Sebastopol Municipal Code Ch. 8.16 Trip Reduction Program

The purpose of this trip reduction chapter is to reduce traffic and improve air quality within the City of Sebastopol by promoting the development of trip reduction programs at existing and future worksites.

A. Government Code Section 65089.3 requires cities and counties to adopt and implement a voluntary trip reduction and travel demand ordinance.

B. The State of California Clean Air Act of 1988 requires the adoption and implementation of transportation control measures as part of the Clean Air Plan, Phase I, adopted by the Bay Area Air Quality Management District (BAAQMD) in June 1991. An employer-based trip reduction program is considered a “reasonably available” transportation control measure under the State of California Clean Air Act.

A. An increase in new employment opportunities is anticipated in the City in the next 20 years.

B. Increased employment in the City will create an increase in traffic coming to, from, and within the City.

C. Trip reduction programs reduce peak hour traffic.

D. Reducing vehicle trips correspondingly reduces traffic congestion, vehicle emissions, energy consumption, and noise levels.

E. The City’s General Plan recognizes a policy of providing vehicle alternatives to the automobile for efficiently transporting large numbers of people to local and regional destinations; it encourages people to use alternative transportation and devise strategies to reduce traffic at peak hours.

F. Participation of private and public employers is critical to the success of trip reduction programs.

For the purpose of this chapter the following words and phrases shall have these meanings:

Average Vehicle Ridership (AVR) Calculations. Average vehicle ridership (AVR) for the worksite(s) shall be calculated by dividing the number of employee days summed over the survey week by the number of vehicle trips summed over the survey week.

“Buspool” means a vehicle occupied by 16 or more people traveling together between their residence and their worksite or destination for the majority of the total trip distance. Employees who work for different employers, as well as nonemployed people, are included within this definition as long as they are in the vehicle for the majority of the total trip distance.

“Carpool” means a vehicle occupied by two to six people traveling together between their residence and their worksite or destination for the majority of the total trip distance. Employees who work for different employers, as well as unemployed people, are included within this definition as long as they are in the vehicle for the majority of the total trip distance.

“Compressed workweek” means a regular full- time work schedule that eliminates at least one round-trip commute (both home-to-work and work-to-home) at least once every two weeks. Examples include, but are not limited to, working three 12-hour days (3/36) or four 10-hour days (4/40) within a one-week period; or eight nine-hour days and one eight-hour day (9/80) within a two-week period.

“Commute” means the work-to-home or home-to-work trip.

“Commute alternatives” means carpooling, vanpooling, public transit, bicycling, or walking.

“Employee” means any person working for an employer for either wages or salary 80 or more hours per month on a permanent, temporary, or part-time basis who either reports to work or is assigned primarily to a worksite on a regular schedule. The term excludes contract employees, independent contractors, field personnel, seasonal workers, and volunteers.

“Employee day” means each day of the survey week that an employee starts working during the peak period.

Notes: Employees telecommuting or who are off due to a compressed work week schedule are counted toward the total employee days. The following employees are not counted toward the total employee days:

1. Employees on vacation, sick leave, jury duty, or other time off;

2. Employees reporting to a different worksite or an off-site work-related activity.

“Employer” means any public or private employer, including the City, with a permanent place of business in the City. “Employer” shall not include contractors and businesses with no permanent place of business in the City.

“Peak period” means from 6:00 a.m. through 10:00 a.m., Monday through Friday, inclusive.

“Seasonal employee” means a person who is employed for less than a continuous 90-day period or an agricultural employee who is employed for up to a continuous 16-week period.

“Telecommuting” means a system of working at home, off site, or at a telecommuting center, for a full workday, that eliminates the trip to work or reduces travel distance by 50 percent or more.

“Temporary employee” means any person employed by an employment service that reports to a worksite other than the employment service worksite under a contractual arrangement with a temporary employer.

“Transportation Administrator” means the person employed by the City to manage the program developed under this chapter.

“Transportation Coordinator” means the person designated by the employer who is responsible for daily administration of employer requirements under this chapter.

“Transportation Manager” means the person designated by the employer who has budget authority for implementing the requirements of this chapter.

“Vanpool” means a vehicle occupied by seven to 15 people traveling together between their residence and their worksite or destination for the majority of the total trip distance. Employees who work for different employers, as well as unemployed people, are included within this definition as long as they are in the vehicle for the majority of the total trip distance.

“Vehicle trip” means a vehicle trip based on the means of the transportation used for the greatest distance of an employee’s home-to-work commute trip for employees who start work during the peak period. Each vehicle trip to the worksite shall be calculated as follows:

“Volunteer” means a person who does not receive wages for work activity at the worksite.

“Worksite” means a structure, building, portion of a building, or grouping of buildings that are in actual physical contact or are separated solely by a private or public roadway or other private or public right-of-way, and that are occupied by the same employer.

“Worksite employee threshold” means 100 employees at a single worksite, on an average daily basis, for a 90-day period provided at least 50 employees are normally scheduled to report to the worksite on a daily basis during the peak commute period.

