TRIP REDUCTION PROGRAM EMPLOYEE MANUAL

Transcription

1 TRIP REDUCTION PROGRAM EMPLOYEE MANUAL

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS SECTION 1 -What is T.R.P.? A. History of the Trip Reduction Program B. The Trip Reduction Program Cycle C. What does a Representative do? D. Overview of the program SECTION 2 -TRP for Gilbert Public schools A. Things to know about TRP Activities District Web page District TRP On-line Services Carpool Parking Guaranteed Ride Home B. TRP Information Center TRP Board Updates, Newsletters and Valley Metro Blue Notes SECTION 3 -Yearly Events for TRP A. High Pollution Forecast, Warning and ALERT DAYS B. Quarterly/Annual Meetings C. Surveys SECTION 4 -Pollution A. Types Of Air Pollution B. Health Effects Caused By Pollution PAGES ADDITIONAL PAGES Guaranteed Ride Home Form TRP Information Center TRP Representative ad High Pollution Advisory

3 SECTION 1 -What is T.R.P.? A. History of the Trip Reduction Program 1978 EPA classified Maricopa County as a moderate non-attainment area. The state was required to establish steps to meet Federal Air Quality Standards The Center for Law in the Public Interest won lawsuit against the State of AZ for not meeting Federal Air Quality Standards The Arizona legislation passed the Omnibus Clean Air Act, which instated mandatory vehicle emissions testing oxygenated fuels and Trip Reduction Program AZ continues to fall short of the Federal Standards; therefore, enhancements to 1988 Act were passed to avoid sanctions. (House Bill 2001) Which includes: IM-240 Emissions Testing Program TRP enhancements for employers with 50+ employees -Must participate in program -Must notify employees living outside county of the law requiring them to their commute vehicle emissions tested. Mandatory ban on burning wood in fireplaces 9/30 through 2/29 on high pollution days 1996 The legislation passed Flexibility Options provided to organizations to help contribute to the clean efforts. ADEQ strengthened SMOG Dog Program (10/1). Polluting vehicles may receive one-year waiver, after which still failing test will not be registered The AZ legislature passed Omnibus Air Quality Bill Expand area A (the air quality non-attainment area) to include Apache Junction in Pinal County -New homes may not be built with wood burning fireplaces -Four-year exemption for emissions on new cars -Vehicle repair and retrofit program for vehicles that fail IM240 emissions testing. The Valley has not had a violation since winter of The EPA declared the Valley was in attainment for CO in March Great strides have been made in improving the Valley s air quality despite the ever-increasing number of vehicles and the outlying development. The Valley has not had a violation of the 1- hour ozone standard since 1996 and has met the qualifications for attainment of the 1-hour standard. However, in order to more accurately gauge the effects of ozone on the health of individuals, the EPA adopted a more stringent 8-hour ozone standard in The 8-hour standard measures prolonged exposure to lower levels of ozone. The Valley has until 2009 to meet the EPA s 8-hour standard Particulate matter (PM-10) continues to be a problem. 1

4 B. The Trip Reduction Program Cycle The purpose of the Trip Reduction Program is to communicate to the employees the need for emissions reduction and how to reduce emissions in the Valley. Each Gilbert schools site representative helps the district Trip Reduction Coordinator perform the necessary tasks required by the Trip Reduction Program. This cycle of tasks (or circle of events) may seem and is repetitious. At the beginning of each school year, every department and school employee count is reported to Maricopa County. This count is for November when all employees and driving age students are required to fill out surveys. The paper surveys are to be filled out in blue or black ink; a number two pencil will be O.K. as long as it is dark enough. They are not to be written outside of the boxes; or crinkled, folded, or stapled. The paper surveys are fed through a machine and are determined useless if unsalvageable. The purpose for these surveys is to communicate the necessity of TRP to the state and federal government. This is the only way to find how many people use alternative modes and how informed they are about using other modes of transportation. The coordinator at Gilbert Public Schools then receives an analysis, which has required compliancy levels, from the county. From this analysis the Trip Reduction Plan for Gilbert Public Schools is written and implemented. The county then approves the plan and audits the program. C. What does a Representative do? The site representatives are the communication from the district coordinator to the school or department. The representative is to assist with the activities listed in Section 2 of the manual. A representative from each site is required to attend a quarterly TRP/Safety meeting. These meetings, as well as monthly s, are used to inform the departments and schools of the latest topics and changes in the program. D. Overview of the program The Trip Reduction Program is a clean air campaign designed by the state of AZ to help communicate to our employees the need to reduce emissions and pollutants. As well as, give incentives to those who participate in the clean air campaign. It is an activity we can have fun with. 2

