D.C. has passed a "parking cash-out" law that goes further than a few preexisting examples to reward commuters who leave their cars at home.
"A first-of-its-kind municipal law now requires many employers in Washington, D.C. to provide cash to workers who turn down their company-sponsored parking benefits," reports Kea Wilson for Streetsblog USA.
The Transportation Benefits Equity Amendment Act, as the new law is called, took a few years to get across the finish line, but now that it the law in the nation's capital "it could serve as a model for other American cities that want to de-incentivize car commuting."
According to Wilson, the law "is based on parking expert Donald Shoup‘s innovative 'parking cash-out' model, which studies have shown is an effective tool to disincentivize car use." Wilson notes that California and Rhode Island have passed laws achieving a similar effect, "but neither applies to workplaces with fewer than 50 employees, and both offer generous exemptions for employers located in regions that already have good air quality, or that don’t have strong transit networks that workers could realistically use instead of driving."
A lot more detail on the new law is included in the source article below.
FULL STORY: D.C. ‘Parking Cash Out’ Law Makes Employers Refund Workers Who Don’t Drive
Research Indicates the Large Potential Benefits of Parking Cash-Out Laws
‘Free’ employee parking increases driving. Parking cash-out laws reward commuters who use climate-friendly modes, which increases fairness and reduces traffic problems.
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City of Albany
UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies
Mpact (formerly Rail~Volution)
Chaddick Institute at DePaul University
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Great Falls Development Authority, Inc.
HUDs Office of Policy Development and Research