Los Angeles County Municipal Code Ch. 5.90 Vehicle Trip Reduction—ridesharing

This chapter sets forth the actions department heads which supervise County employees at any County worksite of one hundred or more employees must take to promote County employee participation in trip reduction and ridesharing programs. These programs are intended to reduce traffic congestion and air emissions from vehicles used for commuting between home and the worksite. This chapter also is intended to establish requirements at least as effective as Rule 2202 of the South Coast Air Quality Management District ("SCAQMD") in increasing Average Vehicle Ridership at County worksites.

(Ord. 2012-0027 § 1, 2012: Ord. 90-0042 § 1 (part), 1990.)

For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions apply:

A.

"Alternate transportation" means the use of non-motor vehicle modes of transportation. Walking and bicycling are examples.

B.

"Average Vehicle Ridership (AVR)" means the figure derived by dividing the employee population at a given worksite that reports to work weekdays between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. by the number of vehicles* driven by these employees commuting from home to the worksite during these hours. The AVR is calculated using a weekly averaging period. The applicable employee population is multiplied by the number of weekdays in the selected averaging period, then divided by the total number of vehicles driven by these employees to the worksite during the same period.

C.

"Central City Area (CCA)," also known as Performance Zone 1, means the Los Angeles City area bounded as described below:

By the Santa Monica Freeway (Route 10) from Union Avenue to Alameda Street;

Alameda Street from the Santa Monica Freeway to Sunset Boulevard;

Sunset Boulevard from Alameda Street to the Harbor Freeway (Route 110);

The Harbor Freeway from Sunset Boulevard to the Hollywood Freeway (Route 101);

The Hollywood Freeway to Temple Street;

Temple Street from Belmont Avenue to Union Avenue; and

Union Avenue from Temple Street to the Santa Monica Freeway.

D.

"Department head" means a person formally designated as an acting department head, the employee who has the highest classification in a department which has no regularly appointed department head or designated acting department head, as well as regularly appointed department heads.

E.

"Employee" means any person employed by the County.

F.

"Employee Transportation Coordinator ("ETC")" means a person who has completed a training program in transportation management approved by the SCAQMD's Trip Reduction Training Coordinator Advisory Committee. The training program must include, but need not be limited to: review of available commuter matching resources and services, detailed explanation of the eligible activities listed in Section 5.90.030D, explanation of the relationship between transportation management and air quality, and guidance in developing a trip reduction plan. The CEO will provide a list of training programs developed by the Trip Reduction Training Coordinator Advisory Committee to each department head subject to the ordinance codified in this chapter.

G.

"ISD" means the Internal Services Department of the County of Los Angeles.

H.

"Ridesharing" means the cooperative effort of two or more people traveling together. Utilization of carpools, vanpools, buspools, taxipools, trains and public transit are all methods of ridesharing.

I.

"Ridesharing and trip reduction incentives" mean inducements offered to individuals to encourage ridesharing and trip reduction. Examples of incentives are included in Section 5.90.030D.

J.

"Source/receptor areas" means areas established by the SCAQMD based on air monitoring and geographical and meteorological factors. A source area is that area in which air contaminants are discharged. A receptor area is an area in which the contaminants accumulate and are measured. An area can be a source area, a receptor area, or both. The map in Exhibit 5.90.030 shows the source/receptor areas established by the SCAQMD.

K.

"Telework" means an alternate method of work where the employee, also known as the Teleworker, works from home or a location closer to their home like a branch office.

L.

"Worksite" means a building or grouping of buildings located within the County which are in actual physical contact or separated solely by a private or public roadway or other private or public right-of-way, which is owned or operated by the County, and which is the location of employment of one hundred or more employees.

(Ord. 2022-0047 § 1, 2022; Ord. 2016-0061 § 1, 2016; Ord. 2012-0027 § 2, 2012: Ord. 90-0042 § 1 (part), 1990.)

* Vehicles counted shall exclude bicycles, transit vehicles, buses serving multiple worksites and cars stopping en route to other worksites. SCAQMD-approved low pollution vehicles shall also be excluded.

