U.S. Health and Human Services Consolidation Transportation Management Plan

Prepared for:

The U.S. General Services Administration National Capital Region

In cooperation with: The U.S. Health and Human Services

Prepared by: Stantec Consulting Ltd. 6110 Frost Place Laurel, MD 20707

March 2015

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Introduction This report represents the Transportation Management Plan (TMP) for the consolidation of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) at 5600 Fishers Lane. The report identifies existing and future transportation conditions and needs in the immediate vicinity of the site. The anticipated transportation impacts on the existing transportation system are due to the relocation of approximately 1,600 employees to 5600 Fishers Lane. Transportation strategies to mitigate these impacts are identified in this document, along with guidelines for implementing, monitoring, and re- evaluating the TMP.

Background Various studies have been performed that evaluated the impacts of consolidating HHS employees to the 5600 Fishers Lane site on the surrounding roadway network. These reports proposed mitigation for the impacts based upon increasing the number of employees to be consolidated at 5600 Fishers Lane from 2,900 to 4,500. The proposed mitigation included the development of a TMP. A TMP is required as part of a federal agency’s planning submission for undertaking any project that will increase the employment level on a worksite to 500 or more employees. Montgomery County law requires that every employer with 25 or more full- or part-time employees in a Transportation Management District submit a Traffic Mitigation Plan (TMP) within 90 days of notification from the Department of Transportation. Employers must also participate in the Transportation Management District’s annual commuter survey and submit an annual report of activities. A TMP is an employer’s active program to foster more efficient employee commuting patterns. The TMP includes specific strategies to encourage change in employee travel mode, trip timing, frequency, and length and travel routes so as to reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality. A TMP also offers the benefit of reduced demand for parking spaces.

This TMP outlines strategies by analyzing the commuting pattern of existing HHS employees who are already located at 5600 Fishers Lane, as well as those yet to be relocated. Based on a survey of all employees and analysis of the results, this plan will outline strategies to provide the greatest reduction in single occupancy vehicles and minimize the need for on-site parking.

EXISTING CONDITION As of November 2013, approximately 2,800 employees were located on site at 5600 Fishers Lane, with an additional 1,600 employees at other sites to be consolidated. The 2,800 employees were asked to participate in an employee survey from November through December 2013 to gain an understanding of their commuting patterns. Of the 2,800 employees, 491 or approximately 18 percent completed the survey.

Based on the zip codes of employees’ residences 61 percent of the employees live in Montgomery County and the remaining employees are distributed among Washington, D.C. and other counties in and Virginia.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Of the 491 employees who responded to the survey, approximately 76 percent drive alone to work and 24 percent use other modes of transportation. The average vehicle occupancy (AVO) of the survey respondents is 1.36 employees per vehicle.

PROPOSED CONDITION Of the 1,600 HHS employees who are scheduled to relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane, 806 or 50 percent completed the survey. The zip codes of these employees’ residences indicate that 61 percent live in Montgomery County. Approximately 2.5 percent of the employees who participated in the survey are planning to move their residence closer to 5600 Fishers Lane.

Approximately 83 percent of the employees who responded to the survey drive alone to work and 17 percent use the other modes of transportation. Employees who are already located at 5600 Fishers Lane are carpooling/vanpooling and using transit more than those to be relocated. Thus, it is expected that as employees relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane there will be more carpool/vanpool and transit usage, which will help reduce the percentage of employees who drive alone.

The employees who are slated to relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane have an AVO of 1.25.

PROPOSED TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES The TMP outlines strategies in order to achieve a parking ratio goal of 2.0 employees per parking space at full build out of 5600 Fishers Lane and AVO of 1.5. At present, the existing parking ratio at 5600 Fishers Lane is 1.8 and the AVO is 1.29.

In order to increase the parking ratio from the current 1.8 to 2.0 and AVO from 1.29 to 1.5 at full build- out, HHS will make significant efforts to encourage employees to use the ride share program, on-site shuttle service, and computer matching of employees looking for other carpoolers/vanpoolers in their home area. In addition, HHS will use incentives, such as transit subsidies, guaranteed ride home program, and preferred parking for carpools/vanpools to help meet this goal. The following Transportation Demand Management (TDM) measures are expected to have an effect on increasing the parking ratio and thus decreasing the single vehicle occupancy numbers:

• Employee Transportation Coordinator • Carpool/Vanpool Incentives • Transit Incentives • Telecommuting Program • Bicycling/Walk-to-work Incentives.

ii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table of Contents 1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Background ...... 1 1.2 Purpose of Study ...... 2 1.3 Basis ...... 3 2. EMPLOYEE SURVEY ...... 1 2.1 Characteristics of Employees at 5600 Fishers Lane ...... 1 2.2 Characteristics of Employees Moving to 5600 Fishers Lane...... 5 3. Goals and Objectives ...... 11 4. Measurement...... 13 5. EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM ...... 15 5.1 Site Characteristics ...... 15 5.2 Public Transportation ...... 18 6. PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES...... 29 6.1 Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) ...... 29 6.2 Carpool/Vanpool Incentives ...... 30 6.3 Transit Incentives ...... 33 6.4 Telecommuting Program ...... 36 6.5 Bicycling to/Walk-to-Work Incentive ...... 37 6.6 North Bethesda Transportation Management District ...... 37 7. IMPLEMENTING THE TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT (TDM) STRATEGIES ...... 39 7.1 Implementation Plan ...... 39 7.2 HHS TMP Parking Management ...... 44 7.3 HHS TMP Commitments ...... 44 8. MONITORING & EVALUATION ...... 45 9. RESOURCES ...... 47 APPENDIX A ...... 49

TABLE OF CONTENTS iii HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN This page left intentionally blank

iv TABLE OF CONTENTS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

List of Acronyms

AVO Average Vehicle Occupancy CLV Critical Lane Volume ETC Employee Transportation Coordinator GSA U.S. General Services Administration HCM Highway Capacity Manual HHS Health and Human Services LOS Level of Service MARC Maryland Area Regional Commuter M-NCPPC Maryland National Capitol Park and Planning Commission MTA Maryland Transit Administration MWCOG Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments NCPC National Capital Planning Commission SEA Supplemental Environmental Assessment SHA State Highway Administration TMP Transportation Management Plan TDM Transportation Demand Management VRE Virginia Railway Express VT Vehicle Trips WMATA Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

ACRONYMS v HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN This page left intentionally blank.

vi ACRONYMS HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 1. INTRODUCTION

The U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is consolidating employees from other leased locations in Suburban Maryland to 5600 Fishers Lane in Rockville, Maryland. This report represents the TMP for the consolidation of HHS at 5600 Fishers Lane. Transportation strategies to mitigate these impacts are identified with guidelines for implementing, monitoring, and re-evaluating the plan. In short, the TMP seeks to discuss the following in detail:

• Initiate the TMP program • Discuss the TMP strategies • Implement the TMP • Monitor the Effectiveness of the TMP strategies

1.1 Background

Various studies have been previously performed that evaluated the impacts of this consolidation on the surrounding roadway systems and general resources in the area. Studies completed to date include:

 U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Lease Consolidation in Suburban Maryland, Final Environmental Assessment and Findings of No Significant Impact, Greenhorne & O’Mara, February, 2011  HHS Lease Consolidation Traffic Technical Report, Greenhorne & O’Mara, February, 2011  U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Lease Consolidation in Suburban Maryland, Final Environmental Assessment and Findings of No Significant Impact, Stantec, January, 2015  HHS Lease Consolidation Traffic Technical Report, Stantec, January, 2015

The above reports were completed to determine the potential transportation impacts of consolidating HHS offices at 5600 Fishers Lane. The regional location of 5600 Fishers Lane is shown in Figure 1. These reports proposed mitigation for the impacts based upon increasing the number of employees to be consolidated at 5600 Fishers Lane from 2,900 to 4,500. The proposed mitigation included the development of a Transportation Management Plan (TMP).

SECTION 1 │ INTRODUCTION - 1 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Figure 1. 5600 Fishers Lane Location Map

1.2 Purpose of Study

As defined in the Federal Transportation Management Program Handbook, “a Transportation Management Plan (TMP) documents an employer’s active program to foster more efficient employee commuting patterns. The plan includes specific strategies to encourage changes in travel modes, trip- timing, frequency and length, and travel routes in an effort to reduce traffic congestion and improve regional air quality” (GSA, 2008). The main objective of the TMP is to develop and implement strategies which will provide the greatest reduction in single occupancy vehicles, thereby minimizing the impact to the surrounding area.

2 SECTION 1 │ INTRODUCTION - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 1.3 Basis

The basis for this report is an employee survey which was conducted via the internet in November 2013. The employee survey was conducted for both the employees who already work at 5600 Fishers Lane and those employees slated to move. The survey was active from November 5, 2013 through November 25, 2013. In addition, the following information was collected for this study or provided by HHS: • Shuttle bus schedules • Traffic counts • Parking lot spaces • Employee numbers • Employee Zip-code data

SECTION 1 │ INTRODUCTION - 3 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

This page left intentionally blank.

4 SECTION 1 │ INTRODUCTION - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

2. EMPLOYEE SURVEY

An employee survey was conducted via the internet in November 2013 to understand the commuting patterns of employees. The employee survey was conducted for both the employees who are already located at 5600 Fishers Lane and those employees slated to relocate. The survey was active from November 5, 2013 through November 25, 2013 and queried employees about their current commuting habits, as well as what they might be upon relocating to 5600 Fishers Lane. A copy of the survey is included in Appendix A.

