CITY OF SEATTLE
ORDINANCE __________________
COUNCIL BILL __________________
title
AN ORDINANCE relating to use of bus and shuttle vehicle zones by private employer shuttle vehicles; making permanent the Seattle Department of Transportation’s Employer Shared Transit Stop pilot program; amending Sections 11.14.070, 11.14.567, 11.14.568, 11.14.670, 11.16.120, 11.23.034, 11.31.121, 11.72.050, 11.72.357, and 11.74.130 of the Seattle Municipal Code; and adopting a Transit and Mobility Fee Schedule.
body
WHEREAS, the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) and King County Metro collaborated with Seattle Children’s Hospital and Microsoft to conduct a pilot program allowing these participating organizations’ employer-provided shuttles to share select public transit stops with transit agencies, which has operated successfully without impacting transit or roadway operations, and SDOT now wishes to formalize a program to include other providers and locations; and
WHEREAS, a number of Seattle-area employers operate shuttle services for their workforces that facilitate inter-worksite travel, fill gaps in the public transit network that affect their employees’ commutes, reduce employee dependence on drive-alone commuting, and reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions; and
WHEREAS, private employer shuttle vehicles are limited to using three-minute passenger load zones, 30-minute load zones, and shuttle bus load zones that result in the potential for overly prescriptive curb space allocation, less efficient service, diminished shuttle ridership, and increased traffic congestion; and
WHEREAS, the Employer Shared Transit Stop program supports the 2035 Comprehensive Plan’s transportation goals, including making the best use of the streets and curb space, encouraging use of multiple transportation options, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions that will protect and improve Seattle’s environmental quality; and
WHEREAS, in Seattle, transportation accounts for 60 percent of core greenhouse gas emissions; and single-occupant gasoline-fueled vehicle travel is the far largest source of transportation emissions within the City; and
WHEREAS, based on the most recent Comprehensive Plan, Seattle aims to reduce trips taken in a single occupancy vehicle by 65 to 75 percent by 2035; and
WHEREAS, shifting commute trips to employment sites from single-occupant vehicle travel to shared modes such as employer shuttles and public transit is a strategy for reducing emissions consistent with the Comprehensive Plan; and
WHEREAS, in 2021, as the region endeavors to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, SDOT staff identified that employer shuttles could become increasingly important post-COVID, as employers begin to bring employees back to in-person worksites and public health concerns continue to linger; and recent customer surveys indicate that many people envision driving alone more, compared to pre-COVID patterns, a trend that runs counter to the City’s aggressive goals to reduce drive-alone trips as part of our climate commitment; and a well-managed employer shuttle program could help to reduce drive-alone rates post-COVID; and
WHEREAS, because labor unions promote health and well-being by ensuring higher wages and standards of living, retirement benefits, limits on working hours, opportunities for job training, safer environments and discrimination-free workplaces, health insurance for workers and their families, paid vacations, and holidays for all workers, the City encourages participants in the Employer Shared Transit Stop program to utilize one of the many shuttle service providers with represented workforces; NOW, THEREFORE,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1. Section 11.14.070 of the Seattle Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance 108200, is amended as follows:
11.14.070 Bus zone((.))
“Bus zone” means a portion of the roadway along the curb ((which)) that is reserved for loading and unloading of ((either)) transit coaches of ((the Metro Transit System)) authorized public transit agencies, permitted shuttle vehicles, or school buses when authorized and designated by:
A. A sign with the words “bus,” “bus zone,” or “bus stop” and a parking control message; or
B. ((By red-yellow-red (alternating red and yellow stripes))) Alternating red-and-yellow striped curb markings supplemented with the words “bus zone” placed on the curb; or
C. A sign with the word “bus” and ((red-yellow-red ()) alternating red-and-yellow stripes(())) placed on the curb.
Section 2. Section 11.14.567 of the Seattle Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance 121917, is amended as follows:
11.14.567 Shuttle ((Bus.)) vehicle
“Shuttle ((Bus)) vehicle” means every motor vehicle designed for the purpose of carrying passengers (having a seating capacity for ((eleven [11])) 11 or more persons(())) used regularly to transport persons of any ((organized,)) charitable, commercial, institutional, or residential organization over a fixed or predetermined route and that is authorized by a valid shuttle vehicle loading permit. This definition does not include ((“Charter” or “Sightseeing” buses)) a sightseeing bus or charter bus as defined in this ((chapter)) Chapter 11.14.
