Trip Reduction Ordinances/Regulations

Rule 2202 (Southern California)

Rule 2202 has been designed to reduce emissions from mobile sources. The rule provides employers with a menu of options that they can choose from to implement and meet the emission reduction target (ERT) for their worksite. 

The various emissions reduction strategies and trip reduction strategies currently contained in the rule that employers can implement and receive credit towards their ERT's are listed below. 

  • Old Vehicle Scrapping
  • Peak Commute Trip Reduction
  • Clean on-road vehicles
  • Other Work-Related Trip Reduction
  • Clean off-road mobile Equipment 
  • Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Programs
  • Remote Sensing
  • Alternative Fuel Vehicles 
  • Other Mobile Source Credit Programs (Regulation XVI) 
  • Air Quality Investment Program
  • Emission Reduction Credits from Stationary Sources (Regulation XIII) 

As an alternative to meeting the ERT at their worksite the rule allows the employers optional implementation of an Employee Commute Reduction Program. Implementation details of this strictly optional program are included in the Employee Commute Reduction Program Guidelines. This document outlines the framework, calculation methodology, and criteria used in determining emission reductions credits and vehicle trip emission credits (VTECs) that can be applied towards meeting emission reduction targets (ERT)

Commute Trip Reduction (State of Washington)
Affected employers are asked to measure their progress against the average vehicle miles traveled (VMT) and single occupant vehicle (SOV) commute trips made by employees at worksites in their area. The CTR Program establishes target commute trip reduction goals of 20 percent by 1997, 25 percent by 1999, and 35 percent by 2005. 

Maricopa County Trip Reduction Program (Phoenix, AZ)
Large employers must implement all trip reduction and/or equivalent emissions reduction measures approved by the Task Force to: 1) maintain a rate of single-occupancy vehicle trips or rate of single-occupancy vehicle miles traveled for employees of not more than sixty percent, or 2) attain target reductions in single-occupancy vehicle trips or single-occupancy vehicle miles traveled. The first year target will be a ten percent reduction from the baseline established for the rate of single-occupancy vehicle trips or the rate of single-occupancy vehicle miles traveled. The second through fifth year target will be a ten percent reduction from the target of the previous year; targets following the fifth year will be a five percent reduction from the target of the previous year, or 3) attain the equivalent emissions reduction target for the rate of single-occupancy vehicle trips or single-occupancy vehicle miles traveled.

Employee Commute Options (ECO) program (Portland, OR)
Under the ECO program, employers in the Portland area with more than 50 employees reporting to a single worksite must provide incentives for alternative commute options. These commute options must have the potential to reduce the number of employee cars driven to the worksite by approximately 10 percent within three years. Annual employee surveys will measure progress toward this goal. Employers comply by surveying employees to determine current commute methods, preparing a plan to meet target reduction and submitting the plan to Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) for approval. Compliance is based on submitting and implementing an approvable plan, or informing DEQ of the intent to accomplish the target reduction, and design and implement a program without DEQ's review. Compliance is based on whether a good faith effort was made to achieve the target reduction.

DEQ provides other possible ways for employers to comply with ECO. For some employers, these strategies may be more feasible and cost-effective than providing commute options. These might include: 

  • Reduce other vehicle traffic to or within the worksite; 
  • Reduce air pollution emissions from non-auto sources at the worksite; 
  • Limit construction of new parking spaces (for new development only); or 
  • Pay a fixed fee.
 

National Center for Transit Research's National TDM and Telework Clearinghouse is located at the Center for Urban Transportation Research at the University of South Florida in Tampa, Florida