Vehicle ridership is established to measure progress toward achieving an increase in the use of commute alternatives and reducing peak hour vehicle trips. The following are AVR goals:

A. By July 1, 1993, the AVR shall be 1.05;

B. By July 1, 1995, the AVR shall be 1.10;

C. By July 1, 1997, the AVR shall be 1.15;

D. By July 1, 1999, the AVR shall be 1.20.

A. Employers with Less Than 100 Employees Trip Reduction Information Program. Every existing or future employer with less than 100 employees as well as school districts within the City are encouraged to post and distribute annually current marketing and informational materials on commute alternatives and their impact on reducing congestion and air pollution. Distribution should include new employees. Informational materials may be provided by the City or the employer.

B. Employers with 100 Employees or More Employees Trip Reduction Program. Every existing or future employer with 100 employees or more at a single worksite, on an average daily basis, or for a 90-day period provided at least 50 employees are normally scheduled to report to the worksite on a daily basis during the peak commute period, within the time period for notification specified herein, and the City of Sebastopol, may do the following on a voluntary basis:

1. Information Program. Each year, post and distribute current marketing and informational materials regarding commute alternatives and their impact on congestion and air pollution. Distribution should include new employees.

2. Transportation Manager. Within 30 days following notice from the City, the employer may appoint a Transportation Manager for each worksite. An employer having more than one worksite within the City may appoint one manager for all worksites or a separate manager for each worksite.

3. Transportation Coordinator. Within 30 days following notice from the City, the employer may appoint a Transportation Coordinator for each worksite. Within 60 days following appointment, the Coordinator should complete a coordinator training course approved by the City, unless the Coordinator has had one year of experience as a Transportation Coordinator. A Transportation Manager may also function as a Coordinator, provided the manager meets the qualifications set forth in this section.

4. Notification. Within 30 days of making the appointments, the employer should notify the Transportation Administrator in writing of the appointments required by this section. Notification should be mailed first class, postage prepaid, to the Transportation Administrator. Notification should include the following information regarding each appointee:

a. Name.

b. Title.

c. Business hours.

d. Business telephone number.

e. Business mailing address.

5. Development of Employer Trip Reduction Program. Within 120 days following notice from the City, an employer trip reduction program should be developed that outlines the program objectives designed to achieve the trip reduction goals set forth in this chapter. The employer trip reduction program should remain at the employer’s worksite and be made available to the City upon request.

6. Annual Employee Survey. Each year, during the month of May, the employer should conduct an employee transportation survey at the worksite. A survey form will be provided by the City. The survey should be conducted during a five-day period that does not include any special events or holidays that would alter commute behavior. Employees not returning a completed survey will be counted as driving alone in calculating AVR.

7. Annual Report. The employer should submit to the Transportation Administrator an annual report describing the employer trip reduction program, the survey results during the reporting period, and the employer trip reduction program intended to be implemented the following year. The annual report should be submitted by August 1st of the reporting year. The report should cover the preceding year, or that portion of the preceding year the employer was in business.

The annual report should contain the following information:

a. The average vehicle ridership determined by the annual survey;

b. The number of off-street parking spaces provided by the employer;

c. The number of preferential parking spaces provided for vanpools and carpools;

d. The fees, if any, charged on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis for employee parking, carpools, and vanpools;

e. A list of all informational and marketing efforts, services, and incentives included in the employee trip reduction program for the current year, whether provided by the employer or a third party;

f. A list of all informational and marketing efforts, services, and incentives to be included in the employee trip reduction program for the following year, whether provided by the employer or a third party.

8. Informational Meeting. If requested by the City, the Transportation Manager, Coordinator or other person designated by the employer should attend a meeting held by the City to provide information about developing and implementing commute alternative programs.

9. Certification of Compliance. At such time when the Bay Area Air Quality Management District adopts a trip reduction rule or changes their requirements concerning the same, employers subject to this chapter and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District trip reduction rule may file a certification of compliance from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District with the City in lieu of complying with this chapter.

The City shall provide the following:

A. Transportation Administrator. The City Manager shall designate a Transportation Administrator.

B. Technical Guidance and Support. The Transportation Administrator shall provide guidance and support to employers in complying with the provisions of this chapter including sample survey forms and information on means to reduce single occupancy vehicle trips.

C. Administrative Guidelines. The City Manager shall prepare administrative guidelines to help implement the requirements of this chapter.

D. City Evaluation of Trip Reduction Program.

1. Annual Evaluation. The Transportation Administrator shall review employer voluntary compliance with the requirements of this chapter. The evaluation will include a review of trip reduction programs, annual reports, and annual surveys.

2. Report to City Council. The Transportation Administrator shall submit an annual report to the City Council describing the results of the trip reduction program and the achievement of the goals of this chapter. The City Manager or designee may recommend any changes to this chapter necessary to achieve the goals established herein.