HOUSE BILL REPORT

                 2SHB 1671

                    As Passed Legislature

Title:  An act relating to growth strategies.

Brief Description:  Changing provisions relating to growth strategies.

Sponsor(s):  By House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives R. Fisher, Riley, R. Meyers, Jacobsen, Heavey, Roland, Hine, O'Brien, Rust, Betrozoff, Paris, Scott, Fraser and Wineberry).

Brief History:

  Reported by House Committee on:

Transportation, March 4, 1991, DPS;

Transportation, March 9, 1991, DP2S;

Passed House, March 19, 1991, 84-14;

Amended by Senate;

House concurred;

  Passed Legislature, 94-0.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: That Substitute House Bill No. 1671 be substituted therefor, and the substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 20 members:  Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; R. Meyers, Vice Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Minority Member; Basich; Brough; Cantwell; Cooper; G. Fisher; Forner; Haugen; Heavey; Horn; R. Johnson; Jones; Kremen; Nelson; Prentice; Schmidt; Wilson; and Zellinsky.

Minority Report: Without recommendation.  Signed by 6 members:  Representatives Chandler, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Day; P. Johnson; Mitchell; Orr; and Wood.

Staff:  Gene Baxstrom (786-7303).

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON

TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: That Second Substitute House Bill No. 1671 be substituted therefor, and the second substitute bill do pass.  Signed by 24 members:  Representatives R. Fisher, Chair; R. Meyers, Vice Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Minority Member; Basich; Brough; Cantwell; Cooper; Day; G. Fisher; Forner; Haugen; Horn; P. Johnson; R. Johnson; Jones; Kremen; Mitchell; Nelson; Orr; Prentice; Schmidt; Wilson; Wood; and Zellinsky.

Minority Report: Without recommendation.  Signed by 2 members:  Representatives Chandler, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; and Heavey.

Staff:  Gene Baxstrom (786-7303).

Background:  Current access controls to state highways are limited.  Limited access highways are defined.  Cities control access to state highways within city limits.  Access to the remainder of the system is dealt with in terms of geometric consideration for points of access including safety and capacity considerations.  Control of access to city and county roads rests with those jurisdictions.

Motor vehicles in Washington's metropolitan areas are a major source of emissions or air contaminants and traffic congestion on the state's roads and highways.

Transportation Demand Management (TDM) is a concept describing transportation strategies for reducing the number of vehicles on the roads and highways, particularly single-occupant vehicles. Examples of these strategies are car pools, van pools, employer-subsidized transit passes and parking fees at market rates.

Summary of Bill:  The Department of Transportation (DOT) is directed to establish an access program for all state highways.  Legislative findings recognize property owners' rights to reasonable access to the system but make those rights subordinate to the public right to a safe and efficient highway system.  Permits are required for access to highways, except that unpermitted connections to state highways in use for one year prior to July 1, 1991, are grandfathered and existing permitted connections remain valid unless property use is changed.

By January 1, 1993, the DOT is to develop and adopt an access classification system in consultation with counties, cities and planning organizations.  Access standards for state highways within cities must be approved by the City Design Standards Committee.  Cities retain permitting authority for non-limited access highways within cities.  The rules must address local land use and zoning, transportation needs, access needs, and other considerations.

All public and private employers with 100 or more employees who commute during rush hour must develop a program for reducing the number of single-occupancy trips by their employees.  The program applies to counties whose populations are greater than 150,000.  Currently, King, Pierce, Snohomish, Clark, Spokane, Kitsap, Thurston, and Yakima counties are included.  Employers must reduce single-occupancy trips by 15 percent by 1995, 25 percent by 1997 and 35 percent by 1999.  Jurisdictions implementing a commute trip reduction plan may impose civil penalties.

A task force of representatives of local, state and private employers or owners of major work sites, and private citizens must establish guidelines for the counties and cities to ensure their consistent implementation of transportation demand management (TDM) goals.  The task force may also grant waivers or permit modified trip reduction programs for those employers, who as a result of special characteristics of their business, are unable to meet the requirements of a commute trip reduction plan. The task force must review progress toward implementing commute trip reduction plans and programs, and make recommendations to the Legislature by December 1, 1995 and December 1, 1999.  The December 1, 1995 report must include recommendations regarding the extension of the commute trip reduction program to employers with 50 or more full-time employees.

Counties and cities may require commute trip reduction programs for employers with 10 or more employees in federally designated non-attainment areas for carbon monoxide and ozone.  Counties and cities must develop the programs in cooperation with affected employers and provide technical assistance to employers in implementing their programs.

The State Energy Office must create a technical assistance team to provide staff support for the Task Force, and training, information and assistance to employers.

The Department of General Administration must coordinate with an interagency task force to develop a trip reduction plan for state facilities qualifying for the program in the designated counties.

If TDM does not receive funding from the Clean Air Act, then the trip reduction requirements are no longer valid.

Fiscal Note:  Not requested.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect July 1, 1991.

Testimony For:  Access management provides for more effective use of public roadways.  The growth management portions of the bill bring transportation planning into conformity with the goals and objectives of comprehensive planning. Transportation demand management provides a method to reduce traffic congestion and mitigate the adverse effects of auto emissions on the environment.  Citizens should be allowed to serve on Regional Transportation Planning Organization Policy Boards.  Transportation planning should have a longer planning horizon.

Testimony Against:  None.

Witnesses:  Craig Olson, Association of Washington Cities; Charlie Howard, Department of Transportation; Rick Wickman, Washington Association of Counties; Chris Leman, Transportation Alternatives Forum; Dick Goldsmith, Washington State Transit Association; and Kale Rosenberg, Washington State Association of Counties.