Of the approximately 4,500 employees asked to respond to the survey, approximately 29 percent, or 1,300 employees, completed the survey. Of the approximately 2,800 employees at 5600 Fishers Lane at the time of the survey, 491 or approximately 17.5 percent completed the survey. Of the 1,592 employees slated to relocate to the campus, 806 or approximately 51 percent completed the survey. This represents a statistically significant sample of the population.

2.1 Characteristics of Employees at 5600 Fishers Lane

As of November 2013 (the time frame of the employee survey), approximately 2,800 HHS employees were located at 5600 Fishers Lane. Of the 2,800 employees, 491 completed the survey.

a. Existing Location of Residences

Zip codes of employee residences were gathered from the employee survey. Table 1 shows the counties in which employees reside based on the zip codes provided. A majority of the employees live in Montgomery County. The remaining employees are evenly split between Washington, DC and the other counties in Maryland and Virginia.

Table 1. Residential Location of Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane Residential Location Number of Employees Percentage Montgomery County 247 61% Frederick County 27 5% Prince George's County 53 6% Howard County 25 5% Other Maryland 38 8% Washington D.C. 41 4% Virginia 45 7% West Virginia 11 <1% Other 4 3% Total 491 100%

SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - 1 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN b. Change in Residential Location

As shown in Table 2, of the employees surveyed who have already located at 5600 Fishers Lane, approximately 2 percent were planning to move their residence to be closer to 5600 Fishers Lane.

Table 2. Planning Residential Change in Location: Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane Answer Options Response % Response Yes 2.2% 11 No 97.8% 480 Total Number 491

c. Existing Travel Mode of Employees

Most of the 475 employees who responded and currently work at 5600 Fishers Lane drive alone to work (75.8%). Table 3 shows the mode of transportation used by these employees to get to work. As can be seen, approximately 25 percent use other modes of transportation, including carpools, Metrorail, and bus.

Table 3. Existing Travel Modes of Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane Answer Options Response % Response No of Vehicles Drive alone 75.8% 360 360 Carpool 4.0% 19 10 Registered Vanpool 0.4% 2 1 Dropped off 0.4% 2 0 Bus 1.0% 5 0 Metro Rail 13.7% 65 0 Commuter Rail (MARC/VRE) 2.1% 10 0 Walk 1.0% 5 0 Bike 0.8% 4 0 Commuter Bus 0.6% 3 0 Total Number 475 371 Note: Assumed 2 persons in a carpool and 3 persons in a vanpool

d. Current Work Schedule

Employees were asked about their work schedules. Table 4 shows the work schedules of the employees that responded. Of the 430 employees who answered, 57 percent indicated that they typically work normal work schedules of 5 days and 40 hours per week. Figures 2 and 3 show the start and finish time of the employees, respectively.

As can be seen from Figure 2, a majority of the employees begin work between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m. A significant number of employees, approximately 15 percent, begin work at 6 a.m., and approximately 12 percent begin work 9 a.m. or later.

2 SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 4. Existing Work Schedule of Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane

Answer Options Response % Response

Typically work consistent hours (5 days/40 hours per week) 57.0% 245

Irregular schedule – late hours or odd shifts (40 hours per 4.0% 17 week) Alternate work schedule – 9 days/80 hours (you have a day off 28.4% 122 every other week) Alternate work schedule – 8 days/80 hours (you have a day off 9.0% 39 every week)

Part time 1.6% 7

Total Number 430

Figure 2. Begin Work Schedule of Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane 45.0%

40.0%

35.0%

30.0%

25.0% Tuesday 20.0% Wednesday 15.0% Thursday Percent of Percent of Employees 10.0%

5.0%

0.0% 5:00 AM 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 9:00 AM Begin Work Hour

Similarly, Figure 3 indicates that the finish time of a majority of employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane ranges between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m., with approximately 15 percent leaving work before 4 p.m. and approximately 15% leaving after 6 p.m. Based on the traffic counts, the heaviest volumes on the adjacent streets are from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., indicating that most employees will be leaving during this peak period. Overall, approximately 70 percent of the employees who work at 5600 Fishers Lane leave work between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - 3 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Figure 3. Finish Work Schedule of Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane 40.0%

35.0%

30.0%

25.0%

20.0% Tuesday Wednesday 15.0% Thursday Percent of Percent of Employees 10.0%

5.0%

0.0% 2:00 PM 3:00 PM 4:00 PM 5:00 PM 6:00 PM 7:00 PM 8:00 PM 9:00 PM End Work hour

e. Telecommuting

As shown in Table 5, of the 491 employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane who responded, approximately 49 percent of the employees telecommute. Of those who telecommute approximately 49 percent telecommute one day a week and approximately 26 percent telecommute two days a week. If these telecommuters are spread out evenly over a 5-day work week, 13 percent would telecommute on an average day. However, it was assumed that approximately half of the 14 percent of the telecommuters may have to come to work on days when they are scheduled to be telecommuting. Therefore, under a worst-case scenario assumption, only 6 percent would telecommute on any given day.

Table 5. Telecommuting – Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane Answer Options Response % Response 0.5 15.9% 38 1 48.5% 116 2 25.9% 62 3 6.3% 15 4 3.3% 8 5 0.0% 0 Total Number 239

4 SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN f. Existing Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO)

The AVO is defined as the average number of people in a vehicle. Telecommuters were included in the AVO calculation at a rate of 6 percent (29 employees) per day. Therefore, for the purposes of this report AVO was calculated as follows:

Average vehicle occupancy = No. of employees/No. of vehicles to the site AVO = (475+29) /371 AVO = 1.36

Thus, the employees who work at 5600 Fishers Lane have an AVO of 1.36.

2.2 Characteristics of Employees Moving to 5600 Fishers Lane

Approximately 1,592 HHS employees who are slated to move to 5600 Fishers Lane were asked to participate in the employee survey. Of the 1,592 employees, 806 completed the survey. Some of the highlights from this survey are outlined below. The entire survey results are provided in Appendix A.

a. Existing Location of Residences

Table 6 summarizes the existing location of the residences for HHS employees that will be relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane. Based on the zip codes of the employees’ home residences, a majority of the employees who will be relocating to 5600 Fishers Lane live in Montgomery County.

Table 6. Residential Location of Employees to be Relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane

Residential Location Number of Employees Percentage

Montgomery County 454 58% Frederick County 63 8% Prince George's County 70 9% Howard County 25 3% Other Maryland 38 5% Washington D.C. 53 7% Virginia 64 8% West Virginia 12 1% Other 9 1% Total 788 100%

SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - 5 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN b. Change in Residential Location

As shown in Table 7, of the employees surveyed who will be relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane, approximately 2 percent were planning to move their residence to be closer to 5600 Fishers Lane.

Table 7. Planning Residential Change in Location: Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane Answer Options Response % Response Yes 2.0% 16 No 98.0% 790 Total Number 806

c. Existing Travel Mode of Employees

Table 8 shows that of the 789 employees who are to be relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane and also responded to question 5 of the employee survey, approximately 83 percent drive alone to work. Approximately 3 percent participate in either carpools or vanpools, and approximately 9 percent use either Metrorail or bus.

The employees who are working at 5600 Fishers Lane are participating more in carpools/vanpools (approximately 4.5 percent) as compared to the existing travel patterns of those who are slated to relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane (3 percent). Furthermore, employees who are working at 5600 Fishers Lane are using Metrorail more (13.7 percent) and bus less (1.0 percent) than those employees who are slated to relocate (7.0 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively). These results are consistent with expectations. The employees who are working at 5600 Fishers Lane have better access to Metrorail, as the closest station is 2300 feet away from 5600 Fishers Lane.

6 SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 8. Existing Travel Modes of Employees to be Relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane

Answer Options Response % Response No of Vehicles

Drive alone 83.4% 658 658

Carpool 2.9% 23 12

Registered Vanpool 0.1% 1 1 Dropped off 0.8% 6 0 Bus 2.2% 17 0 Metro Rail 7.0% 55 0 Commuter Rail (MARC/VRE) 2.5% 20 0 Walk 0.1% 1 0 Bike 0.4% 3 0 Commuter Bus 0.6% 5 0 Total Number 789 671 Note: Assumed 2 persons in a carpool and 3 persons in a vanpool

d. Current Work Schedule

Employees were asked about their existing work schedules. Table 9 shows that of the 730 employees who answered the survey, approximately 66 percent indicated that they typically work consistent hours.

Table 9. Existing Work Schedule of Employees to be Relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane

Answer Options Response % Response

Typically work consistent hours (5 days/40 hours per week) 65.8% 480 Irregular schedule – late hours or odd shifts (40 hours per 7.1% 52 week) Alternate work schedule – 9 days 80 hours (you have a day off 17.4% 127 every other week) Alternate work schedule – 8 days 80 hours (you have a day off 7.3% 53 every week) Part time 2.4% 18 Total Number 730

Figures 4 and 5 show a comparison of the start and end times of the employees who work at the 5600 Fishers Lane versus those that are to be relocated. Of the employees who are to be relocated over 65 percent start between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. with over 20 percent starting after 9:00 a.m.

SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - 7 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Figure 4. Begin Work Schedule of Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane versus Employees to be Relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane 45.0% 40.0% 35.0% 30.0% 25.0% Wednesday (Non-relocating) 20.0% Wednesday (Relocating) 15.0% 10.0% 5.0% 0.0% 5:00 AM 6:00 AM 7:00 AM 8:00 AM 9:00 AM 10:00 AM

Figure 5. End Work Schedule of Employees Working at 5600 Fishers Lane versus Employees to be Relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane

40.0%

35.0%

30.0%

25.0%

20.0% Wednesday (Non-relocating) 15.0% Wednesday (Relocating) 10.0%

5.0%

0.0% 2:00 3:00 4:00 5:00 6:00 7:00 8:00 9:00 PM PM PM PM PM PM PM PM

Comparing the results from the employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane and the employees slated to relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane indicates that more employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane start work between the hours of 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. For example, approximately 42 percent of the employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane begin work at 8 a.m., versus approximately 39 percent of the employees who are slated to relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane.

