Commuter Challenge, in partnership with federal, state and local governments, has awarded King and Snohomish County employers over $717,000 in grant funds to implement or enhance commute trip reduction projects in an effort to reduce thousands of commute trips each month. Local employers eligible for the grants are those affected by the state Commute Trip Reduction Law and other work sites that voluntarily comply with the law.
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Employer:
Harborview Medical Center
Kate Knott, who works in the cardiology department at Harborview with Medic One, has found the shuttle service to be a great asset. It allows her to connect to the Sounder train station or downtown bus tunnel instead of driving from Auburn every day. |
Hospital's
mission:
Founded in 1877, Harborview Medical Center teaches the highest quality
patient care while providing a broad spectrum of health services not only
to King County residents, but also throughout Washington, Alaska, Montana,
and Idaho. The facilities at Harborview house four centers of emphasis
– trauma, burns, neuroscience, and HIV/AIDS – and dozens of
other renowned programs.
Business
issues:
An independent staff survey found that many employees were driving alone
to work because there was no reliable connection between the medical center
and stations for the Sounder train, ferry and downtown Seattle bus routes
during the hours of their commute (early morning and late evening). Because
of the late hours many of these employees work, walking from the nearest
transit stop was not a practical solution. In addition, there is a significant
wait list for single occupant vehicle staff parking because of the emphasis
Harborview places on accessible and adequate parking for patients and
their families. Building additional parking for employees is not an option.
Project description:
Harborview’s shuttle service provides commuters with connections
every 15 minutes to the ferry, Sounder and downtown bus tunnel from 5
to 9:40 a.m. and from 3 to 9 p.m. Brochures were created explaining the
shuttle service and its benefits for employees and were distributed in
employee paycheck envelopes. In addition, all new employees are presented
with shuttle and other commute option information during their initial
orientation.
Benefits/Results:
The reliability and frequency of the shuttle service has allowed many
of the faculty, staff, doctors and residents to leave their cars at home
and utilize a variety of transit options for their commutes. Several doctors
who work at both Harborview and the University of Washington have been
able to take advantage of the shuttle service as well, allowing them more
flexibility in traveling between the two institutions. The shuttle service
has exceeded its original goal of reducing 1,000 trips per quarter, as
it consistently eliminates approximately 900 roundtrips per month. The
service has been so popular with employees, Harborview hopes to expand
it to run during lunchtime or possibly all day, as well as add another
stop in downtown Seattle.