About the Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law

Washington State’s Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law was passed by the Legislature in 1991 with goals to improve air quality, reduce traffic congestion, and reduce the consumption of petroleum fuels through employer-based programs that encourage the use of alternatives to driving alone. Alternatives include riding the bus or train, carpooling, vanpooling, bicycling, walking, working a compressed work week or teleworking.

The Washington State Legislature passed the CTR Efficiency Act (123kb PDF) in 2006 and revised the goals for trip reduction; each city and county must reduce drive alone trips at major worksites by 10% by 2011.  Local jurisdictions have revised their CTR ordinances and published new CTR goals for employers.

The law requires major employers to develop and implement an employee commute program to reduce the number and length of drive-alone commute trips made to the worksite. Local jurisdictions (cities and counties) implemented ordinances to define how the law would apply to worksites in their area. Local jurisdictions are required to provide training and technical assistance for employers.

The CTR Law is working

• CTR continues to perform, removing 28,000 vehicles from Washington roadways every weekday morning in 2009.
• CTR reduced 12,900 hours of delay in the Central Puget Sound Regional in 2009, saving $99 million for the region in congestion costs due to lost time and wasted fuel.
• Statewide, CTR reduced 62 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) annually, equivalent to 27,490 metric tons of greenhouse gasses and three million gallons of fuel.
• Each morning peak traveler in Central Puget Sound saved $59 in 2009 due to the increased system efficiency provided through the CTR program.

CTR employers and jurisdictions are making progress

To read more about the costs and benefits of the CTR Program, download the 2009 CTR Report To the Washington State Legislature .