GOALS & REQUIREMENTS
Washington's Commute Trip Reduction law was passed in 1991 to improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and minimize energy consumption. The law does this by establishing employer-based programs that encourage employees to find alternatives to drive-alone commuting.
CTR Laws and Guidelines:
www.wsdot.wa.gov/TDM/CTR
Who is Affected by the CTR Law?
The CTR law applies to all employers, including public and private, that have 100 or more "affected" employees who work at a single worksite, and to all state agencies in the urban growth areas of Thurston County. Employers in counties with 150,000 or more residents are affected. Those counties are Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom, and Yakima. "Affected employees" are those employees who:
- Work full-time (35 or more hours per week), and
- Are scheduled to begin work between 6 and 9 a.m. on two or more weekdays for at least 12 continuous months at a single worksite.
The CTR law also applies to local jurisdictions (cities and counties) where an affected employer is located.
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The CTR law requires each local jurisdiction with at least one affected employer to develop and implement a local CTR ordinance. It is this ordinance that governs CTR in each jurisdiction. Under local CTR ordinances, an affected employer must make a good faith effort to develop and implement a CTR program designed to reduce the number and length of drive-alone commute trips made to the worksite.
Minimum Requirements of Employers
- Designating an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC)
- Displaying the ETC's name and contact information in a prominent location
- 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
- Making a "good faith effort" to meet the CTR goals
- Meeting additional local requirements
Thurston County employers who have questions on any of the requirements can contact TRPC at 360-956-7575.
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Newly-Affected Employers
"Newly affected" employers are required to perform the same actions as employers originally affected by the law, but simply on a different schedule. These actions include:
- Self-identification to local jurisdiction - An employer that meets the definition of an affected employer, that is, is a state worksite located in Thurston County UGA's or has 100 or more full-time employees arriving at a single worksite between 6 and 9 a.m. on at least two weekdays each week, must identify itself to the local jurisdiction within 180 days. Employers that fail to do so within 180 days are in violation of the law and the local ordinance.
- Develop and submit trip reduction program - Once the employer has been identified as affected under the CTR law, the employer must develop and submit a CTR program to TRPC for review and approval. Annual Reports would follow the due date established for all worksites in the county, currently set at the end of February.
- Implement trip reduction program - Once TRPC has approved an employer trip reduction program, the employers must implement the program as approved. This includes the identification of an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC).
- Measure success of trip reduction program - New CTR worksites are to complete a baseline CTR survey of employees and then survey at the same time as other worksites in the county after that.
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