ABOUT DESTINATION DOWNTOWN

Destination Downtown is a trip reduction program currently being coordinated by the City of Vancouver in partnership with the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and C-TRAN. The program aims to reduce drive-alone trips to and traffic congestion in downtown Vancouver through customized programs for employees, business owners, and property owners.

The development of Destination Downtown occurred as part of the updated Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) Efficiency Act that was adopted by the Washington State Legislature in 2006. This legislation was an update to the already existing statewide CTR program that was originally adopted in 1993. The intent of the CTR program is to improve the efficiency of the state’s transportation system by reducing traffic congestion, reducing air pollution, and cutting the consumption of gasoline.

The Act requires local jurisdictions to develop local and regional CTR plans, and provides them the opportunity to create Growth and Transportation Efficiency Centers (GTEC). GTEC’s are intended to be developed in a jurisdiction’s most dense employment or residential areas. The City of Vancouver completed a GTEC Plan for downtown Vancouver, which is a collection of adopted goals and policies, facility and service improvements, and marketing strategies to increase progress towards the reduction of drive alone trips and vehicle miles traveled. Goals and strategies in this plan are also consistent with the City’s Vancouver City Center Vision (VCCV) Plan adopted in 2007.

Building upon the success of the existing Commute Trip Reduction (CTR) program, the GTEC partners strive to meet the goals of the plan by working in partnership and coordination with other agencies, employers, organizations, and citizens. As part of this process a Blue Ribbon Committee has been established to look at developing a Transportation Management Association (TMA) in downtown Vancouver. This committee has been meeting since November of 2008 and continues to move forward with the development of a TMA in downtown Vancouver.