Regional Commute Trip Reduction Plan Update:

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1 Regional Commute Trip Reduction Plan Update: Region: Spokane Regional Transportation Council Goals Regional Goals: Describe your region s TDM performance goals? The Spokane Regional Transportation Council s Horizon 2040 policy framework outlines a variety of goals related to travel demand management. These goals or strategies include TDM through education, promotion, ride matching services, employer programs, sharing infrastructure across modes and providing multimodal options region-wide. In addition to Horizon 2040, SRTC s Congestion Management Process (CMP) was revamped in December, 2014 and includes the following objectives related to TDM: invest in solutions that maximize the use of existing facilities across modes, and provide accessible multi-modal transportation for all abilities. Strategies What specific regional strategies will be used to effectively reduce the number of trips in your region? Please include (a) policies and regulations, (b) services and facilities, (c) marketing and incentives, and (d) employer outreach services. A. Policies and Regulations SRTC has two significant policies that are intended to reduce single occupant vehicle trips through demand reductions. SRTC has a Safe and Complete Street policy that requires all projects in the TIP and that go through the Call for Projects process for construction or reconstruction, fill out a checklist to ensure all roadway users have been considered. This policy ensures that all modes of transportation are considered in the process. SRTC also utilizes a CMP, which requires least cost planning strategies be implemented on identified congested corridors. Many of the strategies are travel demand strategies. Also in the CMP, SRTC 1

2 requires that any project that goes into the SRTC Transportation Improvement Program that adds single occupant vehicle capacity, must submit a Roadway Capacity Justification Report for approval by the SRTC Policy Board. These are the TDM strategies identified in the CMP: Ridesharing/Ride Matching Services, Alternative Mode Outreach Events, Local Delivery Service to Off-peak Hours, Parking Management, Parking Information Signage, Improvements for Walking and Improvements for Biking, Traveler Information Services, Transit Service Expansion, Transit Signal Priority and Park and Ride Facilities. B. Services and Facilities SRTC has identified the following improvements that will help reduce drive alone trips and vehicle miles traveled. The region s investments include contributions from state, local and transit agencies. Elements that are being planned and/or being implemented include: 1. Transit services Spokane Transit Authority (STA) is in the latter stages of implementing its Smart Bus program. This will use a computer-aided dispatch and automatic vehicle location (CAD-AVL) system that will enable transit staff and riders to obtain real-time location and travel information for all buses throughout the STA network. The STA Board approved STA Moving Forward, a 10-year implementation plan to maintain existing service and provide more and better transit services. This plan calls for extension of service to new areas, new routes, improvement to route frequency, reliability and amenities for existing routes, and park and ride/transit center projects to be implemented within the next 10 years. Some of the projects that will be implemented within the horizon of this plan ( ) include: improved service to Indian Trail, construction of a Moran Prairie Park and Ride, High Performance Transit (HPT) Lite improvements for North Monroe to South Regal corridor including improved service frequency and more passenger shelters, a new south express commuter route to support peak-period commuters, improved reliability on Sprague and Division, new service between the Spokane Valley Mall and Greenacres to serve the increasing number of jobs and residences in that corridor, a West Plains Transit Center, a HPT Line to Cheney to provide more capacity and service quality to this heavily-traveled corridor, new all-day service between Airway Heights and Medical Lake, HPT Lite improvements for Division and a new Upriver Transit Center at Spokane Community College. The STA Board of Directors also approved a ballot measure proposition that will ask voters for a threetenths of one percent local sales tax rate increase over the next 10 years to fund the projects in STA Moving Forward. The measure will go out to voters within the Public Transportation Benefit Area in April If approved, the first set of proposed service improvements would take effect in September Since 2004, fixed-route transit ridership in the region has grown 44 percent and in 2014 annual ridership was at its highest since 1953, with approximately 11.3 million rides. 2. Vanpool services and vehicles STA provides vans that are shared by people who live and work in approximately the same areas and can commute together to a place of employment. The driver is one of the commuters and the group pays for the operating costs of the van. One end of the journey, either the origin or destination, must be within 2

