R307-320. Ozone Maintenance Areas and Ogden City: Employer-Based Trip Reduction Program  


R307-320-1. Purpose
Latest version.

The purpose of this program is to reduce the number of measurable vehicle miles driven by employees commuting to and from work by requiring employers with work sites within ozone maintenance areas to implement strategies designed to reduce the employee drive-alone rate. An employer-based trip reduction program is authorized under 19-2-104(1)(h) and (2). It is a state implementation plan control strategy to reduce ambient ozone and is a potential contingency measure for carbon monoxide. An added benefit of the program is reducing the number of cars on increasingly congested roadways.


R307-320-2. Applicability
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(1) R307-320 applies to any federal, state, or local entity, or any other public department, district (including public universities and public school districts), or agency in Davis or Salt Lake County.

(2) If the contingency requirements for carbon monoxide are triggered as outlined in Section IX.C.8.f of the State Implementation Plan, R307-320 applies to any federal, state, or local entity, or any other public department, district (including public universities and public school districts), or agency in Ogden City.


R307-320-3. Definitions
Latest version.

The following additional definitions apply to R307-320:

"Compressed Work Week" means any work schedule that eliminates at least one commute trip to a work site in each two week period.

"Drive-alone Rate" means the number of single-occupancy vehicles divided by the sum of single-occupancy vehicles, plus employees using mass transit, ridesharing, biking, walking, telecommuting or having credit for a compressed work week. The drive-alone rate calculation must be based on a typical Monday through Friday work week.

Drive-alone Rate = single-occupancy vehicles/(single-occupancy vehicles + mass transit users + rideshare participants + bikers + walkers + telecommuters + credit for compressed work week).

"Employee" means any person including persons employed by public universities or school districts, who works at or reports to a single work site at least three days per week for at least six months of the year.

"Employee Transportation Coordinator" means a person assigned the responsibility of developing, implementing, monitoring, tracking, and marketing the trip reduction plan for the employer.

"Employer" means federal, state, or local entity, or any other public department, district (including public universities or public school districts), or agency.

"Peak Travel Period" means the period beginning at 6 a.m. and ending at 10 a.m., Mondays through Fridays.

"Ridesharing" means transportation of more than one person for commute purposes in a vehicle.

"Single-occupancy Vehicles" means vehicles traveling to the work site with a driver and no passengers during the peak travel period.

"Target Drive-alone Rate" means a twenty percent reduction in the drive alone rate based on the 1990 census data for modes of travel in each county. The target drive-alone rate schedule is as follows:


TABLE

TARGET DRIVE-ALONE RATE SCHEDULE


                            Davis County Salt Lake County

                            Drive-Alone Rate Drive-Alone Rate


From 1990 Census Data 0.76 0.77


1st year interim target 0.72 0.73

drive-alone rate

2nd year interim target 0.68 0.69

drive-alone rate


3rd year interim target 0.67 0.67

drive-alone rate


4th year interim target 0.65 0.65

drive-alone rate


5th year interim target 0.63 0.64

drive-alone rate


6th year interim target 0.61 0.62

drive-alone rate


Target drive-alone rate 0.61 0.62


"Telecommuting" means working at home or at a satellite work site, provided the employee does not use a single-occupancy vehicle to travel to the satellite work site.

"Trip Reduction Plan" means a set of strategies designed to reduce the drive-alone rate.

"Vehicle" means motorcycles and on-road vehicles powered by a gasoline or diesel internal combustion engine with nine or less seating positions for adults.

"Work Site" means a building and any group of buildings that are on physically contiguous parcels of land or on parcels separated solely by private or public roadways or rights-of way.


R307-320-4. Employer Requirements
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(1) Each employer shall assign an employee trip reduction coordinator within 30 days after the effective date of R307-320.

(2) Each employer shall determine the drive-alone rate per work site on an annual basis for a typical Monday through Friday work week during the peak travel period. The drive-alone rate can be determined by one of the following methods in (a), (b) or (c) below.

(a) Information from an annual employee survey.

(i) The employer must use a standardized survey approved by the director. The survey shall ask the travel distance from the employee's home to the work site, what frequency and mode of transportation the employee used to get to work, and how often the employee participates in a telecommuting program or compressed work week schedule.

(ii) The employer shall administer the survey and shall capture, at a minimum, 75% of the employee population arriving at the work site during the peak travel period.

(b) Verifiable information, less than one year old of the submittal due date, from employer records including:

(i) employee work schedules;

(ii) employee participation in telecommuting schedules;

(iii) employee participation of mass transit;

(iv) employee participation in rideshare arrangements; and

(v) employee participation in non-vehicular transit.

(c) Another method of the employer's choosing, with written approval from the director.

