Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) / SB 743 Compliance

The City of San Juan Capistrano is located in south Orange County and has a total area of approximately 14.3 square miles, bisected by the Interstate 5 Freeway. LLG is currently providing on-call traffic engineering and transportation planning support services to the City of San Juan Capistrano for developing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) guidelines and policies, including screening criteria, significance thresholds and a toolbox of TDM mitigation strategies in order to be compliant with Senate Bill (SB) 743 requirements that have a statewide implementation date of July 1, 2020. LLG is also working with City staff to amend the City’s Policy 310: Preparation and Use of Traffic Studies to incorporate the developed VMT guidelines and policies.

An extensive VMT analysis was completed for the UC San Diego 2018 Long Range Development Plan (LRDP). VMT calculations were based on the SANDAG Series 13 Regional Model. In addition to using the regional model, GPS data analytics (commonly referred to as “Big Data”) was also used to determine the average trip length for trip-based VMT calculations. The Big Data analysis represented an independent data source from the regional SANDAG forecast model.

Multi-tiered significance criteria and technical methodologies were developed. This approach was critical to ensure conformance to OPR’s guidelines, accurately account for unique travel characteristics and population types of the campus, and disclose any potential impacts.

The City of Dana Point is located in southern Orange County and has a total area of approximately 29.5 square miles. Dana Point is a coastal city with a picturesque Pacific coastline extending almost seven miles from Laguna Beach on the north to San Clemente on the south. LLG is currently providing on-call traffic engineering and transportation planning support services to the City of Dana Point for developing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) guidelines and policies, including screening criteria, significance thresholds and a toolbox of TDM mitigation strategies in order to be compliant with Senate Bill (SB) 743 requirements that have a statewide implementation date of July 1, 2020.

LLG co-authored the Guidelines for Transportation Impact Studies in the San Diego Region. With the input of a group of volunteers from the San Diego Section of the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) and the San Diego Traffic Engineers Council (SANTEC), these guidelines were developed to provide methodologies for transportation engineers and planners to conduct CEQA transportation analysis in compliance with SB 743. Methods to evaluate automobile delay and level of service outside of the CEQA process were also included as it will continue to be of interest to professionals who plan, design, operate and maintain the roadway system.

The City of Torrance covers roughly 21 square miles and is situated in south western Los Angeles County. Torrance is immediately bordered by Lomita to the east, Gardena and Lawndale to the north, Redondo Beach and the Pacific Ocean to the west, and Rolling Hills and Palos Verdes Estates to the south. LLG is currently providing on-call traffic engineering and transportation planning support services to the City of Torrance for developing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) guidelines and policies, including screening criteria, significance thresholds and a toolbox of TDM mitigation strategies in order to be compliant with Senate Bill (SB) 743 requirements that have a statewide implementation date of July 1, 2020.

The City of Chino Hills is located in the southwestern corner of San Bernardino County and has a total area of approximately 44.8 square miles, much of which is undeveloped rolling hills, including the Chino Hills State Park. LLG is currently providing on-call traffic engineering and transportation planning support services to the City of Chino Hills for developing Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) guidelines and policies, including screening criteria, significance thresholds and a toolbox of TDM mitigation strategies in order to be compliant with Senate Bill (SB) 743 requirements that have a statewide implementation date of July 1, 2020.

LLG has been at the forefront of SB 743. LLG has presented, organized, and/or moderated SB 743 expert panels and events for various organizations such as the Law Seminar International, Western District Institute of Transportation Engineers Conference, Association of Environmental Professionals, American Planning Association, American Public Works Association, the San Diego Highway Development Association, the Women’s Transportation Seminar, Institute of Transportation Engineers, Circulate San Diego etc.

LLG staff fully embraces the shift from level of service to vehicle miles traveled and continues to be a leader in preparing VMT analysis. In preparation for this shift, LLG published a company-wide SB 743 guidelines document and holds monthly SB 743 Committee meetings to exchange knowledge and ideas, to empower all staff to embrace this shift, and to provide SB 743 updates.

LLG coordinated extensively with City staff, SANDAG and the environmental consultant to assist in the determination of vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for the required Climate Action Plan (CAP) analysis. LLG was involved in coordinating the SANDAG traffic modeling to develop VMT for various scenarios. This work was used to assist with the preparation of suitable technical reports for incorporation into the EIR. A full EIR-Level Traffic Impact Analysis was also prepared for the project.

Linscott, Law & Greenspan Engineers (LLG), together with SANDAG, co-authored a technical white paper detailing the developed methodology for calculating Vehicle Miles Traveled using a Travel Demand Model. The white paper describes the analytical approach for disaggregating VMT into usable data to be applied to a calculation of transportation emissions for a Green House Gas analysis of a particular study area. This method is based on the standards for best practices for developing local community GHG emissions requirements published by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives. The white paper was approved for publishing in June 2013 by the San Diego section of the Institute of Traffic Engineers Transportation and Mobility Task Force.