Overall, it appears employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane begin work earlier than employees who have not yet relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane. Similarly it also appears that employees

8 SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN working at 5600 Fishers Lane are leaving work earlier than those who have not yet relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane.

e. Telecommuting

Table 10 shows that of the 806 employees who are slated to relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane and completed question 20 of the employee survey, approximately 50 percent telecommute. Of those who telecommute, approximately 55 percent telecommute one day a week and approximately 27 percent telecommute two days a week. Assuming this is spread evenly over a 5 day work week, approximately 12 percent would telecommute on any given day. However, it was assumed that approximately half of the 12 percent of telecommuters may have to come to work on days when they are scheduled to be telecommuting. Therefore, under a worst-case scenario assumption, only 6 percent would telecommute on any given day.

Table 10. Existing Telecommuters – Employees to be Relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane Answer Options Response % Response 0.5 13.7% 55 1 54.9% 219 2 26.8% 107 3 1.8% 7 4 1.8% 7 5 1.0% 4 Total Number 399

f. Existing Average Vehicle Occupancy

The AVO is defined as the average number of people in a vehicle. Telecommuters were included in the AVO calculation and again it has been assumed that on any given day 7 percent of the people (47 employees) telecommute. Thus, for the purposes of this report, AVO was calculated as follows:

Average vehicle occupancy = Number of employees/Number of vehicles to the site

AVO = (789+47) /671 AVO = 1.25 Therefore, the employees who are slated to relocate to 5600 Fishers Lane have an AVO of 1.25.

SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - 9 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

This page left intentionally blank.

10 SECTION 2 │ EMPLOYEE SURVEY - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 3. Goals and Objectives of the TMP

Discussions with GSA and HHS, information from the transportation study, the employee survey, and research of the policies in the area of the site were used to determine the goals and objectives of the TMP.

This TMP outlines the following goals for HHS at 5600 Fishers Lane:

• Identify Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies that will allow the employee- parking ratio to realistically approach the goal of 1 parking space for every 2.0 employees at build-out.

• Identify methods that will increase employees’ awareness of the different options available to them for their commute and encourage them to try new travel options. These methods include the development of a website, employee meetings, and bulletin boards.

• Minimize the impact of the HHS Consolidation on the surrounding roadway network and local communities.

• Identify methods to decrease the number of single-occupancy vehicles traveling to 5600 Fishers Lane each day.

Based on these goals, the objectives of this document are to establish the outcomes of the strategies outlined in the report and to outline the criteria by which the effectiveness of the programs can be judged. In developing the objectives, employees existing residential locations are serving as the basis for the TMP. However, over time it can be expected that some employees will relocate closer to the site and be more accessible to other modes of transportation.

In determining whether the goal of 1 parking space for every 2 employees was realistic at full build-out, several factors were considered:

• Employee Survey – Of the employees who responded and will be relocating to 5600 Fishers Lane, 83 percent indicated that they drive alone to the work site and 3.0 percent carpool/vanpool. Of the employees who responded and already work at 5600 Fishers Lane, 75 percent indicated that they drive alone to the work site and 4.4 percent carpool/vanpool. Based on these values, it appears that 5600 Fishers Lane is more conducive to alternative modes of transportation than the locations employees are being relocated from. • Transit Availability – 5600 Fishers Lane is more transit friendly than the current work locations of some of the employees who will be relocating. The is approximately 2,300 feet from 5600 Fishers Lane and there is a bus which shuttles employees between the station and 5600 Fishers Lane during the morning and evening peak hours which is operated by RideOn. Currently the shuttle bus has 30 minute headways which could be expanded when demand increases.

SECTION 3 │ GOALS AND OBJECTIVES - 11 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN • Residential Locations – Based on the Zip codes of the employees to be relocated, almost 60 percent live in Montgomery County. • Park & Ride Lots – There are park and ride lots across Montgomery County which provide employees who are clustered the opportunity to carpool. These also provide opportunities for the addition of an express bus which would directly service the site. • Parking Availability – The amount of parking availability for HHS employees will decrease with the consolidation. This will increase the need for employees to find alternative modes of transportation.

Based on the factors above, a goal of 1 parking space for every 2 employees appears to be realistic with the addition of transportation demand strategies which encourage alternative modes of transportation.

Based on these goals, the TMP has the following objectives:

• Increase the existing Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) of 1.29 to 1.38 by the end of 2016 and to 1.5 by the end of 2017.

• Increase the percent of transit usage to 19 percent by the end of 2016 and to 25 percent by the end of 2016. It should be noted that the percent of transit use as of the time of the employee survey in November 2013 was 14 percent. This increase in transit users would equate to approximately 225 additional transit users by the end of 2015 and an additional 270 transit users in 2017.

• Increase the existing percentage of employees using carpools from 3.3 percent to 6.5 percent by the end of 2016 and to 10 percent by the end of 2017. The respective increases would equate to approximately 145 additional carpoolers by the end of 2016 and an additional 160 carpoolers in 2017.

• Increase employee participation in vanpools from approximately 0.2 percent to 0.8 percent by the end of 2016 and 1.5 percent by the end of 2017. The respective increases would equate to approximately 25 additional vanpoolers by the end of 2016 and an additional 30 vanpoolers by the end of 2017.

• Reduce the number of employees who drive alone from 81 percent to 72 percent by the end of 2016 and to 61 percent by the end of 2017. The respective decreases would equate to approximately 400 fewer single occupancy vehicles by the end of 2016 and an additional 495 fewer single occupancy vehicles in 2017.

12 SECTION 3 │ GOALS AND OBJECTIVES - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

4. Measurement

The following will be used to measure the effectiveness of the TDM strategies identified:

• Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) • Mode Split • Vehicle Trip Reduction (VT)

Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO)

The AVO represents the ratio of employees to vehicles. The AVO ratio is calculated as follows:

AVO = No. of employees reporting to the worksite / No. of vehicles at worksite

As indicated in the formula above, the AVO is increased by decreasing the number of vehicles traveling to the work site. Some of the vehicles, such as vanpools with seating for nine or more, buses, and bicycles, counted as zero vehicles (i.e. are not used to calculate the AVO). Employees who work on compressed schedules also counted as zero vehicles on the days that they do not report to the worksite. Telecommuters are included in the AVO calculation as employees reporting to 5600 Fishers Lane but with zero vehicles.

Vehicles left at park and ride lots or transit terminals two or more miles away from the work site also count as zero. Carpool vehicles are counted as a fraction of a vehicle depending on the number of carpoolers per vehicle.

The existing AVO for HHS employees is approximately 1.29, as presented previously.

Mode Split

Mode split is the percentage of people using each mode of travel (e.g. bus, carpool, bicycle). This data was collected through the employee survey.

Vehicle Trip (VT) Reduction

Vehicle Trips (VT) measure the number of trips into/out of the site and can be measured as a daily total or peak hour total. As the TMP strategies are implemented, assessment of the vehicle trips entering and exiting 5600 Fishers Lane can help determine the impact of the strategies. Furthermore, this method can be fairly quick, non-intrusive, and cost effective. Tubes can be laid at the entrance points to determine how many vehicles are entering and exiting the site and this can be repeated on a regular basis. By knowing the number of employees on site, and the number of vehicles entering and exiting, the average vehicle occupancies can be determined. However, because 5600 Fishers Lane is not fully occupied and construction is ongoing, VT could not be used as an evaluation method for this study.

SECTION 4 │ MEASUREMENT - 13 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

This page left intentionally blank.

14 SECTION 4 │ MEASUREMENT - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 5. EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM

In addition to developing criteria to evaluate the effectiveness of the existing TMP strategies, this TMP also provides an assessment of the current conditions of the transportation system. This section describes the existing site characteristics at 5600 Fishers Lane, as well as the roadways and public transportation serving the site. An in-depth analysis of the existing transportation system was conducted in the transportation section of the 2014 Supplemental Environmental Assessment (SEA). 5.1 Site Characteristics The area surrounding the 5600 Fisher’s Lane site is extensively developed with multi-story commercial, retail, and office buildings and parking structures. New construction is underway to the north across Fishers Lane. The Parklawn Cemetery is located to the northeast and wooded areas associated with Rock Creek Regional Park and Rock Creek extend from the north/northeast to the southeast. The 5600 Fishers Lane site is located between Fishers Lane and Parklawn Drive, just east of Twinbrook Parkway. Access to 5600 Fishers Lane will be available from both Fishers Lane and Parklawn Drive. The main roadways in the vicinity of the site are: a. Roadways Previous studies have been performed to identify the roadway improvements recommended to accommodate the projected traffic at an acceptable level of service. The existing roadway network is shown in Figure 6 and the key roadways are discussed below.

