ABC Releases Report Examining Effective Trip Reduction Policies
September 23, 2014
A Better City (ABC) has released a new report, “Establishing an Effective Commute Trip Reduction Policy in Massachusetts”, which identifies best practices in Trip Reduction Ordinances (TRO) from around the United States. Funded by the Barr Foundation, the report is intended to guide and inform commute trip reduction policies at the city and state level in Massachusetts with the primary goal of strengthening the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MA-DEP) Rideshare Regulation and the City of Boston’s Transportation Access Agreement Plans (TAPAs).
An examination of the history of Trip Reduction Ordinances has shown that many regulations were born out of the 1990 Clean Air Act 
amendment and that those who have been successful have adapted policies to growth in their area and/or current environmental policy. Aggressive sustainability and climate mitigation is becoming a larger part of the business culture both for the public and private sector, and as such, an opportunity to create congestion mitigation and air quality policy that reflects this change and capitalizes on it exists.
Thirteen regions were examined due to their similarity to Massachusetts and Boston and to their unique nature and success. The similarities of these programs have provided a list of best practices that can be implemented at the city and state level. Further review of the individual ordinances has allowed an opportunity to compare strategies and learn from several creative approaches.
This report identifies several opportunities for Massachusetts and the City of Boston, to make adjustments to their existing regulations. These include:
- Lowering the threshold for applicability of Massachusetts DEP Rideshare Regulation to its original level of 250 employees
- Hiring additional staff to implement and monitor programs
- Outsourcing auditing of TAPA TDM plans to TMAs
- Requiring annual reporting and a follow up meeting with developers post occupancy to ensure that TDM measures have been implemented
- Requiring fewer measures for compliance and giving developers a choice of measures to include in their mitigation.
Implementation of these recommendations could lead to reductions in congestion and improved air quality; while at the same time can create a policy that is not overly burdensome on the private sector.
