Last update: 04/15/2008

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the CTR Law?

The aim of Washington’s 1991 Commute Trip Reduction Law (CTR) (RCW 70.94.521-551) is to improve our quality of life by reducing traffic congestion, air pollution, and fuel consumption. To achieve these goals, employers are asked to develop CTR programs that encourage employees who drive alone to work to consider using an alternative commute mode such as buses, vanpools, carpools, biking, or walking. Teleworking and working a flexible work schedule such as the compressed workweek are other elements employers can implement to reduce single-occupant vehicle trips to the worksite.

Who is affected by the CTR Law?

The law affects public and private employers in Clark, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Snohomish, Spokane, Thurston, Whatcom, and Yakima counties that have 100 or more full-time employees at a SINGLE worksite who begin their workday between 6 and 9 a.m. on at least two weekdays for at least 12 continuous months. However, State agencies are encouraged to implement CTR programs at all of their worksites statewide, not just at worksites affected by the law.

Affected or Non-affected? Who must comply with the law?

An "affected" CTR agency has at least one worksite in at least one of the nine CTR-affected counties that has 100 or more full-time employees reporting to work between 6 and 9 a.m. Each affected worksite must meet the minimum requirements of the CTR Law including providing annual reports to their local jurisdictions and surveying their employees every two years to determine progress towards meeting the CTR goals. Currently there are 60 state agencies (including colleges and universities) at 159 worksites affected by the law.

A "nonaffected" agency has fewer than 100 employees in a worksite and may be located in any county. These agencies may participate voluntarily and, by submitting a CTR program to GA, may receive the same support from the State Agency CTR Program as an affected agency.

Non-affected participating worksites do not have to provide annual reports to local jurisdictions or survey their employees. Currently 15 non-affected agencies have implemented CTR programs at their worksites. In addition, many affected agencies offer their CTR program to their employees located in non-affected worksites. There are presently over 160 worksites in 14 counties from both affected and non-affected agencies that participate in CTR programs.

What is the Department of General Administration’s (GA) role?

The CTR Law gave GA the role of coordinating the CTR efforts of state agencies and institutions of higher education. The State Agency CTR Program works with the Commute Trip Reduction Coordinators (CTRC) at each participating agency to ensure that the agency has adopted and implemented "CTR-Friendly" policies. GA provides Support and Assistance to participating state worksites.

What is the WSDOT role?

While GA coordinates the state agency CTR program, WSDOT was given the role of coordinating statewide CTR efforts. WSDOT works with the Governor’s CTR Task Force and a Technical Advisory Team to ensure that the goals of the CTR law are accomplished. For more information, see WSDOT’s CTR Home Page.

What other laws support state agency CTR programs?

  • RCW 43.01.220-240 provides additional support to state agency CTR programs.
  • RCW 43.01.230 gives agencies the authority to use public funds (including existing internal agency funds) to support their CTR programs. See Use of Public Funds Guidelines for information on how the funds may be utilized in your CTR program.
  • RCW 43.01.240 (1) - (3) gives agencies the authority to charge and use parking fees and directs that agencies reduce the state’s subsidization of employee parking by reducing their employee parking supply. The law also requires that where there are fewer parking spaces than employees, the spaces must be equitably distributed with no preference given to managers. If this situation exists at any of an agency’s worksites, the agency should have a parking program policy that provides equity in the way the parking is assigned. See Parking Program Guidelines, Employee Parking Exemption Guidelines and Local Government Parking Policy and Commute Trip Reduction from Department of Transportation. 

Note: Colleges and Universities are exempt from this RCW.