Products of SDOT’s Drive Less Programs

SDOT’s drive less efforts produce products that make a difference in the lives of citizens. Some examples are listed below.

Bicycle Program

In 2007 the City approved the Bicycle Master Plan, which envisions 450 miles of bicycle facilities connecting all parts of Seattle. In 2007 and 2008 SDOT installed over 50 miles of new bike lanes and sharrows, 1.7 miles of new multi-purpose trail, 15 miles of bike route signs, green bike lanes at 16 locations, and over 400 bike racks.

Pedestrian Program

The City adopted the Pedestrian Master Plan in 2009. The goal of the master plan is to make Seattle the most walkable city in the nation. In 2009 SDOT built 25 blocks of sidewalks, improved sidewalks to six elementary schools, installed 600 crosswalks and stop bars, completed four school-based education programs, and planted 800 street trees, just to name a few efforts. SDOT also installed 40 pedestrian signals which count down the seconds before the light changes.

Transit Program

SDOT creates priority lanes for buses and “bus bulbs” to move more people faster along busy streets. Bus bulbs are extensions of the sidewalk into the parking lane, which allow buses to pick up passengers without pulling out of the travel lane. SDOT created bus lanes on Elliot Avenue between Queen Anne and Magnolia and will complete bus lanes in West Seattle by 2012. SDOT is creating over twenty bus bulbs throughout the city. Due to efforts by transit partners across the region, METRO’s ridership increased 20% between 2005 to 2008.

Commute Trip Reduction (CTR)

SDOT works with over 250 businesses that employ a total of over 55,000 employees. The City’s adopted 2008 CTR plan established new goals and targets for reducing the single occupancy vehicle (SOV) rates and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for each of these CTR-affected employers. The targets assume a 10% reduction from 2005-2011 in SOV rates and a 13% reduction from 2005-2011 in VMT. SDOT helps these companies implement programs to meet these goals.

Programs for Buildings with Transportation Management Plans

SDOT works with over 180 Transportation Management Plan (TMP) sites, which employ a total of over 150,000 employees. As a result of the City’s TMP requirements, over 100 buildings in Seattle have secure, interior bicycle parking. These 100 sites have a total of 6,000 bicycle parking spaces. Over 50 TMP buildings provide transit subsidies for the tenants.

Way to Go, Seattle! Incentive Programs

Each year hundreds of people participate in Way to Go incentive programs by reducing their driving or even selling one of their cars. Participants take cars off the road, while saving money and reducing their stress levels. The average household which sells a car in the One Less Car Challenge reduces driving by over 4,000 miles per year. In 2008, the One Less Car Challenge reduced over a quarter of a million miles of driving and about a quarter of a million pounds of climate change pollution. (Each mile driven produces about one pound of carbon dioxide.)