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Recommended Methods for Assessing VMT

Recommended Methods for Assessing VMT. Chris Ganson Governor’s Office of Planning and Research. Background - Impacts of High VMT Development. Health Collisions Physical activity Emissions GHGs Regional pollutants Mental health. Cost Increased costs to state and local government Roads

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Recommended Methods for Assessing VMT

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  1. Recommended Methods for Assessing VMT Chris Ganson Governor’s Office of Planning and Research

  2. Background - Impacts of High VMT Development • Health • Collisions • Physical activity • Emissions • GHGs • Regional pollutants • Mental health • Cost • Increased costs to state and local government • Roads • Other infrastructure • Schools • Services • Increased private transportation cost • Increased building costs (due to parking costs) • Reduced productivity per acre due to parking • Housing supply/demand mismatch  future blight • Environment • Emissions • GHG • Regional pollutants • Energy use • Transportation energy • Building energy • Water • Water use • Runoff – flooding • Runoff – pollution • Consumption of open space • Sensitive habitat • Agricultural land

  3. Background - Impacts of High VMT Development • Health • Collisions • Physical activity • Emissions • GHGs • Regional pollutants • Mental health • Cost • Increased costs to state and local government • Roads • Other infrastructure • Schools • Services • Increased private transportation cost • Increased building costs (due to parking costs) • Reduced productivity per acre due to parking • Housing supply/demand mismatch  future blight • Environment • Emissions • GHG • Regional pollutants • Energy use • Transportation energy • Building energy • Water • Water use • Runoff – flooding • Runoff – pollution • Consumption of open space • Sensitive habitat • Agricultural land

  4. Background – State GHG Goals

  5. Background – State GHG Goals Scoping Plan Need Scoping Plan Baseline

  6. OPR Recommendations – Overall Approach Land Use Projects Streamline low VMT projects Mitigate high VMT projects Transportation Infrastructure Projects Streamline VMT-reducing projects Streamline projects which increase VMT only marginally Mitigate projects which substantially increase VMT

  7. OPR Recommendations - Overview • Primary metric of transportation impact statewide is VMT • Use VMT screening maps for residential and office projects • Presume development near transit leads to a less than significant impact* • Recommendation that transit, active transportation projects presumed less than significant • More stringent thresholds may be applied at lead agency discretion *exceptions: • FAR < 0.75 • Parking > minimum requirements • Inconsistent with SCS VMT Map of Fresno COG, generated by the California Statewide Travel Demand Model

  8. Mapping Shortcut

  9. Mapping Shortcut

  10. Methods and Thresholds

  11. OPR Recommendations – Residential and Office Residential project recommendations: • Assess residential with trip-based approach • Threshold: 15 percent below regional or city VMT/capita Office project recommendations: • Assess office with trip-based approach • Threshold: 15 percent below regional VMT/employee

  12. OPR Recommendations – Retail Retail project recommendations: • Assess retail with “Net VMT” approach • Retail which increases VMT compared to previous shopping patterns may be considered significant • Local-serving retail presumed less than significant

  13. OPR Recommendations – Mixed Use Mixed-use development • Can consider each use separately, compare to threshold for that use • Each use should take credit for internal capture due to proximity of other uses in project Example: Residential-retail—if near transit, locally serving retail, recommend presumed less than significant

  14. OPR Recommendations – Plans Land Use Plan recommendations: • Specific plans: Same methods and thresholds as land use projects • General plans: At or below VMT levels in SCS (aggregate across jurisdiction) RTP-SCSs recommendations: • Sufficient VMT reductions to achieve ARB-specified GHG target

  15. OPR Recommendations – Transportation Projects Transportation Project recommendations: • Presume transit and active transportation projects lead to less than significant VMT • Projects which substantially increase roadway capacity may induce VMT • Roadway projects which add only marginally to capacity presumed to lead to less than significant VMT • Examples on next slide…

  16. Rehabilitation, maintenance, replacement and repair • Roadway shoulder enhancements • Addition of an auxiliary lane of less than one mile • Installation, removal, or reconfiguration of traffic lanes that are not for through traffic, such as left, right, and U-turn pockets, or emergency breakdown lanes • Addition of roadway capacity on local or collector streets • Conversion of existing general purpose lanes (including ramps) to managed lanes or transit lanes • Reduction in number of through lanes • Grade separation • Installation, removal, or reconfiguration of traffic control devices • Timing of signals • Installation of roundabouts • Installation of traffic calming devices • Adoption of or increase in tolls • Addition of tolled lanes, where tolls are sufficient to mitigate VMT increase • Initiation of new transit service • Conversion of streets from one-way to two-way • Removal of off-street parking spaces • Adoption or modification of on-street parking or loading restrictions • Addition of traffic wayfinding signage • Any lane addition under 0.3 miles in length

  17. OPR Recommendations – Transportation Projects Transportation Project recommendations: • Threshold focuses on VMT allowable to achieve 2030 GHG reduction target (ARB Scoping Plan, Mobile Source Strategy) • Four suggested methodologies • …including a simple method using researched elasticities: [%  in lane miles] x [existing VMT] x [elasticity] = [VMT resulting from the project]

  18. OPR Recommendations Other recommendations: • Rural projects choose thresholds on a case-by-case basis • Small projects screening threshold – 100 vehicle trips per day • Addition of transit riders not an impact; blocking stations or routes may be an impact

  19. Measuring and Modeling VMT

  20. What VMT to Count • Trip-based • Residential: VMT/capita • Office: VMT/employee • Net VMT • Retail: Net VMT • Transportation infrastructure projects: Net VMT

  21. What VMT to Count CEQA Rule of Reason requires capturing spillover VMT

  22. Estimating tour-based VMT Residence to Coffee Shop Coffee Shop to Work Work to Sandwich Shop Sandwich Shop to Work Work to Residence Residence to Store Store to Residence 1 2 5 7 6 4 3

  23. Estimating tour-based VMT Residence to Coffee Shop Coffee Shop to Work Work to Sandwich Shop Sandwich Shop to Work Work to Residence Residence to Store Store to Residence 1 2 Shopping Tour 5 7 6 4 3 Work Tour

  24. Estimating tour-based VMT Residence to Coffee Shop Coffee Shop to Work Work to Sandwich Shop Sandwich Shop to Work Work to Residence Residence to Store Store to Residence 1 2 5 7 6 4 3 “Household” VMT

  25. Estimating trip-based VMT Residence to Work Work to Residence Home to Coffee Shop Coffee Shop to Store Store to Home 1 Home-Based-Work trip 3 2 Home-Based-Shopping trip 5 4 Non-Home-Based trip

  26. Estimating trip-based VMT Residence to Work Work to Residence Home to Coffee Shop Coffee Shop to Store Store to Home 1 Home-Based-Work trip 3 2 Home-Based-Shopping trip “Home-based” VMT 5 4 Non-Home-Based trip

  27. OPR Recommendations Methodologies for… • Threshold determination • Project Assessment • Project Mitigation …must be apples to apples

  28. Thanks! chris.ganson@opr.ca.gov

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