The CTR Employee Survey asks employees how they get to work, how many miles they travel to work, and other information about their daily commute habits.  The results of the survey are used to measure the employer's progress toward the achievement of the CTR goals.

If an employer meets either the SOV or VMT goal, it is considered to have met its goal.  Employers may also choose to submit equivalent data pre-approved by their jurisdiction in lieu of conducting an employee survey.

CTR Zones

In 1993, base year values for SOV and VMT were set for individual CTR zones throughout the state.  These zones were established locally based on level of transit service, population and employment density, parking availability, access to high occupancy vehicle facilities, and other factors that affect commuting patterns.  Even though the actual reduction goals are the same for all employers, their beginning employee commute behaviors against which the 15 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent, and 35 percent reduction is measured, varies greatly.  A worksite's beginning employee commute behavior is referred to as its base year SOV and VMT values.

Because of this, the commute trip reductions of worksite are measured two ways:

1. Against the zone average base year SOV and VMT, and
2. Against the site specific base year SOV and VMT.

Worksite Base-Year Values

Site specific base year SOV and VMT values provide employers (whose employee commute behavior is not average) the opportunity to make the 15 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent and 35 percent reductions from their own, unique starting point.  Employers must conduct a baseline employee survey within a year of becoming affected by the law to establish their unique worksite specific base year SOV and VMT values.

The worksite's SOV and VMT progress is automatically measured against the base-year value that is most advantageous for the employer.

What if We Don't Meet Our Goals?

The CTR goals are just that, goals.  As long as the employer is making a good faith effort to implement its CTR program, it cannot be assessed civil penalties for failure to meet the CTR goals.  A good faith effort means that:

"an employer has met the minimum requirements identified in the law and its ordinance, and is working collaboratively with the city or county to continue its existing CTR program or is developing and implementing program modifications likely to result in improvements to its CTR program over an agreed upon length of time."

If an employer doesn't meet the minimum requirements of the ordinance, the city or county will ask the employer to do specific things to come into compliance.  Sometimes these actions are fairly simple, like posting the ETC's name and contact information.  At other times they may be more substantial, like considering enhancements to the worksite program to improve the likelihood of reaching the goals. See more about Good Faith Effort.

The city or county's role is to work with employers toward succeeding with their CTR program, not to penalize an employer that does not succeed.

Civil Penalties

Civil penalties may not be assessed against employers that fail to meet their CTR goals.  However, civil penalties may be assessed if an employer is in non-compliance with their local ordinance.  Civil penalties may also be assessed against employers that do not make a good faith effort to comply with the law and that fail to work collaboratively with their local jurisdiction.  The dollar amount of the civil penalties are defined in the local CTR ordinance and vary from $50 per violation per day to $250 per violation per day.

Goal Modifications and Exemptions

Goal modifications and exemptions are available. Contact WSDOT or Thurston Regional Planning Council for more information.

"On Any Given Day"

A simple way to convey your organization's SOV goal to employees is to refer to the commute trips made on any given day. If your worksite is has a goal of a 55% SOV rate, and you have 600 employees at your worksite, a 55% SOV rate equates to 330 employees. So to meet the 55% goal, on any given day, 270 employees must use an alternative to driving alone and 330 would be driving alone.

Thurston County Goals

Thurston County is divided into two zones for CTR measurement purposes. In each zone SOV and VMT goals are defined. The chart below compared SOV goal rates to surveyed rates.

Thurston County Worksites
Goal SOV Rates and Surveyed SOV Rates

	Zone 1		Zone 2
Year	Goal	Survey	Goal	Survey
1997	62%	70%	67%	74%
1999	59%	70%	63%	74%
2001	55%	71%	59%	75%
2005	51%		55%

Zone 1 is the Olympia Central Business District: from the 4th and 5th Avenue bridges on the west to Eastside Street on the east, to Interstate 5 on the south and the shoreline of Budd Inlet to the north.  Zone 2 is the rest of the county that lies outside of zone 1.