 Veirs Mill Road (MD 586). This is a four-lane divided roadway with a posted speed limit of 40 mph. It runs in an east-west direction. MD 586 carries approximately 46,050 VPD east of Twinbrook Parkway. Its intersections with Twinbrook Parkway and Atlantic Avenue are signalized.  Rockville Pike (MD 355). This is a six-lane divided roadway which runs in a north-south direction and has a posted speed limit of 40 mph. MD 355 carries approximately 52,000 VPD north of Twinbrook Parkway. Its intersections with Randolph Road, Hubbard Drive, Bou Avenue, Twinbrook Parkway, and Halpine Road are signalized.  Twinbrook Parkway. This is a four-lane roadway that widens to a six-lane roadway between Ardennes Avenue and Parklawn Drive with a posted speed limit of 30 mph. Twinbrook Parkway runs in a north-south direction with signalized intersections at Veirs Mill Road, Ardennes Avenue, Fishers Lane, Parklawn Drive, Chapman Avenue, and Rockville Pike. Twinbrook Parkway carries approximately 15,800 VPD east of MD 355.  Parklawn Drive. This is a four-lane roadway with a posted speed limit of 30 mph. Parklawn Drive generally runs in an east-west direction in the vicinity of Twinbrook Parkway. Its intersections with Twinbrook Parkway, Wilkens Avenue, Braxfield Court, and Randolph Road are signalized, and includes a signalized p  edestrian crossing near 5600 Fishers Lane.

SECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM - 15 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Figure 6. Existing Roadway Network

16 S ECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN b. Analysis of Traffic Conditions Existing traffic conditions were evaluated at study intersections near 5600 Fishers Lane and they are presented in Table 11. It should be noted that existing traffic conditions, as of October 2013, took into consideration the 2,800 HHS employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane. Analysis was performed using the Critical Lane Analysis Technique as directed by the Montgomery County guidelines. The Critical Lane Analysis outputs a Level of Service (LOS), as described in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) as a “qualitative measure describing operational conditions within a traffic stream, and their perception by motorist and/or passengers.” In Montgomery County the CLV is considered “Acceptable” or “Unacceptable” based on the Critical Lane Volume (CLV) threshold for the appropriate Policy Area where the intersection is located (see Table 12 for site specific thresholds). It should be noted that while Montgomery County accepts a CLV of 1,800 for the intersections of Twinbrook Parkway at Fishers Lane and Twinbrook Parkway at Parklawn Drive, standard industry practices utilize a CLV of 1,600 as acceptable. Therefore, the intersections can be over capacity while still meeting Montgomery County threshold requirements. The Critical Lane Analysis technique determines the overall operational LOS for an entire signalized intersection. The analysis examines the combination of vehicular streams with conflicting movements during a peak period. The maximum number of conflicts is termed the CLV. Proposed developments in Montgomery County have to comply with traffic analysis and mitigation measures as stipulated in Local Area Transportation Review and Transportation Policy Area Review Guidelines (LATR & TPAR) (M-NCPPC, 2013) With approximately 2,800 employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane, many of the intersections are operating at or below capacity conditions in either or both the AM and PM peak hours.

Table 11. Existing Levels of Service (2013)

Intersection (CLV Threshold) AM (CLV) PM (CLV)

Twinbrook Parkway/Veirs Mill Road (1,550) Acceptable (1,342) Acceptable (1,489)

Twinbrook Parkway/Fishers Lane (1,800) Acceptable (675) Acceptable (896)

Twinbrook Parkway/Parklawn Drive (1,800) Acceptable (808) Acceptable (1,228)

Twinbrook Parkway/Rockville Pike (1,500) Acceptable (976) Acceptable (1,419)

c. Future Roadway Projects

Several roadway projects are in the planning stage, which will impact access to the site. These roadway projects listed below are programmed for construction but will not be completed until after the relocation of all employees.

SECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM - 17 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

 Montrose Parkway East. Part of the Montgomery County Capital Improvement Program, Montrose Parkway East consists of a new four-lane divided parkway as recommended in the North Bethesda/Garrett Park and Aspen Hill Master Plans. The roadway will be a closed section with 11-foot wide lanes, a 10-foot wide bike path on the north side, and 5-foot wide sidewalk on the south side. The roadway limits are between the eastern limit of the MD 355/Montrose interchange and the intersection of Veirs Mill Road and Parkland Drive. The project includes a grade-separated interchange at Parklawn Drive and a tie-in to Veirs Mill Road. Construction is expected to start in FY 2018 and will be completed in FY 2021. This project will relieve traffic congestion on roadways in the area through increased network capacity. However, for the purposes of this study, the traffic volumes at the study intersections will not be affected as the construction will not be completed prior to the consolidation of the HHS employees.  White Flint East and West. Also a part of the Montgomery County Capital Improvement Program, White Flint East and West consists of new and extended roadways in the White Flint District area. Various improvements to the roads will include new traffic lanes, shared- use paths, undergrounding of overhead utility lines where required, other utility relocations, and streetscaping. These projects are not projected to begin construction until after FY 2018 and the traffic volumes at the study intersections will not be affected, as the construction will not be completed prior to the consolidation of the HHS employees.

5.2 Public Transportation

The existing public transportation facilities and routes, including Metrorail, commuter rail, buses, and bicycle are shown in Figures 7 through 10. The following describes the transit routes and schedules which serve 5600 Fishers Lane.

a. Metrorail System

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) Metrorail system connects downtown Washington, DC to the adjoining areas in Maryland and Virginia (Figure 7). The Metrorail operates six lines including the Red Line, which has a station within half a mile of 5600 Fishers Lane. Trains operate at six minute intervals during the peak hours and 12-20 minute intervals during the non-peak hours and on weekends. The Metro Red Line operates west of the site, from the Glenmont Station to the , in Montgomery County. The Twinbrook Station is the closest station on the red line to 5600 Fishers Lane. It is located approximately 2,300 feet from 5600 Fishers Lane off of Parklawn Drive.

b. MARC Rail System

The Maryland Area Regional Commuter (MARC) Rail System is a commuter rail system that connects Washington, D.C. to the surrounding counties in Maryland and West Virginia (see Figure

18 S ECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 8). There are three lines operated by MARC and all of the lines connect at Union Station (which also connects to the Metrorail system).

The MARC Brunswick Line operates between Brunswick, Maryland and Union Station in Washington, D.C. This line also includes extensions to Frederick, Maryland and Martinsburg, West Virginia. This line connects with the Metrorail system at Rockville, Silver Spring, and Union Station along the Red Line. The Brunswick Line operates in the eastbound direction in the morning peak hour beginning at 4:50 a.m. and in the westbound direction in the evening peak hour beginning at 1:30 p.m.

The MARC Camden Line operates between Camden Yards in Downtown Baltimore, Maryland and Union Station in Washington, D.C. This line connects with the Metrorail system at Union Station on the Red Line and Greenbelt and College Park on the Green Line. The Camden Line operates northbound beginning at 6:32 a.m. in the morning peak hour and at 4:13 p.m. in the evening peak hour. It operates southbound beginning at 5:00 a.m. in the morning peak hour and at 3:30 p.m. in the evening peak hour.

The MARC Penn Line operates primarily between Baltimore’s Penn Station and Union Station in Washington, D.C. with four additional stops up to Perryville in Harford, Maryland operating on limited service. It connects to the Metrorail system at New Carrollton along the Orange Line and Union Station along the Red Line. Service along the Penn Line begins southbound at 4:30 a.m. in the morning peak hour. In the northbound direction, service begins at 5:50 a.m. in the morning peak hour. MARC Rail Brunswick has a station at Rockville which is one station north of the Twinbrook Station along the Red Line.

Commuters have the option of purchasing various combinations of tickets/cards which allow them to use the MARC, Metrorail, and Montgomery County , MTA, and WMATA buses more cost effectively. For example, they can buy a MARC Train Link Card (TLC) which allows them to use the Metrorail on an unlimited basis for one month for $111 more than the cost of the MARC Train monthly ticket.

SECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM - 19 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Figure 7. Rail System Map

20 S ECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Figure 8. MARC System Map

SECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM - 21 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

b. Buses Several bus routes operated by Metrobus and Montgomery County Ride-On service 5600 Fishers Lane (see Figure 9 and Table 12). The Montgomery County Ride-On Route 93 bus is a shuttle, which operates between the Twinbrook Metrorail Station and 5600 Fishers Lane every 30 minutes (This route has been temporarily shifted during construction). Additional bus routes provide service to/from Prince George’s Plaza Metrorail Station, Silver Spring Metrorail Station, Hillandale Shopping Center, Montgomery Mall Transit Center, Glenmont Shopping Center, Rockville Metrorail Station, Rockville Regional Transit Center, Medical Center Metrorail Station, and Shady Grove Metrorail Station. There are bus stops located on both Parklawn Drive and Fishers Lane adjacent to 5600 Fishers Lane. c. Park and Ride Lots An inventory of the existing park and ride lots was provided by Montgomery County and is summarized below. On average, there are approximately 17,600 spaces provided at these facilities. Figure 10 presents the locations of the park and ride lots in Montgomery County. This type of parking availability is very beneficial for carpooling as it will allow small clusters of people to park and share rides. d. Bicycle/Pedestrian Facilities There are sidewalk and pedestrian crossings along the walking route from the Twinbrook Metrorail Station to 5600 Fishers Lane. Also, there are sidewalks along Twinbrook Parkway, Fishers Lane, and Parklawn Drive, which connect to the surrounding residential and commercial areas. The sidewalks vary in width throughout the study area, but provide good connectivity. The marked crosswalks at each of the signalized intersections include accessible pedestrian signals and push buttons. However, only the intersection of Twinbrook Parkway at Rockville Pike (MD 355) has countdown pedestrian signal heads. Additionally, there are some pedestrian ramps that would need to be rebuilt to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. A signalized pedestrian crossing across Parklawn Drive connects the surface parking lot with 5600 Fishers Lane between Wilkens Avenue and Twinbrook Parkway. There are no dedicated bicycle facilities that connect to the site. Field observations noted bicycles use the sidewalks to travel throughout the study area.