3 the Spokane Transit Public Transportation Benefit Area. Vanpool services have proven to be a cost effective way to transport people who either live or work outside of Spokane Transit s fixed route system to where they need to travel. STA is planning to increase its vanpool fleet by approximately 30 vans between 2015 and Ride matching services In partnership, the Spokane County CTR office and Spokane Transit launched a new ridematching tool for the region: CommuterFinderNW.com is a one-stop shop to find a variety of commute options that work for people including finding a carpool, vanpool or bike partner, plus they can get bus route and Park & Ride lot information. 4. Car sharing services Zip Car is available in the Spokane area and allows area residents to conveniently and inexpensively rent a car when they need one. This encourages people not to purchase vehicles that they will only use occasionally. When not renting a car, many of these people will use transit or non-motorized transportation. 5. Transit facilities The following transit facility improvements are planned for construction between 2015 and 2019: Moran Prairie Park and Ride This facility, planned to be located near the intersection of 57th Avenue and the Palouse Highway, would be a terminal and park and ride facility for existing and future bus service. The park and ride is expected to draw commuters from southeast Spokane traveling to employment centers within Spokane. Additionally, this facility could be used as a gathering point for vanpool commuters who are traveling throughout the region. Expand and Upgrade Maintenance Facilities New maintenance facilities are required to reduce overcrowding of Spokane Transit s existing facilities and to prepare for an increase in vehicles needed to implement STA Moving Forward. West Plains Transit Center This facility, located at Exit 272 of I-90, will address several transportation issues on the West Plains. Currently transit customers are required to travel to Downtown Spokane to make a connection between any of the cities on the West Plains. This transit center would allow customers to change buses on the West Plains, thus saving time. The facility would include a park and ride for commuters, allowing for efficient utilization of existing service between Spokane and Cheney. Cheney High Performance Transit Line Passenger amenities will be improved as part of the implementation of the Cheney HPT line. Upgrades to the Jefferson Park and Ride in Downtown Spokane will include real time travel information displays, security cameras and improved passenger platforms and waiting areas. In Cheney HPT stations, intersection, stop and pedestrian improvements will be installed. 3

4 Upriver Transit Center The improved Upriver Transit Center could be located adjacent to or within the Spokane Community College (SCC) campus. The existing transit facility on the SCC campus is undersized for growing transit demands and is challenged by the increasing traffic congestion on Greene Street. The new facility in this area would enhance transit customers ability to make connections to other routes and would improve safety. As part of the investments in High Performance Transit, many more bus stops around the region will feature passenger shelters to provide weather protection and additional schedule information posted at the stops. 6. Bicycle and sidewalk facilities The City of Spokane just successfully passed a Street Levy the will raise $25 million dollars per year for 20 years for Street Improvements. The improvements include bike and pedestrian improvements, which are demand management strategies. The City of Spokane Downtown Pedestrian Improvements is a $1.3 million project that is to be conducted to improve the design and construction of pedestrian improvements in the Downtown core. The City of Medical Lake has, through its Zoning Map and Zoning Code centralized commercial zones and well as a Central Business District to increase employee and consumer access to public transportation. Street reconstruction projects are designed with sidewalks and/or bicycle lanes to enhance alternative transportation options. The City of Liberty Lake s policies support pedestrian-oriented streetscape environments, by: Providing safe and convenient bicycle and walking access between housing, recreation, shopping, schools, community facilities, and mass transit access points. Preserving unused rail rights-of-way for development of trails or other alternative transportation lines Promoting hard surface walkway systems that are separate from roads if they fit in with the characteristics of the neighborhood. In the Spokane County Comprehensive Plan, rural residential density controls are designed to allow residents to limit the number of and length of trips. The establishment of Rural Activity Centers at cross roads throughout the county provides residents the opportunity to shorten trip distances for needed commercial products and services while preserving rural character and not encouraging urban sprawl. The City of Spokane Valley has adopted a Bike and Pedestrian Master Program and created a connected system of bikeways and sidewalks/paths to allow bike riders and pedestrians to move easily about the city. The City s of Cheney s policies also support pedestrian-oriented streetscape environment for residential and commercial activity. Plans are in place to create an attractive, functional, and useful pedestrian environment in Cheney, reducing reliance on the automobile for local trips by Filing in missing sidewalk segments along the City s arterial streets Maintaining crosswalks in high pedestrian traffic locations such as around the Central Business 4

5 District and the EWU campus. The City s Transportation Plan includes working with STA on ways to improve its service to community residents. The following policies are identified in the transportation plan as ways to promote transit ridership. Adding bike lanes to new street construction when possible Investigate feasibility of developing transit facilities in vacant land as it develops Work with EWU to encourage students and faculty to use transit as their mode of transportation to campus. The City of Airway Heights will implement policies and procedures with the construction, reconstruction or other changes of transportation facilities on arterial streets to support the creation of Complete Streets including capital improvements, re-channelization projects and major maintenance, recognizing that all streets are different and in each case user needs must be balanced. Other SRTC annually updates the bicycle facilities inventory that was used to produce a bicycle map. The map is used for educational purposes, promoting bike riding as a commute alternative and for route selection options. SRTC is presently working on a Pedestrian Inventory project to track additional sidewalk projects that are being completed by member agencies. This Inventory is a pilot project to determine if there is a need to continue to collect this information and disseminate it to the public for possible route planning. C. Marketing and Incentives The following marketing and incentive programs are part of the region s plan to help reduce drive alone trips and vehicle miles traveled. Individualized Marketing The Spokane Regional Health District, in partnership with CTR, Spokane Regional Transportation Council, Spokane Transit Authority and WA Bikes is kicking off a pilot TDM programs know as WALK.BIKE.BUS. The Spokane pilot program is aimed at two neighborhoods and is intended to get people to choose sustainable travel alternatives such as transit, biking and walking for shopping, school, grocery, and other non-work trips. In 2015, the program, which will be implemented through one-on-one contacts with individuals, will take place in the Perry Street Neighborhood and in 2016 the program will be conducted in the Garland Neighborhood. Safe Routes to School The Spokane Regional Health District is addressing a gap in transportation resources in Spokane and intends to increase the number of students who walk and bike to school and make sure they are educated to do so safely and to ultimately reduce traffic congestion, idling and related air pollution around schools. 5

