Washington commuters are increasing their use of alternatives to driving alone to work. Any number of reasons may cause commuters to choose to get out of their single-occupancy vehicles and ride in vanpools, carpools, and buses—which is why the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Task Force finds it difficult to isolate the role of CTR in the state’s changing commute patterns. However, employees commuting to CTR worksites are using alternatives to driving alone at a significantly higher rate compared with other worksites in the same area, causing the Task Force to conclude that the CTR program is playing a role in those changes.

After five months of preparation, the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Task Force is submitting its 2003 Report to the Washington State Legislature. Two features set this year’s report apart from three previous reports.

The first significant difference in this year’s report is a focus on worksites that began implementing CTR in 1993. Representing well over half of the worksites in the program and most of the trip reduction, these 525 sites have consistent data since 1993. Reviewing these results separately allows the Task Force to identify changes employees at CTR sites have made over time. During the next two years the Task Force will refine its measurement of CTR’s impacts.

The second major difference in this year’s report is the addition of profiles of CTR programs in each of the participating counties. Each program is summarized in the main body of the report and described in more detail in an appendix that will be published with the report.

The state invested $2.65 million in the CTR program in 2003. The CTR Task Force concludes that the CTR program plays a significant role in creating the following benefits:

• 6.2 percent less delay than would have been experienced on roadways in the Puget Sound region
• $24 million savings in reduced delay in the Puget Sound area alone
• $10 million in reduced fuel costs for employees due to fewer trips
• $5.8 million in reduced fuel costs due to less stop and go traffic
• Reduction of 4,800 tons of pollution
• Reduction of 50,200 tons of carbon dioxide

Because of the program’s success, the Task Force recommends that the state continue to invest in CTR and provide additional funding to address its expanded scope. (There are 33% more worksites now than when the program began, and Benton County is joining the CTR program.) In addition, recent state investments in performance grants and vanpooling could be strengthened by making funding for these programs more flexible. Finally, the Task Force suggests integrating trip reduction into broader policy decisions in order to improve the effectiveness of public investments in transportation.

To view a copy of the Task Force’s report, visit www.wsdot.wa.gov/tdm or contact Barbara Davis at 360-705-7874.

• See companion article, "What has the CTR Task Force concluded?"

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