Section 3. Section 11.14.568 of the Seattle Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance 121917, is amended as follows:
11.14.568 Shuttle ((Bus Zone.)) vehicle load zone
“Shuttle ((Bus Zone)) vehicle load zone” means a portion of a street designated by a sign and white paint markings or other traffic control devices that is reserved for the exclusive use of shuttle ((bus)) vehicles ((possessing)) that is authorized by a valid shuttle ((bus)) vehicle loading permit.
Section 4. Section 11.14.670 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 119011, is amended as follows:
11.14.670 Transit coach((.))
“Transit coach” includes every vehicle designed for carrying more than ten (((10))) persons and used for ((the transportation of)) transporting persons by King County’s Metro Transit, Snohomish County’s Community Transit, Pierce County’s Pierce Transit, ((and)) the Central Puget Sound Regional Transit Authority, or another authorized public transit agency.
Section 5. Section 11.16.120 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 123120, is amended as follows:
11.16.120 Director of Transportation-Authority((.))
The Director of Transportation is authorized:
A. To increase the maximum speed allowed upon arterial streets;
B. To declare a minimum speed limit, which shall be effective when appropriate signs giving notice thereof are erected and when it is determined that slow speeds on any part of an arterial street unreasonably impede the normal movement of traffic;
C. To establish parking rates to be charged at parking payment devices, including parking meters, for parking in ((city)) City-controlled parking areas under the jurisdiction of the Seattle Department of Transportation and other ((city)) City rights-of-way, consistent with Section 11.16.121, and to make recommendations to the City Council for fees for permits issued pursuant to this ((subtitle)) Subtitle I;
D. To determine the maximum load limits on all streets, alleys, bridges, or elevated structures in the City;
E. To adopt a ((Traffic Control Manual for In-street Work)) traffic control manual for in-street work;
F. To establish, revise, or dissolve restricted parking zones. A decision to establish, to refuse to establish, to expand, to reduce, or to dissolve a restricted parking zone is subject to reconsideration pursuant to ((Section)) subsection 11.16.317.D. The Director may consider other parking demand management tools in lieu of or prior to implementation of an RPZ((.)) ;
G. To promulgate rules and regulations for the RPZ program((.)) ; and
H. To prepare and recommend for adoption by the City Council a schedule of fees applicable to the reviewing and administering permits and issuing violations for vehicle and curb space uses.
Section 6. Section 11.23.034 of the Seattle Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance 121917, is amended as follows:
11.23.034 Shuttle ((Bus Loading Permit-Requirements and Fee.)) vehicle loading permit requirements and fee
A. The ((Traffic Engineer)) Director of Transportation is ((hereby)) authorized to administer a system for ((the issuance of)) issuing shuttle ((bus)) vehicle loading permits and ((to collect)) collecting fees. ((therefore.)) Shuttle ((bus)) vehicle loading permits shall only be issued to persons or entities that possess a current business license, issued by ((any)) the governmental entity with jurisdiction to issue the license, and all other required state or federal licenses. The applicant may obtain one (((1))) nontransferable permit for each licensed shuttle ((bus licensed)) vehicle operated by the company named in the business license that will use a designated shuttle vehicle load zone. The applicant shall provide the license plate number((, as well as)) and other vehicle identification information as determined by the ((Traffic Engineer)) Director of Transportation. The permit shall be permanently affixed to the lower left-hand corner of the vehicle’s windshield.
B. Permits shall be valid for one (((1))) calendar year. The ((Traffic Engineer)) Director of Transportation shall collect ((an annual fee of Three Hundred Dollars ($300))) a fee to be deposited in the Transportation Fund and established annually by a fee schedule for each permit issued to an applicant. ((Permits issued after July 1st of any calendar year shall have their fee reduced by fifty (50%) percent.))
C. All shuttle vehicle loading permits shall be of a temporary nature, shall vest no permanent right, and may in any case be revoked upon 30 calendar days’ notice, or without notice if the Director determines that continuing to permit stopping at one or more locations is a safety risk.
