Newsletters | Thurston Regional Planning Council, WA

Happy August!

My name is Veronica Jarvis, the new CTR/TDM planner for TRPC. I started in July with TRPC after working for the last 6 years for Governor Inslee doing transportation budgeting. I am excited to meet all of you hardworking ETCs and find ways we can help your employees find the best commute for their needs. Please reach out to me at your soonest convenience so we can schedule a brief meet and greet (virtual) JarvisV@trpc.org. Looking forward to working with all of you!

Upcoming Networking Sessions:

In the spirit of trying new things in this virtual time, we will be doing three fall networking sessions each with a different CTR related topic. The format will have a guest speaker and time for Q&A. If ETCs are willing, I would also like to hear local best practices related to the topic, please reach out to me if you have one! Join one, or all!

September 15, 10:00 am. TOPIC: Transit | SPEAKER: Nicky Upson and other IT staff
October 14, 10:00 am. TOPIC: Telecommuting Best Practices | SPEAKER: Allison Velleca, AECOM
November - Date/Time TBD. TOPIC: Parking Management | SPEAKER: TBD

Zoom information to follow.

Thurston County Bicycle Map Reprint Rolls Out

Governor Inslee’s Stay Home Stay Healthy Emergency Order limits activities for CTR affected employees, students, and other household members. Staying healthy sustains productivity, but a healthy lifestyle also reduces stress and anxiety experienced from COVID-19 impacts and other day to day issues. With the lower traffic volumes, now is a great time to wander outdoors and enjoy the summer weather. Riding a bike with family or friends is a wonderful activity to promote physical and mental health, and by its nature offers ample social distancing between individuals. The Thurston County Bicycle Map is an invaluable resource for first time riders seeking a fun safe route close to home or for experienced cyclists seeking new challenges in the county’s less frequented terrain.

Due to popular demand, a second printing of the Sixth Edition Thurston County Bicycle Map is underway to replenish community supplies. The map, similar in appearance to the current edition, includes minor updates that represent big improvements in the bicycle network. Most notable, Thurston County and BNSF Railway restored the long anticipated original alignment of the Chehalis Western Trail under the BNSF Railroad Mainline near Rainier Road in south Lacey. Trail users can now ride directly under the railroad on a paved trail to continue uninterrupted. The new connection is safer, more direct, and more pleasant than the former circuitous unimproved detour path. The map also shows the most current mountain bike network in Capitol State Forest including new downhill trails on the north slope of the forest. The new map is expected to roll out in August. You can pick up your copy at bike shops. Visit www.ThurstonBikeMap.org to find a location near you. Contact Dorinda O’Sullivan (osullivand@trpc.org) to inquire about requesting workplace orders.

Save the Date –WSRO Virtual Conference 2020

"WSRO 20/20: Seeing Transportation Options Clearly" is a one-day digital experience taking place on Tuesday September 22, 2020. The online Zoom conference will last from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. PST. WSRO 20/20 will explore the ways that employers, commuters and TDM partners have adapted, innovated and proven our resilience during this unprecedented time. As in previous years, there will be an ETC track in the morning and a TDM Implementer track in the afternoon, with a lunchtime keynote address from Erin Jones and additional featured speakers including Washington Secretary of Transportation Roger Millar.

Registration is free for WSRO members, so check to make sure your membership is up to date! If you need any assistance with your membership, please contact WSRO Membership Director Jason Halvorson (Jason.Halvorson@kingcounty.gov). Confirmed conference presenters are also welcome to attend free of charge.

Visit the WSRO 20/20 Conference website and register today! Zoom registration links will be shared in September.

Intercity Transit Responds to Coronanvirus

COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic on March 11, 2020. Since then, individuals, businesses and jurisdictions have adapted to rapid changes that have altered our daily lives and how we operate.

Intercity Transit responded to the COVID-19 outbreak by temporarily changing its service delivery model, providing an advanced-reservation service in place of bus service to provide essential trips and transportation for essential workers.