5 SECTION 2 -TRP for Gilbert Public schools A. Things to know about TRP Activities The following are measures in the TRP Plan for the Gilbert Public School District and are required by Maricopa County to be implemented. District Web page The Gilbert Schools TRP Web page is located on the Gilbert Public Schools official website. The TRP web page has information about the district program and has links for this program. The web page can be located in the Transportation web page our district web site. District TRP ON-line Services Gilbert Public Schools now has on-line services available to the employees of our district. To access go to district webpage and click on link provided or contact the district TRP coordinator. The services available on-line: Carpool Parking 1. Create an account as an alternative mode user with the district. 2. Tracks commute information and use. 3. Enter Contest drawings by entering activity into your Trip Reduction Program Calendar. 4. Valley Metro contests and drawings 5. Finding a carpool partner 6. The latest bus schedule and/or order bus books 7. Latest Clean Air news and events To qualify as a carpooler in the district, an employee must be carpooling with another person of driving age on a regular basis. The trip needs to be in line with the route to the destination(s). The goal of this program is to lessen the cars on the road, and to also reduce emissions in the air. If it takes more miles to pick up a carpooler than there would be for two cars it isn t helping the emissions. Another way to look at it is we are trying to save mileage. To park in the carpool parking spaces a GPS employee must have a current school year mirror hanger and be currently registered with the district TRP as a carpooler. A District registered carpooler can park in any district carpool parking space, as long as they are carpooling at the time of use and are currently registered only. Their registration will be deleted if they are not logged as an active carpooler for more than 90 days, so it is critical to make sure activity is logged. This includes in district related activities at district sites as well as to and from work. The departments and schools are responsible to police the carpool spaces. These spaces are a requirement by the county and are audited periodically throughout the year. At this time to obtain a mirror hanger, carpooler s must the district coordinator. Once they are on the carpool list they will only be required to maintain an active registration to receive mirror hangers for each semester. At this time, alternative fueled vehicles and hybrids are not considered part of the carpool parking. However, we do appreciate that you are environmentally conscientious and are saving money on gas as well. 3

6 Guaranteed Ride Home There's no need to fear being stranded at work because you carpooled, rode the bus or your bike to work. To help put those fears to rest, we offer a Guaranteed Ride Home Program (GRH). Any Gilbert Public Schools employee may use the GRH if they have an emergency on a day when an alternate mode has been used. To qualify for the GRH program, you must be a registered alternative mode user. GRH may be used for the following situations: A family emergency - check with your manager Employee illness Missed last available bus due to required overtime Stranded carpool riders - driver was required to work overtime or had to leave due to illness or emergency Inclement weather for bike riders and walkers when rain, extreme heat or wind is a safety factor GRH may be used: Once a quarter If you need a ride, contact: Transportation Coordinator (responsible for maintaining log of use and cost) Supervisor Department manager A ride will be provided by: Company vehicle - driven by: o Fellow employee o TC / Site Representative o Supervisor o Manager Personal Vehicle driven by: o Fellow employee o TC / Site Representative o Supervisor o Manager Please log ALL use of the Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program on the form found in the additional pages section (A3) and send form to TRP (Transportation). 4

7 B. TRP Information Center ALL locations must provide one fully compliable information center area clear of the other GPS information. The following items must be displayed to meet county requirements: 1. TRP Board 2. TRP Online Poster 3. A Bus schedule (The Bus Book from Valley Metro) or a post which directs to find this information at 4. Valley Metro s Clean Air Promos which can be found at 5. Any additional promotions for the location of TRP board or TRP A sample Information center is located in the Additional Pages Section. The TRP board is left open for creativity as long as the center has all the information required. There can be more than one information center or TRP board at any one site. Additional information centers, boards and ads can be posted at the discretion of the representative. For the larger schools it is recommended at more than one location. Our mission is to communicate to the employees the clean air campaign and incentives for participating. TRP Updates TRP updates will be ed to all representatives. As part of our TRP plan we are to distribute these to all of our employees. A representative can them, post them at the TRP board or print them for the employees at their site. 5

