of the region's affected employers have failed to meet the requirements. The law also requires affected jurisdictions to review local parking policies and ordinances for necessary revisions to comply with commute trip reduction goals and guidelines. Local Option Commercial Parking Tax. (RCW 82.80.030). This state law, which authorizes cities and counties to impose parking taxes, was signed into law in 1990. The authorization allows a tax to be imposed either on commercial parking businesses or directly on users of commercial parking spaces. To date, the City of SeaTac is the only jurisdiction in the region that has elected to exercise this taxing authority. Ridesharing Exemption from Motor Vehicle Excise Tax. (RCW 82.08.287 and 82.44.015). This law exempts vehicles, used for commuting by five to fifteen people, from paying sales, use and motor vehicle excise taxes. Tax Exemption for Employer-Provided Carpool Incentives. (RCW 82.04 and 82.16). This law, passed in the 1994 legislative session, allows major employers affected by the CTR Law to take a credit on their business and occupation tax or public utility tax if they provide financial incentives to their employees for ridesharing in carpools with four or more persons. The tax credit is limited to $60 per employee per year and $200,000 per employer per year. Income-Tax-Free Transportation Benefits. In October 1992, the tax- free limit for employer provided transit subsidies was raised from $21 to $60 per month. At the same time, the tax-free limit on employer-provided parking benefits was set at $155. Previously, there had been no parking-benefit limit. Though considerably reduced, the inequity still exists. MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 19 MTP BASELINE/FRAMEWORK DOCUMENT TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT RESOURCE LIST Alt-Trans, 1:2, Fall 1993, Washington Coalition for Transportation Alternatives The Bus Book, February 1994, Community Transit Comprehensive Transportation Demand Management Work Program Report, November 1993, King County Evaluation of Travel Demand Management Measures to Relieve Congestion, February 1990, Federal Highway Administration Land Use and Neighborhood Character Supplementary Report Second Edition, October 1990, Puget Sound Council of Governments Metro Rideshare Operations Fact Sheet, June 1993, Metro 1994-1996 Regional Transportation Improvement Program, October 1993, Puget Sound Regional Council Northgate Area Comprehensive Plan, September 1993, City of Seattle Path to Balanced Transportation, October 1993, Ira Hirschman and John Pucher Puget Sound Telecommuting Demonstration, Executive Summary, November 1992, Washington State Energy Office Puget Sound Trends, No. T1, October 1993, Puget Sound Regional Council A Report of the 1992 Oil Smart Campaign, April 1992, The Bullitt Foundation Status of Traffic Mitigation Ordinances Final Report, August 1989, U.S. Department of Commerce Transportation Demand Management (7DM) Notebook, March 1991, King County Transportation System Management and Demand Management in Washington State, April 199 1, Washington State Department of Transportation VISION 2020 Growth and Transportation Strategy for the Central Puget Sound Region, October 1990, Puget Sound Council of Governments VISION 2020 Growth and Transportation Strategy for the Central Puget Sound Region, Final Environmental Impact Statement, October 1990, Puget Sound Council of Governments VISION 2020 Multicounty Planning Policies for King, Kitsap, Pierce and Snohomish Counties, March 1993, Puget Sound Regional Council WSRO 1993 Resource Handbook, January 1993, Washington State Ridesharing Organization WSRO Review, 3:4, Summer 1993, Washington State Ridesharing Organization WSRO Review, 4: 1, Winter 1994, Washington State Ridesharing Organization MTP Baseline/Framework Report Background Information Page 20
