H-0970.2

HOUSE BILL 1842


State of Washington	64th Legislature	2015 Regular Session

By Representatives Farrell, Hargrove, Fey, Harmsworth, Senn, Wylie, Gregerson, Robinson, Walkinshaw, Zeiger, Fitzgibbon, Moscoso, Tarleton, and Clibborn

Read first time 01/30/15. Referred to Committee on Transportation.

AN ACT Relating to improving transit agency coordination; amending RCW 35.58.2796, 47.66.030, and 47.66.040; creating a new section; and providing an effective date.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The central Puget Sound is projected to grow considerably, in both population and jobs, over the course of the next several decades. It is thus critical that all its transportation infrastructure be well planned and coordinated, including its transit systems. It is the intent of the legislature to encourage this planning and coordination on the part of central Puget Sound transit systems in order to improve the user experience, increase ridership, and make the most effective use of tax dollars.

(1)(a) The department of transportation shall develop an annual report summarizing the status of public transportation systems in the state for the previous calendar year. By December 1st of each year, the report must be made available to the transportation committees of the legislature and to each municipality, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, and to individual members of the municipality's legislative authority.

(((2)))(b) To assist the department with preparation of the report, each municipality shall file a system report by September 1st of each year with the state department of transportation identifying its public transportation services for the previous calendar year and its objectives for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of those services. The system report shall address those items required for each public transportation system in the department's report.

(((3)))(c) The department report shall describe individual public transportation systems, including contracted transportation services and dial-a-ride services, and include a statewide summary of public transportation issues and data. The descriptions shall include the following elements and such other elements as the department deems appropriate after consultation with the municipalities and the transportation committees of the legislature:

(((d)))(iv) Policy issues and system improvement objectives, including community participation in development of those objectives and how those objectives address statewide transportation priorities;

(((e)))(v) Operating indicators applied to public transportation services, revenues, and expenses. Operating indicators shall include operating cost per passenger trip, operating cost per revenue vehicle service hour, passenger trips per revenue service hour, passenger trips per vehicle service mile, vehicle service hours per employee, and farebox revenue as a percent of operating costs.

(((4)))(d) To the extent that information is available, the department report must include descriptive information on any other modes of public transportation, the impact of public transportation on transportation system performance, and how public transportation helps the state meet the transportation system policy goals described in RCW 47.04.280.

(2)(a) The department of transportation shall develop an annual report summarizing the status of public transportation system coordination in and between counties with a population of seven hundred thousand or more that border Puget Sound for the previous calendar year. By December 1st of each year, the report must be made available to the transportation committees of the legislature and to each municipality, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, located in a county with a population of seven hundred thousand or more that borders Puget Sound and to individual members of the municipality's legislative authority.

(b) To assist the department with preparation of the report required under this subsection, each municipality, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, shall file a report by September 1st of each year with the department identifying its coordination efforts in the previous calendar year with other municipalities, as defined in RCW 35.58.272, located in counties with a population of seven hundred thousand or more that border Puget Sound in the following areas:

(1) The department shall establish a regional mobility grant program. The purpose of the grant program is to aid local governments in funding projects such as intercounty connectivity service, park and ride lots, rush hour transit service, and capital projects that improve the connectivity, coordination, integration, quality, and efficiency of our transportation system. The department shall identify cost-effective projects that reduce delay for people and goods increase interagency coordination and integration, improve the user experience, and improve connectivity between counties and regional population centers. The department shall submit a prioritized list of all projects requesting funding to the legislature by December 1st of each year.

(3) The department must report annually to the transportation committees of the legislature on the status of any grants projects funded by the program created under this section.

(a) Objectives of the growth management act, the high capacity transportation act, the commute trip reduction act, transportation demand management programs, federal and state air quality requirements, and federal Americans with disabilities act and related state accessibility requirements; and

(b) Enhancing the efficiency of regional corridors in moving people among jurisdictions and modes of transportation, fostering interagency coordination and integration, improving the user experience, energy efficiency issues, reducing delay for people and goods, freight and goods movement as related to economic development, regional significance, rural isolation, the leveraging of other funds, and safety and security issues.