Annual City of Santa Monica Staff Commute Survey Reflects Modest Improvement in Average Vehicle Ridership
September 27, 2016 6:19 PM
SANTA MONICA, Calif. - The City of Santa Monica’s annual survey of commute behavior shows a decrease in staff driving to work alone and an increase in commuting by rail, raising the staff average vehicle ridership, or AVR, to 1.57 from 1.50, over the year prior. This comes after a steady decline in the City’s AVR over several past consecutive years.
The study reflects that City staff, like many employees, residents, and visitors, are making the switch from driving alone to riding the recently opened Expo Line Phase II. The 5% jump in AVR is significant, as the City conducted the annual survey of employee commute behavior the week of June 20th, just a month after the opening of the Santa Monica stations. The survey also showed that other modes decreased with the increase in rail ridership.
In anticipation of the arrival of the Expo Line, participating City departments offered employees a limited edition TAP card to encourage employees to try Expo. Additionally, the City has launched a TAP@Work program, modeled after the successful Bike@Work program, which enables staff to check out a TAP card to use transit to travel to meetings, site visits, and other work-related activities.
“We have a long way to go, though the modest improvement in our AVR is encouraging,” said City Manager Rick Cole. “The GoSaMo mobility campaign not only speaks to the community, but internally as we recognize our responsibility to be a model. We need to reach our target, and we are committed to working with our staff to ensure that happens.”
As the City works to shift employee travel behavior from driving alone to new and enhanced mobility options, the City struggles with many of the same challenges that other Santa Monica employers face. Much of the workforce is comprised of staff charged with providing nearly round-the-clock direct services, which creates work shifts that don’t always align with ridesharing and peak transit options.
The City is focused on developing new measures to reduce drive-alone trips by City employees, including:
- As a unionized workforce, the majority of the City’s collective bargaining contracts will open up for negotiations in the coming year and the City has already started conversations with the bargaining units about strategies that could effectively change employee travel behavior, including incentives and alternatives to free parking.
- Based on feedback from these efforts the City will identify the necessary funding strategies to administer and implement an employee transportation demand management program that will move the City towards the recently increased AVR target of 2.2 by 2017.
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Debbie Lee
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Debbie.Lee@SMGOV.NET