Commute Trip Reduction Law: Washington State Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT)
This case study details the Washington State Department of Transportation's (WSDOT) implementation of the state's Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Law. WSDOT's primary method of eliminating commutes has been the use of compressed workweeks, which give employees one day off every other week, reducing their commute by 10%. Employees work eight 9-hour workdays, and one 8-hour workday, then have one workday off per two-week period. There is scheduling flexibility, however. For example, road construction crews often prefer to work four 10-hour days, in order to take advantage of daylight, and have a three day weekend every week. 43% of staff affected by the CTR law uses a compressed workweek.
The WSDOT case study is useful because it identifies success factors that other agencies can learn from. There have been positive environmental impacts, as well as high cost-savings and low employee turnover. This case study also identifies several of WSDOT's success factors, such as the elimination of unnecessary paperwork, which allows more employees to participate.
