Recent Streetsblog CALIFORNIA posts about VMT

"San José is a unique place, playing a vital economic and cultural role within North America," says the city's website.

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San Jose Becomes Fourth California City to Adopt VMT as Metric for Traffic Impacts

By Melanie Curry | Mar 6, 2018 | No Comments

The South Bay city joins Pasadena, San Francisco, and Oakland in moving away from a focus on vehicle delay and towards induced car trips to measure of environmental impacts of development.

CEQA has encouraged street designs like Balboa Blvd in Granada Hills, which has a very good LOS but is not so easy to use if you are not in a car. Image: Google Street View

After 4 Years, Key Rule Requiring Development to Account for New Miles Driven Moves Forward

By Melanie Curry | Nov 28, 2017 | 8 Comments

Yesterday the California Office of Planning and Research released a comprehensive update to CEQA. It marks a milestone in efforts to align transportation performance metrics with community values

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Urban Myth Busting: Congestion, Idling, and Carbon Emissions

By Joe Cortwright | Jul 7, 2017 | No Comments

Increasing road capacity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions will backfire.

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Revisiting the Peak Car Debate

By Tony Dutzik | Aug 26, 2016 | No Comments

Cross-posted from the Frontier Group. I’ve never liked the term “peak car.” First, it was always unclear exactly what was supposed to be peaking – total vehicle travel, per-capita travel, car ownership, or all of the above? Second, like peak oil before it, “peak car” applies a catchy name to a collection of concepts that […]

SoCal Government Coalition Wants to Keep Planning for Cars

By Melanie Curry | Mar 14, 2016 | 19 Comments

SCAG sent a last-minute letter attempting to delay progressive updates to California’s outdated environmental standards. In the letter [PDF], Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG)—the regional transportation planning organization for much of southern California—requested exemptions for highway expansion projects and freight corridors from proposed state rules that could show their true environmental impact in a […]

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SF Planning Commission Officially Prioritizes Humans over Cars

By Roger Rudick | Mar 10, 2016 | No Comments

Late last week, the San Francisco Planning Commission unanimously adopted a resolution to replace “Level of Service” (LOS) with “Vehicle Miles Traveled” (VMT). That’s bureaucratese for measuring a project’s overall effect on moving people, instead of just counting automobiles. As explained in a previous post, environmental law has long forced transportation planners to grade projects […]

OPR to Host Webinars on Transportation Impacts Under Environmental Law

By Melanie Curry | Jan 27, 2016 | No Comments

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) recently issued long-anticipated changes to a provision in California law that currently ranks traffic congestion as an environmental impact. For more details, see recent Streetsblog coverage here. The new guidelines are under a 45-day review period, with public comment being accepted until February 29. To help educate […]

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The Feds Aren’t Crowing About the Record Amount of Driving in America

By Angie Schmitt | Jan 27, 2016 | No Comments

Gas is as cheap as ever, and cumulatively, Americans are driving a record amount. Newly released U.S. DOT data shows that through the end of November, Americans drove a cumulative 2.88 trillion miles last year, well above the same period in 2014, indicating that 2015 will set a new national record for driving mileage. Adjusting […]

The Next Step in Getting Rid of Level of Service: Coming Soon

By Melanie Curry | Oct 9, 2015 | 22 Comments

After several years of work, the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) is almost ready to release draft guidelines on replacing vehicle Level of Service measures under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The shift was called for by Senate Bill 743, which passed late in the 2013 legislative session. OPR will propose measuring […]

Assembly Committee Moves Bill to Delay Level Of Service Phase-Out

By Melanie Curry | Apr 29, 2015 | 5 Comments

Buried in a five-hour long meeting of the Assembly Natural Resources Committee yesterday, a short discussion ended in a vote to move legislation that will delay the state’s shift away from car-centric planning. A.B. 779. The bill aims to slow the removal of Level of Service (LOS) from California environmental regulations by delaying implementation of guidelines […]

Bill Asking for Delay in CEQA Reform Guidelines Amended But Alive

By Melanie Curry | Apr 21, 2015 | 5 Comments

An attempt by large developers to undermine promised reforms to the state’s landmark environmental review law (CEQA) is winding its way through the Assembly. The bill, A.B. 779, was watered down before being presented to the Assembly Transportation Committee on Monday. It now calls for delaying new CEQA guidelines, due from the Governor’s Office of […]