Transportation Management Plan Update

In January 1997 the Bellevue, Washington, office of CH2M HILL, a full service engineering consulting firm, implemented a new transportation management plan (TMP), replacing an innovative TMP implemented in 1987 that had gained attention nationwide. The results were remarkable: drive-alone commuting by CH2M HILL employees dropped from 61 to 40 percent in just a few months’ time. An employee-led committee adopted the new TMP before an increase in parking fees, a condition of the company’s building lease. The committee desired to offer employees an alternative to higher parking fees. The new TMP included King County Metro’s transportation benefits package called the FlexPass, along with a host of other incentives. The combination of higher parking fees and very inexpensive access to transit and vanpools led to a successful update to an already effective program. It is important to note that the tools were largely in place to support the mode shift: The CH2M HILL office is located within a city block of the downtown Bellevue transit center; an extensive park-and-ride system supports the transit center; the building is equipped with bike racks, showers, and lockers and is served by a transportation management organization; and the company has corporate vehicles available for work-related trips. Since these favorable conditions were already in place, the combination of the transit incentive and parking cost increase changed employees’ commuting habits.