(1) A sixteen member state commute trip reduction board is established as follows:
(a) The secretary of transportation or the secretary's designee who shall serve as chair;
(b) One representative from the office of financial management;
(c) The director or the director's designee of one of the following agencies, to be determined by the secretary of transportation:
(i) Department of enterprise services;
(ii) Department of ecology;
(iii) Department of commerce;
(d) Three representatives from cities and towns or counties appointed by the secretary of transportation for staggered four-year terms from a list recommended by the association of Washington cities or the Washington state association of counties;
(e) Two representatives from transit agencies appointed by the secretary of transportation for staggered four-year terms from a list recommended by the Washington state transit association;
(f) Two representatives from participating regional transportation planning organizations appointed by the secretary of transportation for staggered four-year terms;
(g) Four representatives of employers at or owners of major worksites in Washington, or transportation management associations, business improvement areas, or other transportation organizations representing employers, appointed by the secretary of transportation for staggered four-year terms; and
(h) Two citizens appointed by the secretary of transportation for staggered four-year terms.
Members of the commute trip reduction board shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for travel expenses as provided in RCW
43.03.050 and
43.03.060. Members appointed by the secretary of transportation shall be compensated in accordance with RCW
43.03.220. The board has all powers necessary to carry out its duties as prescribed by this chapter.
(2) By March 1, 2007, the department of transportation shall establish rules for commute trip reduction plans and implementation procedures. The commute trip reduction board shall advise the department on the content of the rules. The rules are intended to ensure consistency in commute trip reduction plans and goals among jurisdictions while fairly taking into account differences in employment and housing density, employer size, existing and anticipated levels of transit service, special employer circumstances, and other factors the board determines to be relevant. The rules shall include:
(a) Guidance criteria for growth and transportation efficiency centers;
(b) Data measurement methods and procedures for determining the efficacy of commute trip reduction activities and progress toward meeting commute trip reduction plan goals;
(c) Model commute trip reduction ordinances;
(d) Methods for assuring consistency in the treatment of employers who have worksites subject to the requirements of this chapter in more than one jurisdiction;
(e) An appeals process by which major employers, who as a result of special characteristics of their business or its locations would be unable to meet the requirements of a commute trip reduction plan, may obtain a waiver or modification of those requirements and criteria for determining eligibility for waiver or modification;
(f) Establishment of a process for determining the state's affected areas, including criteria and procedures for regional transportation planning organizations in consultation with local jurisdictions to propose to add or exempt urban growth areas;
(g) Listing of the affected areas of the program to be done every four years as identified in subsection (5) of this section;
(h) Establishment of a criteria and application process to determine whether jurisdictions that voluntarily implement commute trip reduction are eligible for state funding;
(i) Guidelines and deadlines for creating and updating local commute trip reduction plans, including guidance to ensure consistency between the local commute trip reduction plan and the transportation demand management strategies identified in the transportation element in the local comprehensive plan, as required by RCW
36.70A.070;
(j) Guidelines for creating and updating regional commute trip reduction plans, including guidance to ensure the regional commute trip reduction plan is consistent with and incorporated into transportation demand management components in the regional transportation plan;
(k) Methods for regional transportation planning organizations to evaluate and certify that designated growth and transportation efficiency center programs meet the minimum requirements and are eligible for funding;
(l) Guidelines for creating and updating growth and transportation efficiency center programs; and
(m) Establishment of statewide program goals. The goals shall be designed to achieve substantial reductions in the proportion of single-occupant vehicle commute trips and the commute trip vehicle miles traveled per employee, at a level that is projected to improve the mobility of people and goods by increasing the efficiency of the state highway system.
(3) The board shall create a state commute trip reduction plan that shall be updated every four years as discussed in subsection (5) of this section. The state commute trip reduction plan shall include, but is not limited to: (a) Statewide commute trip reduction program goals that are designed to substantially improve the mobility of people and goods; (b) identification of strategies at the state and regional levels to achieve the goals and recommendations for how transportation demand management strategies can be targeted most effectively to support commute trip reduction program goals; (c) performance measures for assessing the cost-effectiveness of commute trip reduction strategies and the benefits for the state transportation system; and (d) a sustainable financial plan. The board shall review and approve regional commute trip reduction plans, and work collaboratively with regional transportation planning organizations in the establishment of the state commute trip reduction plan.
(4) The board shall work with affected jurisdictions, major employers, and other parties to develop and implement a public awareness campaign designed to increase the effectiveness of local commute trip reduction programs and support achievement of the objectives identified in this chapter.
(5) The board shall evaluate and update the commute trip reduction program plan and recommend changes to the rules every four years, with the first assessment report due July 1, 2011, to ensure that the latest data methodology used by the department of transportation is incorporated into the program and to determine which areas of the state should be affected by the program. The board shall review the definition of a major employer no later than December 1, 2009. The board shall regularly identify urban growth areas that are projected to be affected by chapter 329, Laws of 2006 in the next four-year period and may provide advance planning support to the potentially affected jurisdictions.
(6) The board shall review progress toward implementing commute trip reduction plans and programs and the costs and benefits of commute trip reduction plans and programs and shall make recommendations to the legislature and the governor by December 1, 2009, and every two years thereafter. In assessing the costs and benefits, the board shall consider the costs of not having implemented commute trip reduction plans and programs. The board shall examine other transportation demand management programs nationally and incorporate its findings into its recommendations to the legislature. The recommendations shall address the need for continuation, modification, or termination or any or all requirements of this chapter.
(7) The board shall invite personnel with appropriate expertise from state, regional, and local government, private, public, and nonprofit providers of transportation services, and employers or owners of major worksites in Washington to act as a technical advisory group. The technical advisory group shall advise the board on the implementation of local and regional commute trip reduction plans and programs, program evaluation, program funding allocations, and state rules and guidelines.
