Ordinance 2277-98 - Laserfiche WebLink

SECTION 1: GOALS,OBJECTIVES AND POLICIES Introduction The growth in Everett over the past decade has increased the overall levels of vehicular travel. The resultant increase in air pollution, traffic congestion, petroleum fuel consumption, and neighborhood noise levels have a negative impact on the health, safety and welfare of Everett's citizens. In addition,the increases in traffic congestion harm the area's economy by impeding the delivery of goods and services,causing productive working hours to be lost, and increasing capital expenditures on public and private facilities. In 1991, the Washington State Legislature enacted the Commute Trip Reduction Law to improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and reduce the consumption of petroleum fuels. This law, amended in 1997, enables the City to adopt ordinances requiring major employers to implement commute trip reduction programs that encourage the use of alternatives to the single-occupant vehicle. The 1990 Growth Management Act also requires the City to implement transportation demand management(TDM)measures as part of the city-wide Transportation Plan. In response to the aforementioned problems and laws,the City of Everett believes that: • decreasing use of single-occupant vehicles(SOVs)can help reduce projected high levels of traffic congestion on city roadways; • reducing traffic congestion and the vehicle miles of travel associated with commuter SOV use can help lower levels of fuel consumption,air pollution and noise; • deferring or delaying expensive transportation capital and operating costs could be reduced with a significant shift of commuter trips from SOVs to high occupancy vehicles (HOVs) and other modes of travel; • major employers are in a position to encourage and support commuter travel by public transportation,carpools,vanpools,pedestrian and bicycle modes, while discouraging SOV use. The following goals, objectives and policies have been prepared as guidance for the City's Commute Trip Reduction Plan and its ultimate implementation. I. GOAL: MINIMIZE TRAFFIC CONGESTION AND REDUCE THE DETRIMENTAL IMPACTS OF TRANSPORTATION ON AIR QUALITY, ENERGY CONSUMPTION,NATURAL SYSTEMS,AND OUR COMMUNITIES Objective 1: Major employers implement commute trip reduction programs that reduce vehicle miles of travel (VMT) and single occupant vehicle(SOV) use from 1992 levels by 15 percent in 1995, 20 percent by 1997, 25 percent by 1999, and 35 percent by 2005. Policies: a. Calculate each affected employers VMT and SOV reduction targets based on 1992 VMT and SOV use for all employers within designated commute trip reduction zones(identified in Figure 1). 1