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Understanding Your Situation
The first step in creating your CTR Program is to gather information and gain a thorough understanding of your employees, your organization and its culture, and transportation options available to each worksite. You will also want to inform management of your activities and gain their support.
Companies differ greatly in their employee characteristics, physical worksites, corporate cultures and financial resources. Programs that work well for some organizations may be inappropriate for yours. On the other hand, the experiences of companies similar to your can provide valuable insights.
Learning About Your Employees
One of the best ways to evaluate the transportation needs, habits and attitudes of your employees is to conduct a survey. Newly affected employers are strongly encouraged to conduct a baseline survey. Employers that are measuring their organizations' progress toward meeting SOV and/or VMT goals are required to survey or submit equivalent data.
After your survey results are processed, you will receive a report that outlines the commute patterns currently being used by your employees, the distance of their commutes, and where they live (by zip code). The report will also describe their preferences for alternatives to drive-alone commuting as well as the supporting strategies (program elements) they prefer.
Consider:
- Current commuting patterns. How do they typically get to work and how far do they travel?
- Employee needs. Do they need a car during the day and if so, why? Do they need a car to take care of lunchtime errands? If so, can you provide these services on-site?
- Employee attitudes. What are their main reasons for their commute choice? How likely would they be to try an alternative to driving alone, and which commute mode would they be likely to try?
- Employee concerns. Emergencies, cost, fear, inconvenience, stress.
- Demographics. Occupation, shift (work hours) home zip code (commute origin).
Analyzing Your Worksite
In order to understand which commute alternatives are practical for your organization's employees, you need to perform a worksite analysis. Consider:
- Parking- supply, cost, limitations, preferential spaces, height restrictions, policies
- Neighbors- identify nearby companies to share ridematching and promotional events
- Site Access- from streets and freeways, HOV lanes, traffic congestion
- Bicycling and Walking Facilities- bike lanes, trails, and paths; traffic levels and signals; lighting and sidewalks; safety issues; locker rooms and showers; secure bicycle parking; safe pedestrian access
- Amenities- both on-site and within walking distance (two to three blocks) such as restaurant or cafeteria, bank, post office, dry cleaners, ATM, direct payroll deposit, child care
- Information Centers- bulletin boards, reception areas, time clocks, commuter information center (CIC), other internal communication systems
- Transit Service- routes serving your worksite or within walking distance
- Other- fleet cars? taxi cab contract? shuttle service?
Understanding Your Corporate Culture
How do your organization's objectives mesh with the goals of the CTR law? In recent years, many companies have formally stated their commitment to help protect the environment and act as responsible corporate citizens.
It's a good idea for your company's CTR Program Manager or ETC to sit down with top management and ask questions to determine:
- The expectations regarding company's CTR program;
- How much flexibility will be possible in structuring/enhancing it; and
- The financial commitment management anticipates making to the program.
If your corporate culture seems to indicate a lack of receptiveness to a particular CTR Program option, you may not want to abandon it immediately. Instead, with the support of top management, proper incentives (or disincentives) and a well-thought-out campaign of information and promotion, attitudes can be altered and corporate cultures can change.
For example, most employees who are accustomed to free parking will resist a change of policy which requires paying for parking. Yet, research shows that eliminating free employee parking is one of the most effective ways to reduce solo commute trips. By packaging parking fees with positive incentives, such as transit subsidies or free carpool parking, may companies have significantly reduced solo driving and increased employee satisfaction.
Developing a Budget
Although the costs for CTR programs vary widely, a 2001 Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) survey found that the average annual program cost per employee increased from $15 in 1995 to $68.50 in 1999. The distribution of employer's 1999 CTR costs, by function, were reported as follows:
Program Administration 8%
Facilities 2%
Promotion 10%
Services 4%
Incentives 75%
TOTAL 100%
The following list itemizes just a few of the factors that to consider when developing a budget:
- Will you charge for parking? If so, how much? Parking fees help offset other program costs.
- Can you reduce the need for parking? Restricting parking supply can be an extremely effective way to save money for your company and create an incentive to rideshare.
- Will your company provide transit subsidies or financial incentives?
- Do you need to improve or construct facilities such as locker rooms, preferential parking areas or secure bicycle parking?
- Will you company invest in programs such as Guaranteed Ride Home or teleworking?
- How will you promote your CTR Program to employees?
How much staff time will administering your program require? In addition to the ETC, who else can help? A general rule-of-thumb is one full-time ETC for every 3,000 employees (with an established CTR program).
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Programs > Transportation > Commutes > Tools for Worksites > Start a CTR Program