As part of the Twinbrook Sector Plan, there are several proposed improvements to the bicycle and pedestrian facilities in the vicinity of 5600 Fishers Lane. Included among those improvements are: a shared use path and bicycle link to Veirs Mill Road, bike routes along Twinbrook Parkway, Parklawn Drive, Montrose Parkway, Fishers Lane, and Ardennes Avenue, and Twinbrook Parkway street crossings to provide pedestrian connections to Metro. Figure 11 shows the existing bikeways in the vicinity of 5600 Fishers Lane.

22 S ECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Figure 9. Existing Bus Routes in the vicinity of 5600 Fishers Lane

SECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM - 23 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 12. Vicinity Bus Route Detail MetroBus

Weekday Peak Hour Last Stop (Closest Closest Metrorail First Stop (Closest Route No. Route Name Frequency Metrorail Station Metrorail Station) (approximate) Station)

Greenbelt- C4 Twinbrook 15 min 5:17 a.m. 12:51 a.m. Twinbrook Line

Twinbrook-Silver 6:49a.m. 9:26 a.m. J5 Twinbrook 30 min Spring Line 3:40 p.m. 6:13 p.m. Montgomery County Ride On Twinbrook 10 Twinbrook 30 min 5:34 a.m. 10:17 p.m. Hillandale

Montgomery Mall- 26 Twinbrook 20-30 min 5:24 a.m. 12:44 a.m. Glenmont

6:30 a.m. 9:03 a.m. 44 Twinbrook-Rockville Twinbrook 30 min 4:21 p.m. 6:54 p.m. Rockville Regional Transit- 45 Twinbrook 15 min 6:02 a.m. 7:52 p.m. Twinbrook/Rockville Senior Ctr Shady Grove/Montgomery 46 Twinbrook 15 min 5:15 a.m. 12:47 a.m. College-MD 355- Medical Center US-HHS-Twinbrook 6:06 a.m. 9:17 a.m. 931 Twinbrook 30 min Station 3:37 p.m. 6:48 p.m.

Silver Spring- 5 Twinbrook 15-30 min 5:35 a.m. 12:28 a.m. Twinbrook Note 1: Route No. 93 Schedule based on route while there is no ongoing construction.

24 S ECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 13. Park and Ride Lots

Lots Capacity Barnesville Rail Station 100 Boyds Rail Station 220 Dickerson Rail Station 280 Gaithersburg Rail Station 3364 Grosvenor-Strathmore 5467 Metro Station Rockville Metro Station 977 Briggs Chaney 200 Burtonsville 133 Forcey Memorial Church 167 Greencastle 214 Tech Road 416 Scaggsville 416 Germantown/Kingsview 820 Germantown MARC 670 Station Lake Forest 236 Gaithersburg 583 Metropolitan Grove Rail 306 Station Milestone Shopping 35 Center Urbana 5 Westfield Shoppingtown 314 Montgomery Forest Glen Metro Station 1319 Norbeck Road 353 Colesville Commuter Lot 475 Germantown Transit 200 Center Damascus 164 Total 17,962

SECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM - 25 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Figure 10. Park and Ride Lots

26 S ECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Figure 11. Existing Bikeways

SECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM - 27 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

This page left intentionally blank.

28 S ECTION 5 │EXISTING TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 6. PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES

People choose their modes of travel based on several factors and of these factors convenience, cost, time, and habit are the primary ones. In order to increase the AVO from the current 1.29 to approximately 1.5, HHS will make an aggressive effort to dissuade employees from driving to work alone. The limited number of parking spaces at 5600 Fishers Lane will be a primary disincentive of single occupancy vehicles and the primary incentive for employees to try other modes of travel.

Any TDM strategy must affect one or more of these factors in order for the current travel patterns to change. The following TDM measures are expected to have an effect on increasing the AVO and decreasing the single occupancy numbers: • Hiring an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) • Carpool/Vanpool Incentives - Preferred Parking - Employee Matches - Employee Leased Vehicles (Vanpooling) - Guaranteed Ride Home - Shuttle Service • Transit Incentives - Subsidies - Shuttle Service - Guaranteed Ride Home - On-site Passes - On-site Transit Stops - Coordination with Transit Agencies • Telecommuting Program • Bicycling/Walking to Work Incentives

6.1 Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC)

The most important element of implementing a TMP is to provide employees with the information they need to make a decision. This includes identification of transit services available, carpool riders, and various programs available. To perform these functions, HHS has established a position for an Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) within the Program Support Center, Building Operations Services. The ETC is responsible for administering the TMP and facilitating the implementation of strategies. The ETC’s duties include the administration of ridesharing programs; parking programs; preparation of promotional and informational materials for employees and visitors; and coordination with local and regional transportation agencies. The ETC is responsible for monitoring the various programs and measuring progress towards meeting the TMP goals. The ETC should receive training to assist them in carrying out the TDM strategies outlined in the TMP.

SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - 29 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 6.2 6.3 Carpool/Vanpool Incentives

Of the 1,267 HHS employees who responded to the survey in November 2013, approximately 3.5 percent are carpooling/vanpooling. The goal in this TMP is to have 11.5 percent of the employees carpooling/vanpooling by the end of 2017. It is anticipated that as employees consolidate there will be more opportunities for carpool/vanpool matches.

The primary incentives to reduce single ridership for employees and encourage employees to seek alternative modes of transportation include: financial savings from lowering fuel costs and transit subsidies; reduced stress from avoiding driving in traffic; and enhanced health from walking or cycling to work.

In order to meet the goal of reducing single-occupancy vehicles at 5600 Fishers Lane, the percentage of employees participating in carpools/vanpools will need to be increased from approximately 3.5 percent of the employees participating to approximately 11.5 percent (10 percent in carpools and 1.5 percent in vanpools) participating. With the proposed influx of an additional 1,600 employees, the number of people participating in carpools/vanpools is expected to rise as there will be more potential carpool/vanpool matches. Furthermore, with the assignment of preferred parking spaces for carpoolers/vanpoolers, employees are expected to be more inclined to use this mode of travel in the future.

It is likely that many of the employees who are participating in the carpool/vanpools will continue to rideshare. As stated in the Federal Transportation Management Program Handbook, conditions “that encourage ridesharing are: having no available car, a long commute, tight parking supply, availability of nearby HOV lanes, limited transit service, high concentration of employees in the general work area, and/or residential concentration of employees.” Many of these conditions exist for the HHS employees. There will be a restricted parking supply, there are nearby HOV lanes, most will have longer commutes, and there will be a large pool of employees who will live and work in the same area.

Zip code data collected from HHS (representing 2,834 employees in AHRQ, HRSA, IHS, and SAMHSA), indicates that a large concentration of employees live within specific zip codes. Approximately 54 percent of the HHS employees live in zip codes with 20 or more employees. Furthermore, approximately 19 percent of these employees live in zip codes where 50 or more HHS employees reside. The zip codes with the highest concentration of employees are shown in Table 14. Given the concentration of employees in certain zip codes, it is expected that the carpool/vanpool participation should increase with the help of a strong marketing program.

30 SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 14. Zip Codes with largest number of employees

Zip codes Total No. of employees

20850 112 20874 108 20852 105 20878 101 20853 65 20886 58 20906 57 20877 56 20910 49 20832 46 20854 46 20879 44 20904 41 20876 40 20707 40 20851 39 20902 38 20814 36 20871 35 20009 31 21702 30 Total 1,177 ___ - >15 miles away/Vanpool eligible

To encourage/facilitate carpooling/vanpooling, several strategies are outlined in this TMP. These strategies are discussed below:

a. Preferred Parking

As part of the site plan, carpool and vanpool parking spaces will be reserved at locations, which provide more convenient access to the buildings than will be provided for single occupant vehicle spaces. Furthermore, parking spots will be guaranteed for vehicles used for carpooling/vanpooling. Overall, approximately 225 carpool and 6 vanpool spots would need to be reserved to meet this goal of the TMP. Due to the phasing of this project, the number of spaces reserved for the preferred carpool/vanpool parking will vary over time and with each phase. It will be consistent with the number of carpools/vanpools that are at the 5600 Fishers Lane site. In keeping with the goals and objectives outlined previously, the number of reserved spaces for each phase and year has been estimated and is provided in Section 7 of this TMP.

SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - 31 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN The ETC is responsible for coordinating this program, and ensuring that sufficient parking spaces are set aside for the carpools/vanpools. Furthermore, the ETC is also responsible for having a program to monitor these spaces to ensure that they are being used by registered vehicles used for carpools/vanpools.

b. Facilitating Employee Matching

A central list of all the employees interested in carpooling and vanpooling will be created. The ETC will match people according to their residential proximity and work schedule.

The ETC will also facilitate the employees meeting each other by organizing the first meeting. This is especially important for 5600 Fishers Lane, because there will be a large number of employees that are matched, who may not know each other. The ETC will also follow up with HHS employees to determine if the employees are a good fit and/or if new arrangements need to be made.

This will be an iterative process as each batch of employees moving to 5600 Fishers Lane will need to be matched with potential carpoolers/vanpoolers. Employees interested in this program should be matched prior to their relocation so that they are participating in this program from the start.

c. Employee Leased Vehicles (Vanpooling)

The ETC will encourage employees to participate in vanpooling. A group of employees can lease a van on a month-to-month basis from a vanpool leasing company. No long-term commitment is required as it operates on a month-to-month basis. The vanpool leasing company usually covers the insurance and regular upkeep of the van. One member of the vanpool usually volunteers to drive and collect the rider’s fare. The driver gets personal use of the van and in many groups doesn’t have to pay the monthly fee. Furthermore, as stated on the Federal Transit Administration website and verified by the ETC, registered vanpools are eligible for transhare subsidy.

