Title: An act relating to multimodal concurrency strategies.

Brief Description: Addressing transportation concurrency strategies.

Sponsors: House Committee on Transportation (originally sponsored by Representatives Jarrett, Moeller, Tom, Simpson, Appleton, Linville, Sommers, Lantz and Dunshee).

Brief History: Passed House: 3/10/05, 94-0.

Committee Activity: Transportation: 3/31/05, 4/4/05 [DPA, w/oRec].

SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION

Majority Report: Do pass as amended.Signed by Senators Haugen, Chair; Jacobsen, Vice Chair; Swecker, Ranking Minority Member; Eide, Oke, Spanel and Weinstein.

Minority Report: That it be referred without recommendation.Signed by Senators Benson and Mulliken.

Staff: Kimberly Johnson (786-7346)

Background: Jursidictions planning under the Growth Management Act (GMA) must adopt and enforce ordinances prohibiting development approval if the development causes the level of service (LOS) on a locally owned transportation facility to decline below standards adopted in the transportation element. Exemptions to this prohibition may be made if improvements or strategies to accommodate development impacts are made concurrent with the development. These strategies may include: increased public transportation service; ride sharing programs; demand management; and other transportation systems management strategies.

"Concurrent with the development" means improvements or strategies that are in place at the time of development, or that a financial commitment is in place to complete the improvements or strategies within six years.

Regional Transportation Planning Organizations (RTPO) must prepare and update regional transportation plans (plan) that are consistent with certain provisions of the GMA. The plan must be developed in cooperation with the Department of Transportation (DOT), transportation providers, local governments, and other specified entities.

The plan must also set forth a proposed regional transportation approach, including capital investments, service improvements, programs, and transportation demand management measures to guide the development of an integrated, multimodal regional transportation system.

All transportation projects, programs, and demand management measures within the region must be consistent with the plan and adopted regional growth and transportation strategies.

Summary of Amended Bill: In addition to improvements or strategies to accommodate the impacts of development, concurrency compliance improvements or strategies may include qualifying multimodal transportation improvements or strategies. These multimodal improvements or strategies include: (1) multiple modes of transportation with peak and nonpeak hour capacity performance standards for locally owned transportation facilities; and (2) modal performance standards meeting the peak and nonpeak hour capacity performance standards.

RTPO plans must include provisions for regional growth centers addressing concurrency strategies, measurements for vehicle level of service, and total multimodal capacity.

DOT must to administer a study to examine multimodal transportation improvements or strategies to comply with the concurrency requirements of the Growth Management Act. Requires the study to be completed by one or more regional transportation planning organizations (RTPOs) electing to participate in the study.

DOT, in coordination with participating RTPOs, must submit a report of findings and recommendations to the appropriate committees of the Legislature by December 31, 2006.

Amended Bill Compared to Original Bill: Removes the reporting requirement for jurisdictions making a multimodal transportation improvement or strategy to comply with the concurrency requirements.

Requires DOT to add the following provisions to the study: recommendations on a methodology that jurisdictions may use to evaluate the effectiveness of multimodal concurrency strategies in jurisdictions subject to the provisions of RCW 36.70A.070 and 36.70A.020(3); examine transit services and how these services promote mutliodal transportation improvements or strategies for jurisdictions planning under RCW 36.70A.070(6)(b); and examine multimodal infrastructure needs, such as bus pull outs and pedestrian crosswalks and overpasses, and how these needs can be better identified in the plans required by RCW 36.70A.070(6).

Appropriation: None.

Fiscal Note: Available.

Committee/Commission/Task Force Created: No.

Effective Date: The bill takes effect 90 days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For: We need to better define what we want our transportation system to do. There needs to be a measurement that reflects the multiple modes of our transportation system. The study proposed in this bill will help us identify different ways to measure concurrency by looking at both peak and off-peak and transit services.

Testimony Against: None.

Who Testified: PRO: Representative Jarrett, prime sponsor; Ashley Probart, Association of Washington Cities.