Would
you like to save time and money? Earn financial rewards? Be treated like
the STAR you are? Then all you have to do is Simply Take Along a Rider.
Developed by King County Metro in partnership with the City of Seattle,
the STAR carpool program is being launched this month at the Washington
Mutual Tower, and coming soon to other locations in downtown Seattle.
It will include strong incentives for building participation, and a variety of other enticements for commuters:
- Preferred, reserved parking
- Metro ridematching
- Home Free Guarantee
- Commuter Bonus Plus
- Subsidized Flexcar membership and usage credit
Who
can be a STAR?
The STAR program targets three audiences—downtown Seattle commuters,
employers and building management. Downtown SOV commuters who don’t
have convenient bus service are candidates for the new carpooling services
and incentives. By providing access and outreach to commuting employees,
employers can provide an employee benefit as well as an environmental
benefit to the community. Building owners or managers with transportation
management plan (TMP) requirements can partner with King County Metro
in marketing carpools to tenants.
Pilot
program tests market-based plan
The STAR program is designed to test innovative strategies involving parking
pricing and supply as part of the Downtown Seattle Access Project (DSAP).
By developing a new model for marketing and administering carpool parking
in downtown Seattle office buildings and private garages the goal is to
overcome limitations of the existing carpool certification system and
encourage more carpooling to the downtown core.
Implementation of the model program in selected high-rise office building parking facilities will test if the leasing of stalls in high rise garages for carpools is an effective method to reduce SOV commuter parking supply plus create a downtown program of carpool parking stalls. During the term of the pilot, the carpool parking discount required of participating downtown office buildings will be suspended. This provides a market-based win/win approach for requiring carpool supply in high rises. Garage owners/operators get relief from having to provide a 30% discount to carpool customers and instead can sell these stalls at market rates. The City gains a willing partner for marketing carpools.
Background
Most downtown Seattle office buildings built or redeveloped since the
early 1980s have been required by the City to provide a carpool discount
on parking and to hold a certain number of parking spaces for carpoolers.
These buildings typically are required to offer this discount to a set
number of carpools. However, the number of registered carpools is far
lower than the total that could be eligible for the discount and was envisioned
by the regulation. Since discounted carpool parking results in revenue
loss to buildings, building managers have no incentive to help market
and fill the available spaces.
In addition, the City of Seattle does not have sufficient resources to ensure that all who sign up for discounted carpool parking are actually carpoolers. A new carpool parking program is needed to help overcome building managers’ disincentives to market carpool spaces and enforce carpool parking requirements among drivers.
STAR features
include:
How will success
be measured?
The success
of the pilotprogram will be based on these factors:
If successful during the pilot phase, the program may be made available and promoted to all downtown Seattle office buildings. For more information contact Dan Cantrell at 206-263-6080 or dan.cantrell@metrokc.gov.