A. “Affected employee” means a full-time employee who begins his or her regular workday at a single worksite covered by the commute trip reduction plan between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. (inclusive) on two or more weekdays for at least 12 continuous months who is not an independent contractor. Seasonal agricultural employees, including seasonal employees of processors of agricultural products, are excluded from the count of affected employees.

B. “Affected employer” means an employer that employs 100 or more affected employees, as defined in this section, at a single worksite. Construction worksites, when the expected duration of the construction is less than two years, are excluded from this definition.

C. “Alternative mode” means any means of commute transportation other than that in which the single-occupant motor vehicle is the dominant mode, including telecommuting and compressed work week schedules if they result in reducing commute trips.

D. “Alternative work schedules” mean programs such as compressed work week schedules that eliminate commute trips for affected employees.

E. “Base year” means the 12-month period which commences when a major employer is determined by the jurisdiction to be participating within the CTR program. The city of Bellevue uses this 12-month period as the basis upon which it develops commute trip reduction goals.

F. “Baseline measurement” means the results of a survey of affected employees at a major employer worksite or agreed to zone average designated during the base year, to determine the drive alone rate and vehicle miles traveled per employee at the worksite. The jurisdiction uses this measurement to develop commute trip reduction goals for the major employer. The baseline measurement must be implemented in a manner that meets the requirements specified in the city of Bellevue CTR implementation guidelines.

G. “Carpool” means a motor vehicle, including a motorcycle, occupied by two to six people of at least 16 years of age traveling together for their commute trip, resulting in the reduction of a minimum of one motor vehicle commute trip.

H. “City” means the city of Bellevue.

I. “Commute trips” mean trips made from a worker’s home to a worksite on weekdays.

J. “CTR” is the abbreviation of “commute trip reduction.”

K. “CTR implementation guidelines” or “implementation guidelines” means the compilation of additional guidance by the city to guide employers in defining and executing their CTR programs.

L. “CTR plan” means the city’s commute trip reduction plan adopted as required by RCW 70.94.527.

M. “CTR program” means an employer’s strategies to reduce employees’ drive alone commutes and average VMT per employee.

N. “CTR zone” means an area within Bellevue characterized by similar employment density, population density, level of transit service, parking availability, access to high occupancy vehicle facilities, or other factors that may affect the level of SOV commuting. The city’s CTR zones are defined in the implementation guidelines.

O. “Compressed work week” means an alternative work schedule, in accordance with employer policy, that regularly allows a full-time employee to eliminate at least one workday every two weeks by working longer hours during the remaining days, resulting in fewer commute trips by the employee. Compressed workweeks are understood to be an ongoing arrangement.

P. “Custom bus/buspool” means a commuter bus service arranged specifically to transport employees to work.

Q. “Dominant mode” means the mode of travel used for the greatest distance of a commute trip.

R. “Drive alone” means a motor vehicle, including a motorcycle, occupied by one employee for commute purposes.

S. “Drive alone trips” or “single-occupant vehicle (SOV)” means commute trips made by employees in single-occupant vehicles, including motorcycles.

T. “Employee” means anyone, other than an independent contractor or seasonal agricultural employee, who receives financial or other remuneration in exchange for work provided to an employer, including owners or partners of the employer. For the purposes of this chapter, shareholders, principals and associates in a corporation, partners (general or limited) in a partnership and participants in a joint venture are to be considered employees.

U. “Employee transportation coordinator (ETC)” means a person who is designated as responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of an employer’s CTR program.

V. “Employer” means a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, unincorporated association, cooperative, joint venture, agency, department, district, or other individual or entity, whether public, nonprofit, or private, that employs employees.

W. “Exemption” means a waiver from any or all CTR program requirements granted to an employer by the city based on unique conditions that apply to the employer or employment site.

X. “Flex-time” means an employer policy allowing individual employees flexibility in choosing the start and end time, but not the number, of their working hours, to facilitate the use of alternative modes.

Y. “Full-time employee” means a person, other than an independent contractor, scheduled to be employed on a continuous basis for 52 weeks for an average of at least 35 hours per week.

Z. “Good faith effort” means that an employer has met the minimum requirements identified in RCW 70.94.531 and this chapter, and is working collaboratively with the city to continue its existing CTR program or is developing and implementing program modifications likely to result in improvements to its CTR program over an agreed-upon length of time.

AA. “Implementation” means active pursuit by an employer of the CTR goals of RCW 70.94.521 through 70.94.555 and this chapter as evidenced by appointment of an employee transportation coordinator (ETC), distribution of information to employees regarding alternatives to drive alone commuting, and commencement of other measures according to its approved CTR program and schedule.

BB. “Major employer” means a private or public employer, including state agencies, that employs 100 or more full-time employees at a single worksite who are scheduled to begin their regular workday between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. on weekdays for at least 12 continuous months.

CC. “Major employer worksite” or “affected employer worksite” or “worksite” means the physical location occupied by a major employer, as determined by the city.

DD. “Mode” means the means of transportation used by employees, such as single-occupant motor vehicle, rideshare vehicle (carpool or vanpool), transit, ferry, bicycle, walking, compressed work week schedule and telecommuting.

EE. “Notice” means written communication delivered via the United States Postal Service with receipt deemed accepted three days following the day on which the notice was deposited with the Postal Service unless the third day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, in which case the notice is deemed accepted the day after the weekend or legal holiday.

FF. “Peak period” means the hours from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. (inclusive), Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.

GG. “Peak period trip” means any commute trip that delivers the employee to begin his or her regular workday between 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. (inclusive), Monday through Friday, except legal holidays.

HH. “Proportion of drive alone trips” or “drive alone rate” means the number of commute trips over a set period made by affected employees in single-occupancy vehicles divided by the number of potential trips taken by affected employees working during that period.

II. “Ride matching service” means a system that assists in matching commuters for the purpose of commuting together.

JJ. “Teleworking” or “telecommuting” means the use of telephones, computers, or other similar technology to permit an employee to work from home, eliminating a commute trip, or to work from a workplace closer to home, reducing the distance traveled in a commute trip by at least half.

KK. “Transit” means a multiple-occupant vehicle operated on a for-hire, shared-ride basis, including bus, passenger ferry, rail, shared-ride taxi, shuttle bus, or vanpool.

LL. “Transportation demand management (TDM)” means a broad range of strategies that are primarily intended to reduce the number of drive alone trips and thereby reshape demand on the transportation system.

MM. “Transportation management association (TMA)” means a group of employers or an association representing a group of employers in a defined geographic area. A TMA may represent employers within specific city limits or may have a sphere of influence that extends beyond city limits.

NN. “Vanpool” means a vehicle occupied by from five to 15 people traveling together for their commute trip, resulting in the reduction of a minimum of one motor vehicle trip.

OO. “Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per employee” means the sum of the individual vehicle commute trip lengths in miles made by affected employees over a set period divided by the number of affected employees during that period.

PP. “Week” means a seven-day calendar period starting on Monday and continuing through Sunday.

QQ. “Weekday” means any day of the week except Saturday or Sunday.

RR. “Writing,” “written,” or “in writing” means original signed and dated documents. Facsimile (fax) transmissions are a temporary notice of action that must be followed by the original signed and dated document via mail or delivery.

SS. “Zone average” means a figure that may be used to establish a baseline measurement for a new major employer. The zone average is calculated using existing survey data from the other affected employers in the zone to develop an average drive alone rate and VMT per employee. (Ord. 5795 § 1, 2008; Ord. 5157 § 1, 1999; Ord. 4506 § 1, 1993.)