Commuting costs of employees would be reduced and their personal time would be increased. The employees would have time to read, sleep, and/or socialize during the commute. As mentioned previously, the ETC will play a very important role in introducing employees living in the same residential area to each other.

d. Guaranteed Ride-Home Service

This service allows employees who either use transit, or are non-driving members of a carpool/vanpool, to be able to go home in case of an emergency. The ETC will join the MWCOG Commuter Connections program. This is a regional program which applies to all employees who commute by any mode other than a single occupancy vehicle. Registration and use of this program is free (with some exceptions). This program guarantees a ride home if an emergency

32 SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN arises or an employee has to work overtime. The ETC will provide information sessions for all the employees who are participating in carpools, vanpools, or taking transit to sign up for this program and use it, as needed. When the ETC holds carpool/vanpool group information sessions the ETC will provide this information so that potential carpoolers and vanpoolers know that they have an option to get home in an emergency. The ETC will also make it easy for employees to sign up for the guaranteed ride home service by providing registration forms and instructions on filling them out.

Another option is car sharing services such as Zipcars®. Zipcars® are a means of providing vehicles to employees who do not drive to work but may need to have a vehicle in case of an emergency or if they need to run errands during their lunch hours. Zipcars® must be picked up at a specified parked location, and returned to that same location at the end of the rental period. If there is demand for these vehicles, the ETC will work to have several vehicles located on site.

6.4 Transit Incentives

A major focus of this TMP is to increase the number of employees using transit to get to work. It is anticipated that in order to meet the objective of an AVO of 1.5, the percent transit use needs to be increased to 25 percent. Therefore, several strategies are outlined in the TMP to encourage/facilitate employees using transit. Below is a listing of these strategies.

a. Transit Subsidy

Transit subsidies will continue to be paid to eligible employees as allowed by the Federal Government under applicable law to cover employee-commuting costs to 5600 Fishers Lane. Based on the survey, approximately 15 percent of HHS employees receive transit subsidies

It is anticipated that this incentive, combined with preferred parking and longer travel distances, will encourage increased demands for transit service.

b. Shuttle Service A shuttle from Twinbrook Metrorail station should be evaluated to provide service to/from 5600 Fishers Lane during non-peak hours. A shuttle service is currently provided by the Montgomery County’s Ride On Route 93 bus which operates between the Twinbrook Metrorail station and 5600 Fishers Lane during the peak hours (6:06 a.m. - 9:17 a.m. and 3:37 p.m. – 6:48 p.m.). However, there is no service during the midday. The shuttle service is proposed to supplement the peak hour service of Ride On Route 93 and accommodate employees needing access to the Twinbrook Metrorail Station during the non-peak hours. Table 15 shows the current schedule for the Ride On Route 93 bus.

SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - 33 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN The ETC will facilitate the development of a transit stop on-site which will achieve optimum convenience for shuttle and transit passengers and minimize the time that public transit vehicles divert onto the site.

The survey results indicate that the current shuttle bus users would like to see the following improvements:

• Increase the frequency of service • Increase the hours of operations of the Shuttle • Increased capacity of the shuttle • More reliable schedule

Table 15. Shuttle Service (HHS-Twinbrook)

Twinbrook Metro Station Twinbrook Meto Station Fishers-Parklawn (HHS) (East) (West) 6:06 a.m. 6:12 a.m. 6:17 a.m.

6:36 a.m. 6:42 a.m. 6:47 a.m.

7:06 a.m. 7:12 a.m. 7:17 a.m.

7:36 a.m. 7:42 a.m. 7:47 a.m.

8:06 a.m. 8:12 a.m. 8:17 a.m.

8:36 a.m. 8:42 a.m. 8:47 a.m.

9:06 a.m. 9:12 a.m. 9:17 a.m.

3:37 p.m. 3:43 p.m. 3:48 p.m.

4:07 p.m. 4: 13 p.m. 4:18 p.m.

4:37 p.m. 4:43 p.m. 4:48 p.m.

5:07 p.m. 5:13 p.m. 5:18 p.m.

5:37 p.m. 5:43 p.m. 5:48 p.m.

6:07 p.m. 6:13 p.m. 6:18 p.m.

6:37 p.m. 6:43 p.m. 6:48 p.m.

c. Guaranteed Ride-Home Service

This service allows employees who either use transit, or are non-driving members of a carpool/vanpool, to be able to go home in case of an emergency. The ETC will join the MWCOG Commuter Connections program. This is a regional program which applies to all employees who commute by any mode other than a single occupancy vehicle. Registration and use of this program is free (with some exceptions). This program guarantees a ride home if an emergency

34 SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN arises or an employee has to work overtime. The ETC will provide information sessions for all the employees who are participating in carpools, vanpools, or taking transit to sign up for this program and use it, as needed. The ETC will also make it easy for employees to sign up for the guaranteed ride home service by providing registration forms and instructions on filling them out.

d. Other Incentive Programs

The Maryland Mortgage Program “House Keys for Employees” sponsored by the Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development is a program which may entice employees to purchase a home closer to 5600 Fishers Lane or a form of public transportation. Employees who relocate closer to the site or to transit options may be more willing to take alternative forms of transportation as opposed to driving to the site alone. This would contribute towards the goal of an AVO of 1.5.

e. Coordination with Other Transit Agencies

The results of the employee survey indicated that improvements to the transit options are necessary to encourage additional transit usage. The ETC will contact the local transit agencies to coordinate service improvements and potential new services.

g. Express Bus Service

The results of the survey and the geographical location of most of the existing and yet to be relocated employees indicate that express buses from several areas in Montgomery County to 5600 Fishers Lane may be feasible. Montgomery County Transit and WMATA should be contacted to discuss alternative express bus services. The clustering of the HHS employees and the demand for increased shuttle bus service from the Rockville area to 5600 Fishers Lane indicates that there would be demand for an express bus. Furthermore, over 40 percent of the employees who completed the survey stated that they would take an express bus service from a park and ride lot near their home to 5600 Fishers Lane.

As shown previously, there are a number of park and ride lots in Montgomery County. There are seven park and ride lots along the I-270 corridor. Table 16 presents the driving time from several zip codes to the closest park and ride lots.

SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - 35 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 16. Potential Express Bus Service Locations

No. of Distance from Zip Code Zip Code Employees in Closest Park-n-Ride Lot to Park n-Ride Lot Zip Code (minutes) Gaithersburg (MD 124 & I- 20878 101 270) 5.5 Gaithersburg (MD 124 & I- 20850 112 270) 6.5 Germantown/Kingsview P & 20874 108 R 2.5 20852 105 Rockville Metro Station 0.5 20854 46 Westfield Shoppingtown 6 20832 46 Norbeck Road 3.5 20853 65 Norbeck Road 2 20814 36 Westfield Shoppingtown 3.5 20817 30 Westfield Shoppingtown 2.5 20886 58 Lake Forest 5 20879 44 Lake Forest 2.5 21702 30 Urbana 22 21703 29 Urbana 15 21704 14 Urbana 6

Thus, express bus service can be potentially offered from the Gaithersburg (MD 124 & I-270), Germantown/Kingsview, Westfield Shoppingtown, Norbeck Road, Lake Forest, and Urbana park and ride lots. These lots are within 5 to 6 miles of most of the zip codes with a high concentration of HHS employees.

6.5 Telecommuting Program

HHS employees have a high level of participation in telecommuting. In fact, it appears that approximately 50 percent of employees telecommute at least once per week. Table 17 presents the current telecommuting patterns.

36 SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 17. Telecommuting Patterns

Employees Who will Move to 5600 Employees at 5600 Fishers Lane Telecommuting Days Fishers Lane % of Employees % of Employees Monday 13.4% 13.7% Tuesday 11.0% 10.9% Wednesday 15.1% 12.6% Thursday 10.8% 11.9% Friday 20.2% 22.4%

In an attempt to increase the number of telecommuters, the ETC will encourage each organization to investigate if there are any positions that can be successfully performed from either home or a telecommuting work center. If these positions exist, employees should be given the option of telecommuting, with the understanding that they can return to the office if they do not find the arrangement feasible. Further, HHS will have the opportunity to ask the employee to come back to the office if they do not find the arrangement working to their satisfaction. Increasing the number of telecommuters will support the effort to increase the AVO of 5600 Fishers Lane.

6.6 Bicycling to/Walk-to-Work Incentive Employees living in close proximity to 5600 Fishers Lane will be encouraged to walk to work or bicycle to work. It is possible that some of the employees may move closer to 5600 Fishers Lane, and/or that the new hires will either be from the surrounding area or will move closer to the work site. In such cases, employees who live within a 3-mile radius will be encouraged to either walk or bike to work. The ETC should work with the landlord of 5600 Fishers Lane site to provide locker and shower facilities on site. Sheltered bicycle racks should be provided so that employees will have the ease of parking their bicycles out of the elements and a Bike Repair Box should be provided to allow bicyclists to fix flat tires on site. HHS also provides a $20/month subsidy for bicyclists who commute on bike. The ETC will work to provide Capital Bikeshare stations at 5600 Fishers Lane as well as at the Twinbrook Metrorail station.

