Who is "CTR-affected"?

Dear Helen:
A friend of mine told me about the great commute benefits she is offering her employees to encourage them to leave their cars at home. She says her company is CTR-affected. What does she mean by that?
Wondering Boss in Woodinville

Dear Wondering:
Well, first let me put your mind at ease: “CTR-Affected” does not refer to some mysterious disease. It is an acronym that refers to the state Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law, which was passed in 1991 to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion and fossil fuel consumption through employer-based programs.

Employers are considered “affected” by the law if they meet these requirements:

• One hundred or more employees at a work site who report to work between 6 and 9 a.m. two or more days a week.

• The work site is located in counties with a population over 150,000 (includes: Benton, Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom, and Yakima)

If your organization does not meet the requirements, you can still participate in the program, and many work sites do in fact choose to voluntarily comply with the CTR Law. Commute trip reduction is worthwhile to both your business and your employees. To review what other employers are doing, go to www.thewinners.org and read up on some award-winning efforts. If you are not quite sure where to begin, give Commuter Challenge a call at 206-389-8658. CTR isn’t a mysterious disease, but I hope you and others will catch the bug and start a commute trip reduction program at your work site.
HOV