Item 8-A
City Council Meeting: 03-11-99 Santa Monica, California
TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: City Staff
SUBJECT: Recommendation to Introduce for First Reading an Ordinance Amending the City's Transportation Management Plan Ordinance (TMP).
INTRODUCTION
Staff recommends that the City Council introduce for first reading an ordinance amending the City's Transportation Management Plan (TMP) Ordinance. The new ordinance updates language and clarifies industry-wide changes, but makes no major changes to the TMP.
BACKGROUND
On November 12, 1991, the City Council adopted the Transportation Management Plan Ordinance (TMP) which requires that employers of ten or more employees file an annual employee commute reduction plan with the City to reduce home-to-worksite trips and produce an average vehicle occupancy for those trips of 1.5 persons per vehicle. Consistent with the City's environmental goals and the Circulation Element of the General Plan, the TMP was established to reduce traffic congestion in the evening peak period. The TMP also coincided with regulations on employers in the Los Angeles air basin to reduce air pollution. The latter regulations were implemented by the South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD). The first TMP trip reduction plans submitted to the City were filed in December 1993.
Periodically, Transportation Management Office (TMO) staffs have reviewed the TMP and suggested changes to the ordinance to keep the City's regulations current with regional air pollution rules and state laws. The last revision was adopted by the City Council in April 1996, to increase compliance flexibility for employers of 50 or more employees. The changes were similar to those that had been adopted by the SCAQMD. The more flexible options included alternatives to traditional employee ridesharing incentive plans such as vehicle scrapping, remote sensing, and use of alternative fuel vehicles.
DISCUSSION
The changes proposed in this report will continue to keep the TMP ordinance current with industry terms and technology, and update requirements based on staff experience with implementation of the ordinance.
The proposed changes can be grouped into three categories: those proposed by staff to reflect experience with implementation of the ordinance; those which update language to reflect industry standards; and those which reflect recent changes in legislation which indirectly affects implementation of the TMP Ordinance due to changes in regional air quality regulations. The most significant proposed changes are the following:
1. Identifying minimum compliance requirements for employers of 50 or more employees who choose to implement emission reduction strategies such as Old Vehicle Scrapping, Remote Sensing, Other Work-Related Trip Reduction Credits, or Alternative Fuel Vehicle Credits.
2. Updating abbreviations for Alternative Fuels (e.g., "ZEV" for Zero-emission vehicles to replace the old "EV" designation which only included Electric Vehicles).
3. Updating Emission Reduction Factors for Years 1999, 2000 and 2001, based on SCAQMD calculations, to be used in calculations for determining the yearly Emission Reduction Target.
4. Increasing the employee population threshold from 100 to 250 employees for employers with multiple sites in the South Coast Air Basin who, by law, may choose to comply with SCAQMD's Rule 2202 instead of the City's TMP Ordinance.
The attached ordinance (Attachment A) highlights other proposed changes to the TMP Ordinance.
BUDGET/FINANCIAL IMPACT
No budgetary or financial impacts will result from adoption of the proposed changes to the TMP Ordinance.
RECOMMENDATION
It is respectfully recommended that the City Council introduce for first reading the ordinance amending the City's Transportation Management Plan Ordinance.
Prepared by: Suzanne Frick, Director of Planning and Community Development
Lucy Dyke, Transportation Planning Manager
Karen Pickett, Transportation Management Coordinator
Attachment A: Ordinance Amending Transportation Management Plan Ordinance