SUPPORTING COMMUTERS RETURNING TO WORKSITES DURING COVID-19
SUPPORTING COMMUTERS RETURNING TO WORKSITES DURING COVID-19
July 2020
July 2020
NEW - This document has been updated to include sections on Biking and Micromobility as well as new relevant sources.
The global pandemic brought on by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has had profound impacts on business operations. With public health authorities recommending physical distancing to reduce the spread of the virus, businesses across all sectors implemented emergency measures to protect their employees’ health and adhere to local laws. For many businesses, this meant a complete closure of onsite operations and shifting employees from their worksites to their home, while a wide range of essential workers continued commuting.
As communities move forward with reopening their worksites, employees and employers will again need to address the challenge of commuting to and from work. While just 7% of US employers offered the option of telework prior to the pandemic, it is anticipated that many companies will continue to encourage some, if not all of their employees to work from home, at least part time, for the foreseeable future. However, many workers will need to return to their worksite, and there is a real possibility that personal health concerns could motivate commuters to drive alone, causing crippling congestion and wreaking havoc on air quality.
The Association for Commuter Transportation (ACT) has developed the following recommendations to inform employers, commuters, and communities on how we can all get back to the workplace safely and efficiently. Prepared by a task force of transportation demand management (TDM) professionals representing service providers, employers, and government agencies, this handbook provides tips for managing many of the most common commute options during the current pandemic. TDM is the act of creating the most efficient multimodal transportation system that moves people with the goal of reducing congestion, improving air quality, and stimulating economic activity. TDM goals should be prioritized in the return to the workplace, balanced with concerns for personal health and welfare....
NEW - Read ACT's Response to new CDC Guidance June 9, 2020 >>
Special thanks go to the following individuals for lending their time and expertise to the development of this resource:
Nick Abel (Commute Seattle), Jessica Alba, TDM-CP (Stanford University), Michelle Althoff (Commute with Enterprise), Chris Arabia (VA Dept. of Rail and Public Transit), Stacey Burton (KIPDA), Thomas Cerny, TDM-CP (AECOM), Mark Cleveland (Hytch), Shannon Dulaney (Spin), Patrice Espinosa (Bikes Make Life Better), Jim Gascoigne (Charles River TMA), Shuchi Gupta (Triangle J COG), Tom Harrington (Intuit), Edward Howard (TransLoc), Kaite Justice (Valley Regional Transit), Marie-France Laurin (Netlift), Bobby Lauterjung (Beeline Mobility), Connie McGee (Commute with Enterprise), David McMaster, TDM-CP (Houston Metro), Mark Melnyk (Starbucks), Halie Mitchell (VA DOT), Dezra Nauls (Houston Metro), Brian Nelson (ABC Companies), Bryan O’Connell (ABC Companies), Lisa Kay Pfannenstiel (Movability), Courtney Reynolds, TDM-CP (VHB), Lizzie Ryan (Scoop), Courtney Schultz (Charlotte Area Transit System), Lisa Kay Schweyer, TDM-CP (Carnegie Mellon University), Chris Simmons (Ann Arbor Area Transportation Authority), Beth Snoke (The Ohio State University), Nicole Stern (ACHD Commuteride), Chris Vazquez (Pablito), Julia Wean (Steer)