RIDESHARING REQUIREMENTS IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES: ACHIEVING PRIVATE-SECTOR COMMITMENTS

Developers of major projects in downtown Los Angeles now enter into commitments to achieve specified ridesharing participation levels over the life of their projects. The Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) of the city of Los Angeles has completed agreements for more than 6 million square feet of office space that commit the project owners to achieve a 60 percent employee ridesharing participation level, that provide for regular monitoring of performance, and that define specified compliance measures if ridesharing levels are not achieved. The private-sector ridesharing commitments are part of a multiagency effort to address the transportation requirements of the 16 million to 20 million square feet of growth expected to occur in downtown Los Angeles by 1995. This paper is a report on the circumstances and processes leading to the endorsement of ridesharing commitments by the downtown development and business community and the adoption of the transportation system management (TSM) rideshare program by CRA. The concerns raised by the developers during project negotiation are addressed. Suggestions are offered about the use of rideharing requirements as a transportation strategy and about establishing a program.