Butte County Municipal Code Art. XVI Trip Reduction Program

The Board of Supervisors of the County of Butte hereby finds and determines that:

(a) The County of Butte is projected to experience a significant increase in employment and population growth over the next twenty (20) years, which will result in a significant increase in peak hour traffic volumes.

(b) Home-to-work employee commuting generates a significant number of vehicle trips, thereby contributing to traffic congestion, air pollution, and energy consumption problems.

(c) The conventional response to relieving traffic congestion by expanding the capacity of the roadway system is no longer appropriate as the sole solution due to increasing construction and maintenance costs and decreasing revenues for such expenditures.

(d) Ridesharing, public transportation, and bicycle usage for home-to-work trips are simple, inexpensive alternative means of reducing peak-hour, single-occupant motor vehicle trips, and a reduction in such trips can result in a reduction in traffic congestion, air pollution, and energy consumption in the county.

(e) While employers have traditionally provided parking facilities to accommodate employee vehicles, such employers should also provide programs and incentives of comparable value to encourage and accommodate ridesharing, public transportation, bicycle, and pedestrian commuting employees.

(f) The Butte County Board of Supervisors desires to participate in and encourage alternative transportation programs.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

The purpose of this article is to establish a voluntary trip reduction program whereby major employers located in the unincorporated area of the County of Butte will be encouraged to develop and implement programs described in Table 1, "Trip Reduction Program Options," designed to reduce the number of employee vehicle commute trips as part of a broad area wide program to achieve the following objectives:

(a) Reduce peak hour traffic congestion by reducing the number of single occupant motor vehicle trips associated with home-to-work commuting.

(b) Reduce or delay the need for street and road capital improvements by making more efficient use of existing facilities.

(c) Reduce future air pollution concentrations and strive towards meeting state and federal ambient air pollution standards by reducing the number of single-occupant motor vehicle trips associated with home-to-work commuting.

(d) Reduce consumption of energy for transportation uses and thereby contribute to the national policy to increase energy self-sufficiency.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

Unless the context indicates otherwise, the following definitions shall govern the meaning of those terms used in this article:

Common business location. A single building, group of buildings, or work stations at a single site or contiguous site located in the unincorporated area of the County of Butte.

Commuter matching service. Any system whether by computer, manual, or mapping methods, which matches commuters residing in one common area, working in another common area, and having approximately the same work schedule.

Director of public works. The Director of the Butte County Department of Public Works or his/her designated representative.

Employee transportation coordinator. An employee, tenant, property manager, property owner, or other appropriate person who has been designated to perform various duties related to meeting the transportation needs of employees of a firm, common work location, or their geographic employment area.

Person. A sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, unincorporated association, cooperative, joint venture, agency, department, district or other individual entity, either public or private, carrying on an enterprise or conducting any other activity, whether or not for profit.

Preferential parking. A program of selecting, assigning or designating vehicle parking spaces wherein priority in the selection, assignment or designation is given to specific persons or groups such that their vehicles may be parked in locations considered to be a premium or desirable location.

Regular employee. Any employee who works for a business, firm, agency, or other person for three (3) or more days per week and four (4) or more hours per day between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., for a six-month consecutive period.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

The public works director shall notify, in writing, all persons subject to the provisions of this article of the availability of information regarding implementation of trip reduction programs. Such notification may include but is not limited to phone contacts, direct mail, advertisements, printed brochures, and/or personal contacts.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

All persons employing one hundred (100) or more persons at a common business location should participate in a voluntary trip reduction program by cooperating with the director of public works in implementing specific programs. Such programs will generally include but are not limited to those identified in Table 1, "Trip Reduction Program Options," of this article.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

The director of public works is authorized to establish reasonable administrative policies and procedures to implement the provisions of this article.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

The board of supervisors may, by ordinance or resolution, from time-to-time, prescribe fees for certain trip reduction programs or information pertaining thereto. Such fees shall be for the sole purpose of defraying costs incurred in the administration of this article.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

The director of public works shall recommend, to each person subject to the provisions of this article a trip reduction program based on the options contained in Table 1 of this article. At a minimum, recommended programs shall include:

(a) For persons employing one hundred (100)—two hundred fifty (250) people: A program consisting of two (2) items from column A and two (2) items from columns B, C, or D.

(b) For persons employing two hundred fifty (250)—five hundred (500) people: A program consisting of two (2) items from column A, two (2) items from column B, and one item from column C or D.

(c) For persons employing five hundred (500)—one thousand five hundred (1,500) people: A program consisting of two (2) items from column A, two (2) items from column B, and two (2) items from column C or D.

(d) For persons employing one thousand five hundred (1,500) + people: A program consisting of two (2) items from column A, two (2) items from column B, two (2) items from column C, and one item from column D.

(Ord. No. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)

The director of public works shall prepare a report annually to determine the number of persons participating in the trip reduction program, and what type of programs are available to employees. This report shall be used to determine if trip reduction programs are being implemented and used by employees.

Table 1

Trip Reduction Program Options

(Ord. 3143, § 1, 7-26-94)