HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-11-05; Planning Commission; 01; Overview Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)Meeting Date: Nov. 5, 2025 Item 1
To: Planning Commission
Staff Contact: Jason Geldert, 442-339-2758, Jason.Geldert@carlsbadca.gov
Subject: Overview Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)
Location: Citywide
Case Numbers: n/a
Applicant/Representative: City of Carlsbad Community Development Department
Permit Type(s): ☐SDP ☐ CUP ☐ CDP ☐ TM/TPM ☐ GPA ☐ REZ ☐ LCPA☒Other: N/A
CEQA Recommendation: ☒ Not a Project ☐ Exempt ☐ IS/ND or IS/MND ☐ EIR☐Other:
Commission Action: ☐Decision ☐ Recommendation to City Council ☒ Informational (No Action)
Recommended Action
Receive a report and presentation of Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT).
Description
In 2013, Senate Bill 743 (SB 743) changed how transportation impacts are evaluated under the California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), shifting the focus from measuring vehicle delay (Level of Service, or LOS) to
evaluating VMT, a metric that accounts for how much driving a project generates, as an indicator of environmental
impacts related to greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and roadway efficiency. As of July 2020, CEQA
Guidelines Section 15064.3 identifies VMT as the primary metric for evaluating transportation impacts.
To implement SB 743, the City Council adopted VMT thresholds of significance and screening criteria consistent
with state guidance. The city’s VMT Analysis Guidelines (Exhibit 1) provides direction to city staff, consultants, and
project applicants regarding how to evaluate transportation impacts pursuant to CEQA in the City of Carlsbad. In
addition to the VMT Analysis Guidelines, a VMT Informational Bulletin (Exhibit 2) was published to provide the
public with a high-level explanation of VMT.
The purpose of this item is to provide the Planning Commission with an informational overview of VMT,
summarize the city’s approach to VMT screening and analysis, and describe how VMT fits into the development
review process. This information is intended to support the Planning Commission’s understanding of current CEQA
transportation evaluation practices and provide context for future project decisions. This is an informational item
only; no Commission action is required.
Exhibits
1.VMT Analysis Guidelines
Link: https://www.carlsbadca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/312/638816039777155617
2.Informational Bulletin IB-160, Vehicle Miles Traveled
Link: https://www.carlsbadca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/10538/638816035273670000
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VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED (VMT)
ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
May 31, 2023
April 25, 2025: Small Project and Transit Screening Criteria are not applicable per Cleveland National Forest Foundation v. County of San Diego (4th Appellate District). This version removes these screening criteria and provides additional justification for the other screening criteria in Appendix C. The removal of text is shown as strikeout and addition of text is underlined and highlighted. The City is in the process of updating the Carlsbad VMT Guidelines with these changes, and when available will replace the May 2023 VMT Guidelines. All other aspects of the May 2023 VMT Guidelines not modified herein remain in force.
Exhibit 1
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................................1
1.1 SB 743 Legislation and Updated CEQA Guidelines ....................................................................... 1
1.2 Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) Technical Advisory ....................................... 1
1.3 Consistency with City Goals and Policies ...................................................................................... 2
2 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE OF VMT ANALYSIS ..............................................................................2
2.1 Purpose of VMT Analysis Guidelines............................................................................................. 2
2.2 Coordination with Other Agencies ................................................................................................ 2
2.3 Necessary Qualifications of Individuals Preparing VMT Analyses ................................................ 2
3 LAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS ..................................................................................................3
3.1 Overview of Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 3.1: City of Carlsbad Residential VMT Map .............................................................................. 4
3.2 VMT Modeling Tools ..................................................................................................................... 5
VMT Efficiency Metric Definitions ........................................................................................ 6
Figure 3.2: VMT Analysis Process ........................................................................................................ 8
3.3 Screening Criteria .......................................................................................................................... 9
Small Projects ........................................................................................................................ 9
Projects Located Near Transit ............................................................................................... 9
Local-Serving Retail and Similar Land Uses ........................................................................... 9
Local-Serving Public Facilities ................................................................................................ 9
Affordable Housing Projects ................................................................................................. 9
Redevelopment Projects That Result in a Net Reduction of VMT ...................................... 10
3.4 Significance Thresholds ............................................................................................................... 10
3.5 Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis .................................................................................................. 10
Single Land-Use Residential or Office Projects ................................................................... 11
Mixed-Use Projects ............................................................................................................. 11
Redevelopment Projects ..................................................................................................... 11
Regional Retail Projects ...................................................................................................... 12
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Industrial Projects ............................................................................................................... 12
Regional Public Facility Projects .......................................................................................... 12
3.6 Mitigation .................................................................................................................................... 13
4 TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS .................................................................................................... 14
4.1 Screening Criteria ........................................................................................................................ 14
4.2 Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis .................................................................................................. 15
4.3 Significance Thresholds ............................................................................................................... 16
4.4 Mitigation .................................................................................................................................... 16
5 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS ........................................... 17
APPENDICES
Appendix A – Vehicle Miles Traveled Report Templates
Appendix B – Resolution No. 2020-114
Appendix C – Screening Criteria and Threshold Evidence
Appendix D – Vehicle Miles Traveled Metric Calculation Documentation
Appendix E – Land Use Designations
Appendix F – Vehicle Miles Traveled Reduction Strategies and Effectiveness Calculations
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1 BACKGROUND
This chapter provides background information on Senate Bill 743 (SB 743) and the need to conduct
vehicle miles traveled (VMT) analyses for CEQA transportation studies.
