What is the Commute Trip Reduction Law?

Washington State’s Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) law seeks to reduce the number of people driving alone to work.

The CTR law requires large employers in affected urban growth areas to reduce the number of single-occupant vehicles (SOV) arriving at worksites. The law applies to employers with more than 100 employees arriving at work from 6-9 a.m. It was first adopted by the Legislature in 1991 and updated in 2006 with the CTR Efficiency Act.

Jurisdictions receive state funding to work closely with employers to set SOV targets, craft strategies to meet those goals, and provide general technical assistance. Jurisdictions are also required to develop local CTR plans which summarize targets established with employers and set a local planning context. Within the central Puget Sound region, there are approximately 700 affected worksites and nearly 400,000 affected employees.

What is the Regional CTR Plan?

The CTR Efficiency Act introduced a new regional coordination role for the Puget Sound Regional Council. PSRC is now required to have an adopted regional CTR plan that is part of the regional transportation plan. The Regional Commute Trip Reduction Plan for Central Puget Sound was adopted by the Executive Board in January 2008 and represents an opportunity to incorporate CTR strategies into broader congestion management efforts at PSRC.

The regional CTR plan builds upon local plans and was collaboratively developed by the Regional Commute Trip Reduction Working Group, a committee comprised of local jurisdictions, transit agencies and other interested parties, which continues to meet on a quarterly basis.