Congratulations to the 2003 Diamond Award winners, our region's transportation leaders.

• Online interviews: "Stories of Success"
• Audiotape of Diamond Awards event
• Press release (Word)

Thirteen local organizations and four individuals set the standard for increasing mobility in King County last year. The 2003 Diamond Award winners implemented a variety of innovative programs to reduce commute trips, including incentives for motivating employees to carpool or vanpool, work compressed schedules, telework and ride the bus.

Click on the 2003 Diamond Award and Diamond Ring winners at right for a look at the commuting programs of these King County employers. And you can hear their "Stories of Success" firsthand in an online video of interviews with five of the winners. Thank you also to this year's Pacesetters—for their outstanding commute trip reduction efforts.

In his March 16, 2004 keynote address at the Diamond Awards breakfast, new Puget Sound Regional Council Executive Director Bob Drewel congratulated the winners for being real leaders in a transportation success story in Washington state. In 2003, worksites that participated in the Commute Trip Reduction program removed more than 19,000 vehicles off of Washington state's roads each day, 13,480 trips in the Puget Sound region alone. Since the Commute Trip Reduction law took effect in 1993, the drive-alone rate has declined by nearly 10 percent at worksites in the CTR program, from 69.7 percent in 1993 to 62.8 percent in 2003!

Why is CTR working? These leaders understand that by providing employees with transportation solutions that work, a business can improve its financial bottom line, raise employee morale, and preserve our community's quality of life. Did you know these types of programs yield significant benefits?

...for your business:

• Better ability to retain good employees
• Reduced need for employee parking
• Less employee stress
• Faster delivery of goods and services
• Savings on taxes
• A mobile or virtual workforce in emergencies
• Public recognition as a "good neighbor"

...and for our region:

• Reduced travel times
• A stronger economy through improved mobility
• A cleaner environment and better air quality

Worksite programs that encourage employees to choose commuting alternatives make good business sense!