S-2290.1          _______________________________________________

                            SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 5899

                  _______________________________________________

State of Washington              54th Legislature             1995 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Senators Kohl, Owen, Prentice and Prince)

Read first time 03/06/95.

Encouraging proximate commuting.

     AN ACT Relating to including proximate commuting as a transportation demand management strategy to be used in the implementation of the commute trip reduction act; amending RCW 70.94.531; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  A new employer-based commute reduction program called proximate commuting is an attractive transportation demand management strategy.  It systematically identifies long distance commuters working for multisite employers who could work closer to home, doing the same job for the same employer, and makes easier voluntary transfers to the shorter-commute worksites.  Once employees are working closer to home, other commute options, including walking, bicycling, and ridesharing become more practical.

     Sec. 2.  RCW 70.94.531 and 1991 c 202 s 13 are each amended to read as follows:

     (1) Not more than six months after the adoption of the commute trip reduction plan by a jurisdiction, each major employer in that jurisdiction shall develop a commute trip reduction program and shall submit a description of that program to the jurisdiction for review.  The program shall be implemented not more than six months after submission to the jurisdiction.

     (2) A commute trip reduction program shall consist of, at a minimum (a) designation of a transportation coordinator and the display of the name, location, and telephone number of the coordinator in a prominent manner at each affected worksite; (b) regular distribution of information to employees regarding alternatives to single-occupant vehicle commuting; (c) an annual review of employee commuting and reporting of progress toward meeting the single-occupant vehicle reduction goals to the county, city, or town consistent with the method established in the commute trip reduction plan; and (d) implementation of a set of measures designed to achieve the applicable commute trip reduction goals adopted by the jurisdiction.  Such measures may include but are not limited to:

     (i) Provision of preferential parking or reduced parking charges, or both, for high occupancy vehicles;

     (ii) Instituting or increasing parking charges for single-occupant vehicles;

     (iii) Provision of commuter ride matching services to facilitate employee ridesharing for commute trips;

     (iv) Provision of subsidies for transit fares;

     (v) Provision of vans for van pools;

     (vi) Provision of subsidies for car pooling or van pooling;

     (vii) Permitting the use of the employer's vehicles for car pooling or van pooling;

     (viii) Permitting flexible work schedules to facilitate employees' use of transit, car pools, or van pools;

     (ix) Cooperation with transportation providers to provide additional regular or express service to the worksite;

     (x) Construction of special loading and unloading facilities for transit, car pool, and van pool users;

     (xi) Provision of bicycle parking facilities, lockers, changing areas, and showers for employees who bicycle or walk to work;

     (xii) Provision of a program of parking incentives such as a rebate for employees who do not use the parking facility;

     (xiii) Establishment of a program to permit employees to work part or full time at home or at an alternative worksite closer to their homes;

     (xiv) Establishment of a program of alternative work schedules such as compressed work week schedules which reduce commuting; ((and))

     (xv) Establishment of proximate commute programs by employers with multiple worksites; and

(xvi) Implementation of other measures designed to facilitate the use of high-occupancy vehicles such as on-site day care facilities and emergency taxi services.

     (3) Employers or owners of worksites may form or utilize existing transportation management associations to assist members in developing and implementing commute trip reduction programs.

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