6.7 North Bethesda Transportation Management District The ETC will work with the North Bethesda Transportation Management District (TMD) to work toward common goals of reducing single occupancy vehicles and increasing transit usage. The North Bethesda TMD provides free services to employers, employees, residents, and visitors in the Grosvenor, White Flint, Twinbrook, Executive Boulevard, and Rock Spring Park areas. The North Bethesda TMD can assist in signing employees up for carpools/vanpools, coordinating with local transit agencies, completing the yearly survey, etc. The ETC will utilize the resources provided by the North Bethesda TMD to meet the objectives of the TMP.

SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - 37 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN This page left intentionally blank.

38 SECTION 6 │ PROPOSED TDM STRATEGIES - HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 7. IMPLEMENTING THE TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT (TDM) STRATEGIES

The ETC is extremely important to the success of the TMP. The ETC will be responsible for implementing, evaluating, and monitoring the TMP.

There are four different offices that will be consolidated to 5600 Fishers Lane over the next year. As the number of HHS employees increases at 5600 Fishers Lane, the possibility of employees finding carpooling, vanpooling, and telecommuting partners should increase and thus with each phase the nature and success of the strategies will change. The number of employees to be relocated and dates of occupation are found in Table 18.

Table 18. Employee Phasing

Completion Employees Total Employees Buildings Department Date Relocating at 5600 Fishers Lane

540 Gaither Road AHRQ Nov. 2015 460 3,360 12300 Twinbrook Parkway/801 Thompson IHS Ave Jan. 2016 515 3,875 1 Choke Cherry Road SAMSHA Jan. 2016 617 4,492

In implementing the TMP, the strategies will need to be phased to coincide with the relocation of employees. This will include reevaluating parking space allotment with each relocation.

At the outset of each relocation, the number of parking spaces per employee will be greater as the opportunities to use other modes will be limited. As more employees are relocated, the ability to match carpoolers and provide transit services increases, thereby reducing the need for parking. Table 19 presents the mode split ratio goals for each phase and year. A suggested implementation plan is discussed in the following section.

7.1 Implementation Plan

As of November 2013, there were approximately 2,800 HHS employees working at 5600 Fishers Lane with 1,553 parking spaces provided. A few of these spaces have been designated as carpool/vanpool spaces (12 carpool/2 vanpool).

As the additional employees are relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane, steps will be taken to ensure that they maintain their current travel modes and some single occupancy vehicle users shift modes. The most aggressive efforts will be made as each department is about to move to 5600 Fishers Lane. Relocation is the time during which employees are likely to be susceptible to mode change and will be looking for ways to travel to their new office location. The ETC must provide these employees with viable alternative modes of travel to the new site.

SECTION 7 │ IMPLEMENTING TDM STRATEGIES - 39 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

The ETC will work with the relocated employees prior to moving to identify ride sharing and transit opportunities. The ETC will develop a package for distribution to all employees and perspective hires showing transit routes. The ETC will set up a central location where all transportation information will be located and easily available to employees, as well as coordinate the development of a web site with transportation information for employees. As each group of employees move, the following actions should be carried out: a. Carpooling • The ETC will coordinate the reservation of carpool and vanpool parking spaces at locations which provide more convenient access to the buildings than will be provided for single occupant vehicle spaces. • Guarantee parking spots for employees who carpool/vanpool. Special stickers or passes should be issued to monitor the use of these spaces. • The ETC will sign employees up for MWCOG’s ridesharing program. Identify potential carpool clusters for employees are interested in carpooling. • The ETC will hold meetings for these carpoolers and help them identify meeting spots and resolve any potential issues. • Stress that parking would be provided for each carpool vehicle and that the parking would be close to the building entrance. • The ETC will meet all new employees and introduce them to the ridesharing program. • The ETC will refer potential ridesharers to existing carpools. Track existing carpools to assist in this endeavor.

40 SECTION 7 │ IMPLEMENTING TDM STRATEGIES FOOD AND DRUG ADMINISTRATION TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

Table 19. Mode Split Goals

2014 Existing Mode Split Goals - 2016 Mode Split Goals - 2017 Parking No. of Emp. No. of Emp. Parking Spaces No. of Emp. Parking Spaces Spaces

No. of emp. in each year 460 1,132

No. of total employees 2,900 2,900 3,360 3,360 4,492 4,492

Carpool 3.3% 96 48 6.5% 218 109 10% 449 225 Vanpool 0.2% 6 1 0.8% 27 4 1.5% 67 10 transit 14% 406 0 19% 638 0 25% 1123 0 telecommuting* 6% 174 0 9% 302 0 10% 449 0 walk/bike/dropped off 1.7% 49 0 2% 67 0 2% 90 0 absent 2% 58 0 2% 67 0 2% 90 0 total no. of employees 789 49 1,319 113 2,268 235 (other means) SOV 2,111 2,041 2,224 total No. of parking needed 2,160 2,154 2,459

Total parking available 1,553 1,553 1,553 Parking ratio 1.87 2.16 2.89 * Although the survey results indicate a higher participation rate - we have assumed a lower percentage in order to take a conservative approach

SECTION 7 │ IMPLEMENTING TDM STRATEGIES - 41 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN b. Vanpooling • As more employees get ready to move to 5600 Fishers Lane, the ETC will provide information on vanpool leasing companies for vanpoolers. • The ETC will continue to identify several vanpool providers and bring them to 5600 Fishers Lane for informational sessions. As a next step, using the established database the ETC will identify a cluster of people located within a three-mile radius who are committed to using the van at least three or four days per week. • Based on employee zip codes/addresses, identify clusters of employees and hold meetings with these clusters to introduce them to vanpooling. • Clusters of 12 to 15 people located within a 3-mile radius will be identified who are committed to using the van at least three or four days per week. • Stress the fact that the vans would lower their commuting costs. Provide information on vanpool subsidies that are available. • Stress that parking for vans would be guaranteed and that the parking would be conveniently located. c. Transit

• The ETC will provide bus schedules and routes for employees especially the HHS shuttle service schedule. The ETC will work with Montgomery County to evaluate the need for additional service. • The ETC will include in HHS budget, reimbursement to employees of up to the maximum amount provided by HHS per month for using transit. • Advertise the reimbursement amount to the HHS employees via e-mail, flyers etc. • Provide and display transit information including maps of routes, schedules, fares etc. at a central location. • Distribute flyers about the transit option via e-mails, newsletters, pamphlets, and through scheduled meetings. • The ETC will also monitor the transit services being provided to minimize any overlap of services. • Coordinate potential express bus service with MTA in conjunction with adjacent employers. d. Shuttle Service

• As indicated in Table 19, a goal of getting 25 percent of the total number of employees to use transit has been set. Efforts must be made to make sure that the transit use is kept at this high level. The shuttle service plays a key role in maintaining a high level of transit ridership. These include:

42 SECTION 7 │ IMPLEMENTING TDM STRATEGIES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN - Increase the frequency of shuttle service during the morning and evening peak hours as funds become available. - Extend the hours of the shuttle service such that they coincide with the working hours of most of the HHS employees.

• With the provision of expanded shuttle service, which is able to service the HHS employees adequately, we believe that the overall transit ridership will be higher and thus the goal of eventually reaching one parking space for every two employees will be achieved. e. Coordination with Transit Agencies

• The ETC will contact the local transit agencies. The ETC will monitor the employees and work with local transit agencies and update the HHS shuttle service schedule to provide continually better service as demands increase. It is anticipated that the frequency of Ride On 93 will need to be increased to provide better connectivity to the Twinbrook Metrorail Station during the peak hours. • The ETC will also monitor the transit services being provided to minimize any overlap of services. • Provide express service (via the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA)) to Fishers Lane. The ETC will need to coordinate with the employees and Montgomery County and/or MTA to determine the feasibility of this service. Based on the employee survey a bus which services Frederick, Urbana Park and Ride, and Gaithersburg Park and Ride is suggested. f. Telecommuting

• Develop a training program to provide potential telecommuters and their managers with the goals, objectives, and guidelines of the program. • Ask managers to identify any jobs that they think can be accomplished via telecommuting. • Hold meetings with potential telecommuters and introduce telecommuting to them. g. Bicycling/Walking

• Encourage employees living in close vicinity of Fishers Lane to walk to work or bicycle to work. Facilitate this by providing shower facilities on site. • Provide sheltered bicycle racks at all building Fishers Lane so that employees will feel safe parking their bicycles at work. • Coordinate the placement of Capital Bikeshare stations at both 5600 Fishers Lane and the Twinbrook Metrorail Station. • Provide a bicycle route map

SECTION 7 │ IMPLEMENTING TDM STRATEGIES - 43 HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN h. North Bethesda Transportation Management District

• Participate in the North Bethesda Transportation Management District (TMD) to work towards common goals. • Utilize the resources provided by the North Bethesda TMD to meet the objectives of the TMP.

As each phase is completed, the ETC will need to reassign parking so that all employees have an equal chance of obtaining a parking space. The steps outlined above will need to be carried out with the completion of each phase.

7.2 HHS TMP Parking Management

The HHS Lease provides a total of 1,553 parking spaces at or near 5600 Fishers Lane, with a possible addition of 272 parking spaces for a total of 1,805. The following summarizes how parking spaces will be assigned and managed for each group:

HHS Employees: 1,553 parking spaces will be provided for HHS employees with the potential for additional spaces to be added. This number is based on the lease agreement for 5600 Fishers Lane. These parking spaces are located within in parking garages and on surface lots. Employees will be issued parking passes that will allow them access to employee parking areas. Parking passes are assigned based on priority with those with disabilities given the highest priority. Carpools and vanpools are also given priority. The ETC will also explore the possibility of limited-use parking permits for employees that may only need to park at 5600 Fishers Lane a few times a month when other transit options are not feasible.