6 Educational/Encouragement Program This program will be available to all school districts and will encourage a broad range of transportation choices, events and activities, which will be designed and implemented with input from students, parents, school staff and other interested partners. One activity that will be implemented is additional training for all 7 school districts in Spokane County, which are currently implementing WSDOT s Bike/Ped Safety curriculum. Many of the current teachers who implement the curriculum will be retiring and this training will be essential to ensure that the classes are still taught. Walking School Bus/Bicycle Train Program A walking school bus/bicycle train is a group of children walking or biking to school with one or more adults. Targeted elementary schools are, but are not limited to: Sunset, Seth Woodard, Stevens, Bemiss, Logan, Holmes and Moran Prairie. These schools were chosen because they are located in high poverty/minority population areas (per grant criteria), and/or have had previous SR2S activities. D. Employer Outreach Services The CTR program is administered by Spokane County through an inter-local agreement with the local jurisdictions including Airway Heights, Cheney, Liberty Lake, Medical Lake, Spokane, Spokane Valley and unincorporated Spokane County. Spokane County works with employers who are affected by the CTR Law and employers who voluntarily promote commute trip reduction at their worksite. The focus will continue to be on developing and implementing a set of strategies that will help CTR employers achieve their goals of increasing commute alternative use and reducing vehicle miles traveled and greenhouse gas emissions. These strategies include, but are not limited to: CTR employers will receive promotional materials to post on their commuting options boards to be used specifically for promoting and encouraging transportation options. Each board displays the Employee Transportation Coordinator s (ETCs) name and contact information. ETCs are required to attend 15 hours of mandatory ETC training within six months of being appointed ETC. Seasoned ETCs will be encouraged to take refresher courses as needed. The comprehensive ETC training classes will be offered throughout the year and will include: - ETC Orientation - Management Support - Marketing CTR / Subsidies and Incentive - MyCommute.org online tracking calendar - Commute Finder Northwest online ridematching tool - Transit Workshop - Annual Report Workshop - CTR Survey Workshop - Social Media for TDM - FISH Training (motivational) Networking opportunities will be offered throughout the year to update ETCs on CTR and transportation related issues, promotional campaigns and opportunities, incentives, events, etc. Collaborate with local agencies and organizations to enhance and improve CTR promotional efforts, media coverage, CTR events and joint projects to ensure maximum leverage and exposure. 6

7 Develop and implement promotional campaigns that will encourage the use of commute alternatives. Meet annually or as needed with CTR employers to review and discuss their CTR program, review CTR survey results, and strategize improvements to help employers achieve their CTR targets and goals. Require employers to make program improvements and modifications as needed based on survey results. Work collaboratively with Spokane Transit to provide updates and feedback to CTR employers on all STA projects and service improvements. Work collaboratively to provide updates and feedback to CTR employers on all projects and improvements that impact and encourage walking, bicycling and transit use within the City of Spokane and surrounding area. Utilize the Undriver s License station at community events and at employment sites to engage and encourage employees to make a pledge to drive less. The GTEC has been incorporated into the regional CTR program. The voluntary worksites in the GTEC conducted their baseline survey in 2009/2010 and continue to survey every two years. They are offered the same CTR program services and benefits as the affected CTR worksites. The CTR Office continues to work with the U-District and other area universities to enhance their student CTR program and increase participation and education among students. Provide ongoing assistance to employers to enhance, strengthen and grow their CTR program. Regional transportation plan How have you integrated trip reduction in your regional transportation plan in ? The regional transportation plan, Horizon 2040, places a priority on maximizing the utility of current transportation systems using cost-effective approaches such as TDM and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). TDM is described in Horizon 2040 as Strategy 2. Horizon 2040 will implement this Strategy by maintaining funding for the Spokane County Commute Trip Reduction Program and encouraging programs that develop and deploy additional TDM approaches in Spokane County. How can you further integrate trip reduction in your regional transportation plan by 2019? Based on the results of the individualized marketing program being conducted in partnership with Spokane Regional Health District, there may be opportunities to expand this program. 7

8 SRTC has taken responsibility for the oversight of the Spokane Regional Pedestrian Network, in partnership with local agencies. SRTC intends for this data to be used in region-wide planning initiatives. SRTC may provide pedestrian network information to the public to use and to assist in updating through crowd-sourcing. One possible use of this data is route planning for walking trips, including those in conjunction with transit. CTR Board plan update review Approved Disapproved 8