(3) Each employer shall design and submit to the director an approvable trip reduction plan for each work site to meet the target drive-alone rate as specified by the target drive-alone rate schedule in R307-320-3.

(a) An employer may combine more than one work site in a trip reduction plan submittal.

(i) The target drive-alone rate for a multi-work site submission shall be a weighted average of the drive-alone rates for the individual work sites.

(ii) The employer may combine a trip reduction plan for any work site within the same county.

(b) The trip reduction plan submittal shall adhere to the following schedule:

(i) Submittal of a trip reduction plan shall be annually on or before the anniversary of the initial due date.

(ii) For employers within ozone maintenance areas:

(A) The trip reduction plan must be submitted for approval within 90 days after the employer has been notified.

(B) If the employer has not been notified, then the trip reduction plan must be submitted no later than 360 days after the effective date of this rule.

(c) Materials and information submitted to the director shall include:

(i) A letter of commitment to fully implement an approved trip reduction plan signed by an authorized employee at the work site.

(ii) The name and signature of the employee transportation coordinator;

(iii) The drive-alone rate for the work site;

(iv) General work site information including name and address of organization; general layout of buildings and parking areas; location of major streets; location of nearby mass transit stops; number of total employees; number of employees arriving at the work site during peak travel periods; current and planned incentives, disincentives, and facilities available encouraging alternatives to single-occupant vehicle commuting; the type of activities conducted at the work site; and the time spent by the employee transportation coordinator in complying with the plan.

(d) A trip reduction plan designed to meet the target drive-alone rate schedule may include but is not limited to employer involvement in the following:

(i) Subsidized bus passes;

(ii) Rideshare matching programs;

(iii) Vanpool leasing programs;

(iv) Telecommuting programs;

(v) Compressed work week schedule programs and flexible work schedule programs;

(vi) Work site parking fee programs;

(vii) Preferential parking for rideshare participants;

(viii) Transportation for business related activities;

(ix) A guaranteed ride home program;

(x) On-site facility improvements;

(xi) Soliciting feedback from employees;

(xii) On-site daycare facilities;

(xiii) Coordination with local transit authorities for improved mass transit service and information on mass transit programs; and

(xiv) Recognition and rewards for employee participation.

(e) An approvable plan shall contain all the information required in R307-320-4. The director will approve or request revision of the trip reduction plan within 60 days of the plan submittal.

(4) Each employer shall implement a trip reduction plan approved by the director.

(5) Each employer shall inform employees of the trip reduction plan and options available to them for participation.


R307-320-5. Recordkeeping
Latest version.

(1) The employer shall keep records of all documents necessary to prove compliance with and verify implementation of an approved trip reduction plan for at least two years from the plan approval date.

(2) Approved trip reduction plans shall be kept for five years from date of approval.

(3) Employer trip reduction records are subject to review by representatives of the director.


R307-320-6. Violations
Latest version.

(1) The following are violations of this rule:

(a) failure to submit an approvable employer-based trip reduction plan as specified in R307-320-4;

(b) providing false information;

(c) failure to submit a revised employer-based trip reduction plan when requested by the director;

(d) failure to implement an approved trip reduction plan;

(e) failure to maintain records as specified in R307-320-5;

(f) upon receipt of the second disapproval notice and until a revised plan is submitted and approved, the employer is in violation of this rule.

(2) Failure to achieve the target drive-alone rate is not a violation of this rule.


R307-320-7. Exemptions
Latest version.

(1) An employer with less than 100 employees at a work site is exempt from the requirements of this rule.

(2) An employer who has met the target drive-alone rate is exempt from requirements stated in R307-320-4(3) and (4). The employer must still submit the drive-alone rate information to the director annually.

(3) Employees using vehicles for commute purposes as part of their job responsibility for emergency response are exempt from the drive-alone rate determination if they do not have the option, because of employer policies, to participate in telecommuting programs, compressed work week schedules, or as a rideshare driver, as approved by the director.

(a) An employer seeking exemption status shall comply with all requirements of the rule until an exemption is granted.

(b) The director shall approve or deny a request for exemption within 90 days of application.

(4) Other exemptions may be granted on a case by case basis and must be approved by the director.

(a) The employer seeking exemption must be able to demonstrate that the trip reduction program causes an adverse impact on the employer's ability to provide services or creates an undue hardship.

(b) The employer may also seek an exemption by providing an alternative to the Trip Reduction Program that shows, at a minimum, for the work site seeking exemption, a reduction in oxides of nitrogen equivalent to that achieved by the Trip Reduction Program when implemented to the target drive-alone rate schedule in the table in R307-320-3. The employer shall provide all substantiating information and calculations.

(c) An employer seeking exemption status shall comply with all requirements of the rule until an exemption is granted.

(d) The director shall approve or deny a request for exemption within 90 days of application.