Visitors: There is currently no dedicated visitor parking at 5600 Fishers Lane. During the interim, visitors are unofficially parking in Lot “E”. Long term visitor parking plans are unclear at this time. Therefore, the ETC will work with parking management to develop appropriate visitor parking accommodations.

All parking assignments will be managed and monitored by HHS staff.

7.3 HHS TMP Commitments

HHS is committed to reducing the number of vehicles that will travel to the site. They have assigned an ETC, who is currently working with the North Bethesda Transportation Management District representative to identify methods for carrying out the TMP. The ETC is also identifying the appropriate funding that will need to be set up to implement the TMP strategies.

44 SECTION 7 │ IMPLEMENTING TDM STRATEGIES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 8. MONITORING & EVALUATION

This TMP is a flexible document that can be reshaped as new employees are added to 5600 Fishers Lane and as they adapt to their new location. Each of the TMP strategies must be evaluated and modified annually, but may be evaluated more often by the ETC based on feedback. The ETC will evaluate each strategy by setting the goals and then documenting the progress of each goal. During each evaluation period, the following steps need to be carried out:

 Determine the extent to which each program has achieved its objective

 Plan the degree of consistency of program implementation

 Detail the relationship of different strategies to the effectiveness of the program Once the HHS Consolidation is complete, the ETC will evaluate the effectiveness of the TMP and will make modifications to achieve the stated goals. The ETC will update the TMP should any change to the projected number of employees occurs. Several options are available to the ETC in order to gauge the success of these programs, including:

 Perform an employee survey and update TMP. The ETC will perform a survey of employees each year and reevaluate the program. The survey’s goal will be to identify potential changes in trip characteristics. The survey can be performed in conjunction with the North Bethesda TMD. This would include determining whether the goals are being met and, based on the employee trends, identifying programs which are successful and need to be emphasized and those that are not working.

 Provide program participation documentation (e.g. application of transit subsidies, van registration, preferential parking registration)

 Provide packages to existing and perspective employees that identify the transit services and the incentives being offered. A transit package will help employees in relocating to identify locations that will be more transit friendly.

SECTION 9 │ RESOURCES - 45

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN This page left intentionally blank.

46 SECTION 8 │ MONITORING & EVALUATION HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN

9. RESOURCES

Montgomery County Government 2014 Montgomery County Transit Map. (Accessed online: http://gis.montgomerycountymd.gov/transit/index.html) 2014 Montgomery County Bikeway Map. (Accessed online: http://gis3.montgomerycountymd.gov/bikewaymap/) 2014 Montgomery County Department of Transportation, Division of Transit Services. (Accessed online: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/dot-transit/) Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments 2014 Commuter Connections. (Accessed online: http://www.commuterconnections.org). Frederick County Government 2014 Frederick County Park & Ride Lot Locations. (Accessed online: http://www.frederickcountymd.gov/1483/Frederick-County-Park-Ride-Lot-Locations). Bethesda Transportation Solutions 2014 Park & Ride Lots in Montgomery County. (Accessed online: http://bethesdatransit.org/commuters-park-ride-lots.shtml). North Bethesda Transportation Management District 2014 North Bethesda Transportation Center. (Accessed online: http://www.nbtc.org/). U.S. Department of Health & Human Services 2014 Transportation Services. (Accessed online: http://www.hhs.gov/travel/index.html). Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority 2014 Metro. (Accessed online: http://www.wmata.com/). Maryland Department of Transportation 2014 Maryland Transit Administration. (Accessed online: http://mta.maryland.gov/). Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: Transportation Element, 2004, NCPC National Capital Planning Commission (NCPC) 2008 Implementing a Successful TMP, May 2008. 2004 Comprehensive Plan for the National Capital: Transportation Element, 2004.

Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (M-NCPPC), Montgomery County 2013 Local Area Transportation Review and Transportation Policy Area Review Guidelines. January 2013.

SECTION 9 │ RESOURCES - 47

HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN Montgomery County Office of Management and Budget 2014 Master List of Most Current CIP Projects (FY15-20). (Accessed online: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/OMB/MasterPDF/15-20a_masterpdf.html).

48 SECTION 9 │ RESOURCES HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TRANSPORTATION MANAGEMENT PLAN 10. APPENDIX A

SECTION 10 │ APPENDICES - 49

1. What is the address of your current HHS office?

nmlkj 5600 Fishers Lane

nmlkj 1 Choke Cherry Road

nmlkj 540 Gaither Road

nmlkj 12300 Twinbrook Parkway

nmlkj 801 Thompson Avenue

nmlkj Other (please specify)

2. What is the five­digit Zip code for your current place of residence?

ZIP:

3. If your place of work were to change to 5600 Fishers Lane, would you relocate your place of residence to be closer to 5600 Fishers Lane?

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No

4. If yes, what would be the five­digit Zip code for your future place of residence? (leave blank if unknown)

ZIP:

5. At your current location, what mode of travel do you primarily and typically use?

nmlkj Drive alone

nmlkj Carpool

nmlkj Registered Vanpool

nmlkj Dropped off

nmlkj Bus

nmlkj Metro Rail

nmlkj Commuter Rail (MARC/VRE)

nmlkj Walk

nmlkj Bike

nmlkj Commuter Bus

6. If you carpool or vanpool as your primary mode of travel, how many days per week are you usually a:

# of Days per Week

Driver 6

Passenger 6

7. If you carpool or vanpool as your primary mode of travel, how many persons are usually in your vehicle, including yourself?

# of People

8. If you carpool or vanpool as your primary mode of travel, how many HHS employees are usually in your vehicle, including yourself?

# of HHS Employees

9. If you utilize transit (Bus, MARC, Metro) at which Metro/Rail station or Park n' Ride do you board your bus/train?

10. Would this change if you relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane?

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No

nmlkj N/A­Current work location is 5600 Fishers Lane

11. To which Metro/Rail station or Park n' Ride would it change?

12. If you drive to work, how many days a week do you typically use your vehicle for each of the following purposes?

# of Days per Week

Travel for work related purposes 6 outside an HHS facility

Travel between HHS buildings 6

Travel for 6 shopping/banking/restaurant/needs during the day

Daycare/childcare 6

Drop­off/Pick­up items or other 6 passengers on the way to or home from work

Other (please specify)

13. How long does your commute from home to the office typically take?

nmlkj less than 30 minutes

nmlkj between 30 minutes and 60 minutes

nmlkj between 60 minutes and 90 minutes

nmlkj between 90 minutes and 120 minutes

nmlkj over 120 minutes

14. Approximately, how much does your commute cost you each week, including transit fares, parking, gas, etc.?

$

15. Do you currently receive a transit subsidy (i.e. Go!Card)?

nmlkj yes

nmlkj No

16. If you receive a transit subsidy, please specify how much you receive per month.

$ 17. Are you currently registered with Commuter Connections Guaranteed Ride Home Service or any other commuter assistance program? (Services which provide a ride home to commuters who regularly carpool, vanpool, bike, walk, or take transit when unexpected situations arrise, http://www.mwcog.org/commuter2/commuter/grh/index.html)

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No

18. What is your normal work schedule? (Please indicate start and end time for each day of the week)

M T W Th F

Start 6 6 6 6 6

End 6 6 6 6 6

19. Which best describes your current work schedule?

nmlkj Typically consistent hours (5 days/40 hours per week)

nmlkj Irregular schedule­late hours or odd shifts (40 hours per week)

nmlkj Alternate work schedule ­ 9 days 80 hours (you have a day off every other week)

nmlkj Alternate work schedule ­ 8 days 80 hours (you have a day off every week)

nmlkj Part time

20. If you telecommute from home or an offsite location, how many days a week do you typically telecommute?

# of Days 6

21. If you telecommute, identify the day(s) of the week when you most frequently telecommute:

gfedc M gfedc T gfedc W gfedc Th gfedc F

22. If you are currently located at a location other than 5600 Fishers Lane, what would you anticipate being your primary mode of travel to work when you were relocated to 5600 Fishers Lane?

nmlkj Drive alone

nmlkj Carpool

nmlkj Vanpool

nmlkj Dropped off

nmlkj Bus

nmlkj Metro Rail

nmlkj Commuter Rail

nmlkj Walk

nmlkj Bike

nmlkj Commuter Bus

nmlkj N/A ­ current work location is 5600 Fishers Lane

23. If you use the HHS Shuttle, are there any improvements to the Shuttle service that are needed?

gfedc increased frequency of the shuttle

gfedc increased capacity of the shuttle

gfedc extended hours

gfedc different route

gfedc Other (please specify)

24. If you currently drive to work alone, would you be willing to consider any alternative forms of travel?

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No

25. If an express bus (commuter bus) was provided for a fee from a Park n' Ride near your home to 5600 Fishers Lane, would you take it?

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No 26. If you answered no to question 24 and/or 25, please give a reason(s):

gfedc Cost

gfedc Need car during the day for work

gfedc Need car during the day for personal use

gfedc No park n' ride close to home

gfedc Unpredictable schedule

gfedc Need car for childcare drop­off/pick­up

gfedc Other (please specify)

27. If your work location was 5600 Fishers Lane, and a Zip­Car (car sharing service) or an equivalent service was provided at 5600 Fishers Lane for a fee, would you use it?

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No

28. If you currently drive to work alone, are there any improvements to services that would encourage you to commute by transit? (For example, an express bus from (blank) park­n­ ride to 5600 Fishers Lane, increase in the frequency of Bus #(blank), bus service from (blank) Metro Rail Station to 5600 Fishers Lane etc…) 5

6

29. If you currently drive to work alone, would you be willing to carpool or vanpool if you were provided a Guaranteed Ride Home service?

nmlkj Yes

nmlkj No