The State of California has changed the rules about how traffic impacts are analyzed. In the past, project related traffic impacts were assessed based on how new traffic would increase wait times at local intersections.  Now, we are required to look at traffic differently. Instead of analyzing how traffic changes road congestion, the traffic analysis is instead assessed based on how the project changes trip lengths, measured in vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

Pursuant to Senate Bill 743 the City of Upland is transitioning to a Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) metric to assess environmental impacts. Historically, the City of Upland has used level of service (LOS) methodology to assess traffic operations and analyze environmental impacts for projects in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). In 2013, Senate Bill 743 established new legislation mandating a change to the CEQA Guidelines (Section 15064.3), which replaces the LOS metric with a VMT metric. The shift from LOS to VMT focuses on regional traffic patterns and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, rather than vehicle delays on local roadway networks.

On August 10, 2020, the City Council approved a Resolution adopting “Vehicle Miles Traveled” Baseline and Thresholds of Significance and Guidelines for the purposes of analyzing transportation impacts under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Clink on the PDFs below to download a copy of the City Council’s Resolution with the approved VMT Impact Thresholds and the City’s adopted Traffic Impact Analysis Guidelines prepared by Fehr & Peers dated July 2020.