A.

Within ninety (90) days of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, the ISD shall prepare an Employee Commute Reduction Plan ("ECRP") applicable to each department head who supervises employees at a worksite which shall meet the requirements of this chapter.

B.

The ECRP must specify the measures the department head will take to achieve the specified AVR for employee vehicles subject to the ordinance. SCAQMD AVR targets are:

6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 32, 33, 34 and 35;

37, 38, 39 and 40. (See Exhibit 5.90.030 for locations of specific source/receptor areas.)

C.

The ECRP shall be prepared by a certified ETC and shall include:

Designation of a certified ETC responsible for implementation of the ECRP.

An inventory of current measures used by the department head intended to achieve increases in AVR.

A verifiable estimate of the existing AVR at the worksite, as defined in Section 5.90.020B. In the case of multiple worksites in close proximity although separated by more than one right-of-way, a single ECRP may be prepared for all worksites.

A list of specific incentives the department head will undertake which can reasonably be expected to lead to achievement of the target AVR level within twelve months of plan approval.

D.

Increasing AVR may be achieved by, but is not limited to the following:

Direct financial incentives for ridesharing;

Establishment of carpool, buspool or vanpool programs;

Partial or full subsidization of parking for ridesharing employees;

Full or partial subsidization of carpools, vanpools, buspools, shuttles or use of public transit;

Provision of an allowance for employees to utilize company-owned fleet vehicles for ridesharing purposes;

Preferential parking for vehicles used for ridesharing;

Facility improvements which provide preferential access and/or egress for ridesharing employees;

Facility improvements to encourage use of bicycles;

Active use of a computerized rideshare matching service such as the Metropolitan Transportation Agency's ("Metro") Rideshare Matching Services or an effective in-house rideshare matching service;

Compressed work weeks such as a 4/40 or 9/80 work schedule where employees work forty hours in fewer than five days in one week or eighty hours in fewer than ten days in two weeks;

Flexible work hours that facilitate employee ridesharing;

Telework.

(Ord. 2022-0047 § 2, 2022; Ord. 2016-0061 § 2, 2016; Ord. 2012-0027 § 3, 2012; Ord. 90-0042 § 1 (part), 1990.)

A.

The ISD must update the ECRP annually based upon each department head's annual review and report.

B.

Each department head must, on an annual basis, review its implementation of the ECRP. The review shall focus on ridesharing and trip-reduction incentives offered by the department head. The review shall consist of a report to the ISD that:

Estimates AVR levels attained;

Verifies that the ECRP incentives have been offered;

Describes use of those incentives offered by the department head;

Evaluates why the ECRP did or did not work, and explains why proposed revisions to the ECRP are likely to achieve the AVR target levels;

Lists additional incentives which can reasonably be expected to correct deficiencies; and

Explains why the additional incentives are likely to result in achieving AVR target levels.

C.

The ISD may perform follow-up audits on a selective basis. The ISD shall notify the department heads of the submittal deadline for the review and update.

D.

The review and updated ECRP shall be prepared twelve months from the date of the initial ECRP preparation.

(Ord. 2022-0047 § 3, 2022; Ord. 2016-0061 § 3, 2016: Ord. 2012-0027 § 4, 2012: Ord. 90-0042 § 1 (part), 1990.)

A.

The ISD shall, within ten days of the effective date of the ordinance codified in this chapter, make written application to the Executive Officer of the SCAQMD for exemption from the SCAQMD's Rule 2202, on the basis that the requirements of this chapter are at least as effective as the SCAQMD's Rule 2202 in increasing average vehicle ridership at County worksites.

B.

In order to maintain the County's exemption from the SCAQMD's Rule 2202, the ISD shall submit an annual report to the Executive Officer of the SCAQMD describing the trip reduction incentives being offered by the County and the annual AVR levels achieved at the County's worksites.

(Ord. 2022-0047 § 4, 2022; Ord. 2016-0061 § 4, 2016: Ord. 2012-0027 § 5, 2012: Ord. 90-0042 § 1 (part), 1990.)