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CTR ordinance for Auburn
A list of mandatory elements and information distribution requirements for commute trip reduction programs in Auburn.
Requirements for employers
An affected employer is required to make a good faith effort to develop and implement a CTR program that will encourage its employees to reduce Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) per employee and drive alone commute trips. The CTR program must include the mandatory elements as outlined below:
Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC)
The employer shall designate an Employee Transportation Coordinator to administer the CTR program. The coordinator’s and/or designee’s name, location and telephone number must be prominently displayed physically or electronically at each affected worksite. The coordinator shall oversee all elements of the employer’s CTR program and act as liaison between the employer and the City.
The Employee Transportation Coordinator must complete the basic ETC training course as provided by King County within six months of assuming the status of designated transportation coordinator in order to help ensure consistent knowledge and understanding of CTR laws, rules and guidelines statewide.
The objective is to have an effective transportation coordinator presence at each worksite; an affected employer with multiple sites may have one transportation coordinator for all sites.
Information Distribution
Information about alternatives to drive alone commuting shall be provided to employees at least once a year. This shall consist of, at a minimum, a summary of the employer’s CTR program, including ETC name and phone number.
Employers must also provide a summary of their CTR program to all new employees at the time of hire. Each employer’s CTR program description and progress report must describe what information is to be distributed by the employer and the method of distribution.
Additional Program Elements
In addition to the specific CTR program elements described above, the employer’s CTR program shall include a set of measures designed to meet CTR goals. Measures may include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following:
- Provision of preferential parking or reduced parking charges, or both, for high occupancy vehicles;
- Instituting or increasing parking charges for drive alone vehicles;
- Provision of commute ride matching services to facilitate employee ride-sharing for commute trips;
- Provision of subsidies for rail, vanpool, or transit fares and/or transit passes;
- Provision of vans or buses for employee ride-sharing;
- Provision of subsidies for carpools, walking, bicycling, teleworking, or compressed schedules;
- Permitting the use of the employer’s vehicles for carpooling or vanpooling;
- Permitting flexible work schedules to facilitate employees’ use of transit, carpools, or vanpools;
- Cooperation with transportation providers to provide additional regular or express service to the worksite;
- Construction of special loading and unloading facilities for transit, carpool, and vanpool users;
- Provision of bicycle parking facilities, lockers, changing areas, and showers for employees who bicycle or walk to work;
- Provision of a program of parking incentives such as a rebate for employees who do not use the parking facilities;
- Establishment of a program to permit employees to work part- or full-time at home or at an alternative worksite closer to their homes;
- Establishment of a program of alternative work schedules, such as a compressed work week which reduces commuting;
- Implementation of other measures designed to facilitate the use of high-occupancy vehicles, such as on-site day care facilities and emergency taxi services or guaranteed ride home programs.
- Provision of incentives for employees that do not drive alone to work;
- Charging employees for parking and/or the elimination of free parking; and
- Other measures that the employer believes will reduce the number and length of commute trips made to the site (Ord 5246 § 1 (Exh. A) 1999, Ord. 4602 § 2, 1993.)
Good faith effort
(RCW 70.94.534) Employers are considered to be making a good faith effort if the following conditions have been met:
- The employer implemented the mandatory elements above and
- The employer has notified the jurisdiction of its intent to substantially change or modify its program and has either received the approval of the jurisdiction to do so or has acknowledged that its program may not be approved without additional modifications;
- The employer has provided adequate information and documentation of implementation when requested by the City of Auburn; and
- The employer is working collaboratively with the City of Auburn to continue its existing program or is developing and implementing program modifications likely to result in improvements to the program over an agreed upon length of time.
Violations
Any violation of this chapter shall be enforced pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 1.25 ACC. The following actions shall constitute a violation of this chapter:
- Failure to implement an approved CTR program, unless the program elements that are carried out can be shown through quantifiable evidence to meet or exceed VMT and drive alone commute goals as specified in this chapter. Failure to implement a CTR program includes but is not limited to:
- Failure of any affected employer to submit a complete CTR program within the deadlines specified in ACC 10.02.090;
- Failure to submit required documentation for annual reports;
- Submission of fraudulent data.
- Failure to modify a CTR program found to be unacceptable by the City under ACC 10.02.090(D).
- Failure to make a good faith effort, as defined in RCW 70.94.534(4) and this Chapter.
- Failure to self identify as an affected employer,
- Failure to perform a baseline measurement within the applicable deadline set forth in this chapter.
Penalties
- No affected employer with an approved CTR program may be held liable for failure to reach the applicable drive alone commute or VMT goals.
- Each day of failure by an employer to comply with the requirements of this chapter shall constitute a separate violation, subject to penalties as described in Chapter 1.25 ACC.