Now that Thurston County has reached Phase 3 of the Safe Start Washington Plan, bus service has been reintroduced. However, the level of service we can provide is temporarily reduced because less than half of our staff is available to work, due primarily to COVID-19-related issues. The following summarizes our current services:

Bus Service:

Current schedules are available at intercitytransit.com/bus/routes
Most local routes run hourly between 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Route 94, service to Yelm, runs approximately every 2 ½ hours.
DASH, The ONE and the Olympia Express service between Olympia and Pierce County are currently not operating.
The Olympia Transit Center is closed until further notice. A map of temporary bus bays at the facility is available at intercitytransit.com/OTC-temp-bus-bays.
Trip planning assistance is available by calling Customer Service at 360-786-1881.

Advanced Reservation Service:

A reservation-based van service is available for those whose transportation needs are outside of our current bus service hours, as well as for essential workers needing to travel to Pierce County.
Contact Customer Service at 360-786-1881 to see if Advanced Reservation Service may be available to assist you.

Changes we've made for everyone's safety:

We've enhanced our cleaning processes to include daily use of electrostatic sprayers and hospital-grade disinfectants.
We're wiping down high touch areas of vehicles during the day.
We've installed Plexiglas barriers at the front of buses to help safeguard our drivers.
We're installing touchless hand sanitizer dispensers on our vehicles as supplies are available.
We're marking off rows of seats to promote social distancing.

Keeping yourself, others and our drivers healthy:

Please stay home if you are sick.
Wear a face covering that covers your nose and mouth while riding. If you forget yours, we'll provide a mask for you.
Wash your hands or use hand sanitizer frequently.
Cover your sneezes and coughs.
Maintain as much distance as possible between you and other passengers while on board, at bus stops and at shelters.
Board buses using the rear door, unless you need the ramp, kneeler, or have a child in a stroller. If you need to enter at the front of the bus, please wait at the front door and tell the driver.

Our ability to provide bus and Advanced Reservation Service depends on keeping our drivers healthy. Please work with us to ensure that we can continue to serve you.

If you have questions, please give us a call at 360-786-1881 or send us an email at customerservice@intercitytransit.com.

Vanpool:

Vanpool operations continue to be available and accommodations can be made for groups to request an additional van to offer more distancing while traveling. For questions or guidance on how to assist staff with finding an existing vanpool or forming a new one, contact the Intercity Transit Vanpool team at vans@intercitytransit.com or call 360-786-8800.

Capitol Campus Parking Data – January to June 2020

When the State Legislature is in session, parking demand peaks. This demand begins in January and can last until June depending on the length of the session.

In 2020 - during the COVID-19 Pandemic - the opposite happened. Parking capacity campus-wide increased dramatically in response to the Governor's Stay Home, Stay Health proclamation in late March.

Enterprise Services’ Parking Services team continues to collect parking lot capacity data twice a day between Monday and Friday. In January 2020, parking capacity at 10:00 a.m. each day averaged slightly more than 83 percent for zoned employee parking. In February, it increased slightly to 85.5 percent, as the legislative session got busier. In March, the dramatic shift began dropping capacity to just more than 47 percent. By the end of April, capacity was nearly 14.5 percent. As campus employees are gradually return to worksites, the parking use data mirrors that slight increase. In both May and June, levels have increased to 18.5 percent.

It is difficult to capture and compare the mode these parkers routinely used prior to the pandemic. This data however, provides insight to understanding how expansion of teleworking by state employees could have a positive impact on increasing parking availability on campus over the long term. The data confirms current parking capacity is at an all-time low and parking availability levels are at an all-time high. More parking stalls are open than those being used.

Source: Washington State Department of Enterprise Services – PIMS

For Additional information contact: Judy Lorenzo (Judy.Lorenzo@des.wa.gov), Transportation Demand Manager, Business Resources Division -- Washington State Department of Enterprise Services.