How employers in Washington State solved a transportation crisis

How employers in Washington State solved a transportation crisis

From Speed & Scale by TED

October 13, 2025 · 24 min

About this episode

The episode discusses how Washington State addressed a transportation crisis through a commuter trip reduction plan.

How much time do you spend commuting to and from work in your car? And do you drive alone? In the US, the transportation sector emits more carbon pollution than any other sector—but in 1991, Washington State decided to take matters into their own hands. In this episode, Ryan and Anjali talk to Brian Lagerberg, who worked on the state’s commuter trip reduction plan: a policy that required employers to provide their employees with alternative ways to get to work. Together, they unpack the factors that led to the plan’s success and discuss how other cities and states can promote the same practices that make Washington the carpool state, and the kind of model that others can follow. For the full text transcript, visit ted.com/podcasts/speed-and-scale-transcript Learn more about our flagship conference happening this April at  attend.ted.com/podcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Hosts: Ryan, Anjali

Guest: Brian Lagerberg

Topics covered

  • transportation
  • commuting
  • environment
  • policy
  • carpooling
  • sustainability

Keywords

  • commuting
  • transportation crisis
  • carbon pollution
  • carpool state
  • policy success

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Washington State, TED

Places: US

More episodes of Speed & Scale

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Speed & Scale podcast page.