Seattle Leads the Way

Submitted by Paul Ellis

The Downtown Seattle Association, City of Seattle and King County Metro have combined forces to kick off a transportation coalition led by 249 Puget Sound-area employers, patterned after Portland's successful Lloyd Center Transportation Management Association (profiled here last week).

According to the Puget Sound Regional Council, Seattle's city center is projected to add 48,000 new jobs by 2015. To achieve this level of growth, the Urban Mobility Group is working toward a targeted 6 percent decrease in the number of drive alone commuters. As a first step, the coalition has coordinated a widespread distribution of bus passes and free ferry rides, and wants such benefits to become as common as health insurance and 401(k) accounts.

This effort is part of an ongoing delivery of services through which trip planners employed through the coalition will help employees find their best commute options--whether by bus, train, carpool, vanpool, or bike--and provide incentives to help get them started. Reducing the number of drive alone commuters will help Seattle prepare for continued growth and make way for customers and clients.

As a result of the coalition's efforts, 249 Puget Sound-area employers were named best workplaces for commuters this week by an alliance led by the Environmental Protection Agency, local non-profits and transit organizations.

Paul Ellis is lead staff for RAMP; an employee of the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber, Ellis led the Pierce County Transportation Advisory Committee (PCTAC), the community’s largest transportation planning effort.