Section 7. Section 11.31.121 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 125609, is amended as follows:
11.31.121 Monetary penalties - Parking infractions
The base monetary penalty for violation of each of the numbered provisions of the Seattle Municipal Code listed in the following table is as shown, unless and until the penalty shown below for a particular parking infraction is modified by Local Rule of the Seattle Municipal Court adopted pursuant to the Infraction Rules for Courts of Limited Jurisdiction (“IRLJ”) or successor rules to the IRLJ:
|
Municipal Code Reference |
Parking infraction short description |
Base penalty amount |
|
* * * |
|
11.72.357 |
SHUTTLE ((BUS)) VEHICLE LOAD ZONE |
$47 |
|
* * * |
Section 8. Section 11.72.050 of the Seattle Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance 108200, is amended as follows:
11.72.050 Bus zone((.))
No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle other than authorized transit agency buses or shuttle vehicles, displaying a valid shuttle vehicle loading permit and authorized to use the particular zone, in a zone established for ((such)) the specific use. Violators ((will)) may be impounded without prior notice.
Section 9. Section 11.72.357 of the Seattle Municipal Code, last amended by Ordinance 122243, is amended as follows:
11.72.357 Shuttle ((Bus Load Zone.)) vehicle load zone
No person shall stop, stand, or park a vehicle other than a shuttle ((bus)) vehicle displaying a valid shuttle ((bus)) vehicle loading permit in a shuttle ((bus)) vehicle load zone during the hours the zone restriction is in effect; provided that shuttle ((bus)) vehicle load zone restrictions are not effective on Sundays or parking holidays, except where otherwise indicated by sign posting for the ((load)) zone.
Section 10. Section 11.74.130 of the Seattle Municipal Code, enacted by Ordinance 108200, is amended as follows:
11.74.130 Special permits((.))
In places where, and at hours when, parallel parking for loading or unloading of property in a business district, on an arterial street, or on a King County Metro Transit route ((,)) is permitted under the provisions of this ((subtitle)) Subtitle I, vehicles used for the transportation or handling of property may be angle parked or backed to the curb for loading or unloading only when the owner or operator of ((such)) the vehicle, or the owner or lessee of the adjacent property, holds a permit((,)) provided for in Section 11.23.080((, authorizing him so)) that authorizes the owner, operator, or lessee to park. The permit shall be prominently displayed on the vehicle or on the adjacent property at the time the vehicle is so parked: ((Provided,)) provided that ((such)) the permit shall only be ((valid)) in effect during actual loading or unloading operations.
Section 11. The Seattle Department of Transportation Transit and Mobility Fee Schedule attached as Attachment A to this ordinance is adopted.
Section 12. The Director shall adjust fees annually in Attachment A based on changes in the purchasing power of the dollar during the preceding calendar year shown by the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers for the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA, First Six Months (CPI), published in or about August of each year by the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Section 13. No adjusted fee shall be effective unless it is included in a schedule of adjusted fees the Director files with the City Clerk. The schedule shall state the year the fees shall first be in effect. If the Director files the schedule with the City Clerk on or before December 1 of the year before the stated year, the adjusted fees shall become effective on January 1 of the stated year. Otherwise, the fees shall become effective on the first date that is a) at least 30 days after the date of filing and b) is the first day of a calendar month.
Section 14. The failure of the Director to adjust the fees for any given year shall not limit the Director’s mandate and authority to adjust the fees in subsequent years, but in no case may the Director adjust the fees upward by more than ten percent at any one time.
Section 15. This ordinance shall take effect and be in force 30 days after its approval by the Mayor, but if not approved and returned by the Mayor within ten days after presentation, it shall take effect as provided by Seattle Municipal Code Section 1.04.020.
Passed by the City Council the ________ day of _________________________, 2022, and signed by me in open session in authentication of its passage this _____ day of _________________________, 2022.
____________________________________
President ____________ of the City Council
Approved / returned unsigned / vetoed this ____ day of _________________, 2022.
____________________________________
Bruce A. Harrell, Mayor
Filed by me this ________ day of _________________________, 2022.
____________________________________
Elizabeth M. Adkisson, Interim City Clerk
(Seal)
Attachments:
Attachment A - Seattle Department of Transportation Transit and Mobility Fee Schedule