8 SECTION 3 -Yearly Events for TRP A. High Pollution Forecast, Warning and ALERT DAYS The county sends Forecasts on the upcoming pollutions levels. If the levels begin to rise toward a severe health hazard a warning is issued and a plan to make employees aware of this hazard is implemented. During a warning the representative will be e- ed the warning and it is to be posted at the areas most trafficked by the employees. A warning issued during the weekend or holiday is not required to be posted. B. Quarterly/Annual Meetings The district has TRP/Safety meetings for general information, upcoming events and to answer any questions that may arise. Generally, the first portion of the meeting is given to TRP to update and inform the representatives of any changes or events, therefore it is important not to be late. The TRP Representative is not required to attend as long a representative from each site does. These are mandatory meetings and need to be attended by a representative from each site. C. Surveys As indicated in section 1, we will be surveying in November of each year. Transportation will call each site for a driving age student count for high schools and obtain a list of employee counts from Human Recourses. This amount will only include employees who receive a paycheck from that department or school. If there are employees that go to more than one school, they only need to be included at the site their check is received. High schools are to only give the count for the students that are of driving age (16 or older). The counts need to be as accurate as possible because when we survey it is mandatory that 80% be returned. If you want helpful tips on how to bring attention to these events or if you have questions pertaining to the Trip Reduction Program call the TRP coordinator in Transportation. 6

9 SECTION 4 Pollution A. Types of Pollution B. Health Effects of Pollution Carbon Monoxide- September-March Impairs the ability of the blood to carry oxygen in the body. Cardiovascular system is primarily affected, causing angina pain in persons suffering from cardiac disease and leg pain in persons suffering from cardiac arterial disease. Affects other mammals in a similar manner. Ozone- March-September Damages the respiratory system, reducing breathing capacity and causing chest pain, headache, nasal congestion and sore throat. Individuals with chronic respiratory diseases are especially susceptible to ozone. Also injures certain plants, trees, and materials. Particulate Matter- September-March Causes irritation and damage to the respiratory system, resulting in difficult breathing, inducement of bronchitis, and aggravation of existing respiratory diseases. Also, certain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons I PM-10 are carcinogenic. Individuals with respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, children, and elderly persons are greatest risk. Secondary effects include soiling, damaging materials and impaired visibility. PM-10 also is associated with acid deposition, which damages materials, plants, and trees and acidifies surface waters, thereby harming aquatic life. 7

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11 TRP GUARANTEED RIDE HOME PROGRAM APPROX. DATE NAME LOCATION MILEAGE If the representative or supervisor is contacted by an employee who needs an emergency ride, it maybe easier and quicker to check at your site for a ride first. If there is no one available at your site, contact transportation at for a ride. Please log ALL use of the Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program Send to TRP (Transportation) (A1)

12 SUGGESSTED INFORMATION CENTER. (CAN BE MORE CREATIVE AS LONG AS IT HAS THE INFORMATION REQUIRED) D. This area is for TRP upcoming events and notices. Include Valley Metro events and updates. TRP This area is for monthly prize announcements And on-line information Trip Reduc tion Progra m.. Site alternative mode User s List. THE INFORMATION CENTER NEEDS TO INCLUDE A BUS BOOK AND ADS FOR CURRENT EVENTS (A2)

13 The Trip Reduction Program for Gilbert Public Schools is now a web based program which can be found in the Transportation section of the district website. Gilbert Public Schools has designed an incentive program that benefits our employees/driving age students who are interested in participating or are using alternative modes of transportation and single occupant driving reduction. The incentive program includes: * Alternative modes partners and/or ride share matching. * Monthly District Contest drawings * Valley Metro contests and drawings * Carpool parking for active carpoolers * Useful links regarding air quality and alternative modes of transportation Our goal is to educate our employees and students about clean air and encourage everyone to help prevent pollution. For more information or questions about the Trip Reduction Program (TRP), please contact your local representative. Your Local Representative is:

14 Issued For TODAY The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality has ISSUED a HIGH POLLUTION ADVISORY. As a result, Maricopa County has issued a No Burn Day restriction. Residents must refrain from wood burning in fireplaces and/or woodstoves during this advisory period. Children, active adults and those with respiratory illness should restrict their outdoor activities. * Ride the Bus, Carpool, Bike or Walk to/from Work -TO FIND A CARPOOL- visit: or call RIDE (7433) *ELIMINATE all unnecessary driving and/or combine trips *OBSERVE No Burn Day restrictions (this includes wood fireplaces and use of manufactured logs) *DON T Mow Lawns or Blow Leaves If you see someone burning on a No Burn Day, you can do one of the following: Call the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (8:00am-5:00pm) to report a violation or Fill out a complaint form on-line at HPA drawing for ALL Gilbert Public Schools employee who participates in a Trip Reduction activity today. (See your local TRP representative for details) CONTACTS: Carpool/Vanpool Online Matching RIDE (7433) Bus Route Information Rideshare/Trip Reduction Program Air Quality Update (ADEQ) No Burn Day (Maricopa County) Current Air Quality (Maricopa County)