City staff previews draft commute trip reduction plan required by state law

City staff presented a draft ordinance, a draft commute trip reduction plan and an interlocal agreement with Community Transit during the Arlington City Council workshop, saying the plan updates the city’s 2016 program, which was extended through June 2025.

The city’s CTR program implements a mandatory Washington state law that requires employers with 100 or more employees who begin shifts between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. on weekdays to develop and implement a CTR program. Staff said the city’s largest worksites covered under the requirement include Amazon, City of Arlington Senior Operations and Skagit Regional Health, and that Community Transit will coordinate outreach and employee surveys.

“Community transit helps us by coordinating with these worksites, and they perform the outreach to them, and they also survey them and the city also,” a city staff member said. Councilmember Heather Logan noted potential additional measures, saying she “assume[s] Zipcar would be enormously helpful in meeting these goals” and referenced past bus routing changes that might help commuters.

Staff said Zipcar remains “in development” and that the service is included in the draft plan. No formal council action or vote was recorded during the workshop discussion; staff presented the materials and answered council questions.

Why it matters: the CTR requirement is a state mandate that affects large employers’ operations and commuting patterns, and the city’s plan and interlocal agreement determine how outreach, surveys and compliance support are delivered locally. Community Transit’s role and the inclusion of possible carshare and transit routing changes are practical elements that could affect employee travel choices.

The council did not take final action on the ordinance during the workshop. Staff said they are available to answer further questions and will return with recommended next steps if council directs them to do so.