1.1 SB 743 Legislation and Updated CEQA Guidelines
SB 743 was passed by the legislature and signed into law in the fall of 2013. This legislation led to
a change in the way that transportation impacts are measured under the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA). The California Natural Resources Agency updated the Guidelines for the
Implementation of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA Guidelines) in December 2018.
Per the CEQA Guidelines, starting on July 1, 2020, automobile delay and level of service (LOS) are
no longer used as the performance measure to determine the transportation impacts of land
development projects under CEQA. Instead, an alternative metric that supports the goals of the SB
743 legislation is necessary. CEQA Guidelines Section 15064.3 provides requirements for
determining the significance of transportation impacts and states that, “This section describes
specific considerations for evaluating a project’s transportation impacts. Generally, vehicle miles
traveled is the most appropriate measure of transportation impacts.”
Per the CEQA Guidelines, lead agencies have discretion to develop their own methodologies or
guidelines for determining significant environmental impacts. SB 743 and the updated CEQA
Guidelines also apply to transportation projects.
The intent of SB 743 is to bring CEQA transportation analyses into closer alignment with other
statewide policies regarding greenhouse gases, active transportation, and infill development.
1.2 Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) Technical Advisory
The SB 743 legislation designated OPR to write guidelines for implementation. The process of
writing guidelines started in January 2014 and concluded in 2018. OPR published the Technical
Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA in December 2018 which represents the
current statewide guidance for the implementation of SB 743.
Under CEQA, lead agencies can determine their own methodologies and significance thresholds for
CEQA technical analyses but are required to provide substantial evidence as a basis of their
decisions, if challenged. In its Technical Advisory, OPR generally provides substantial evidence for
its recommendation. However, even OPR’s recommendations are subject to challenge, and if an
agency were to rely on the Technical Advisory recommendations, that agency would need to be
prepared to defend the recommendations and produce the substantial evidence. OPR is not in a
position to defend the Technical Advisory recommendations on behalf of agencies that choose to
use it.
While OPR provides recommendations on many aspects of conducting a CEQA transportation
analysis using VMT, OPR’s guidance is not comprehensive, and some key decisions are left for lead
agencies to determine.
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1.3 Consistency with City Goals and Policies
The intent of SB 743 is directly related to three of the city’s core values as stated in the General
Plan: (1) Walking, Biking, Public Transportation, and Connectivity; (2) Sustainability; and (3)
Neighborhood Revitalization, Community Design, and Livability. It is also consistent with many of
the goals and policies included in the General Plan.
2 PURPOSE AND OBJECTIVE OF VMT ANALYSIS
2.1 Purpose of VMT Analysis Guidelines
The VMT Analysis Guidelines provide direction to city staff, consultants, and project applicants
regarding the methodologies and thresholds to be used for VMT analysis for evaluating
transportation impacts pursuant to CEQA in the City of Carlsbad. The guidelines generally follow
the state guidance provided in OPR’s Technical Advisory but add detail that is specific to the City of
Carlsbad. Project applicants should refer to the VMT report templates in Appendix A to ensure
compliance with the VMT Analysis Guidelines.
Although these guidelines are intended to be comprehensive, not all aspects of VMT analysis can
be addressed in a single document. City staff will need to use judgment in applying these guidelines
to specific projects and situations. Exceptions and additions to the guidelines will need to occur on
a case-by-case basis.
2.2 Coordination with Other Agencies
Preparation of a VMT analysis may require coordination with other agencies as follows:
•Caltrans will review and provide comments on certain VMT analyses, particularly if the
project requires a Caltrans encroachment permit or if it is considered to have a substantial
effect on state highway facilities.
•Coordination with SANDAG may be needed if a model run of the SANDAG regional travel
demand model is needed.
•Coordination with the North County Transit District (NCTD) may be needed if project
mitigation measures related to transit are proposed.
•Detailed coordination with adjacent cities and the County of San Diego will not normally be
required unless a proposed mitigation measure crosses jurisdictional boundaries.
2.3 Necessary Qualifications of Individuals Preparing VMT Analyses
Simple screening/scoping assessments and VMT evaluation that uses the City’s screening maps may
be performed by the applicant or non-engineering professionals. The applicant should contact City
of Carlsbad staff to confirm that the VMT screening/scoping/evaluation is simple and can be
performed by non-engineering professionals.
Completing screening/scoping assessments and VMT evaluation of complex or multi-use projects
that require VMT modeling should typically be prepared under the direction of an individual who is
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a licensed Traffic Engineer in the State of California or who has equivalent knowledge and
experience. Individuals who have equivalent level of knowledge and experience should contact
City of Carlsbad staff for approval prior to preparing a VMT analysis.
3 LAND DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
This chapter provides guidance on conducting VMT analyses for land development projects, including
single-use projects, mixed-use projects, and redevelopment projects.
3.1 Overview of Analysis
The City of Carlsbad generally follows the VMT analysis methodology recommended in OPR’s
Technical Advisory. OPR recommends analyzing VMT for most residential and office projects based
on efficiency metrics. Projects evaluated in this way are analyzed using VMT/capita or
VMT/employee rather than total VMT. City County Resolution Number 2020-114 approves the
VMT thresholds of significance and screening criteria. A copy of the resolution is provided in
Appendix B. Information regarding the selection of thresholds and screening criteria is provided in
Appendix C.
For large projects (usually over 2,400 average daily trips1), a model run of the regional travel
demand model operated by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) is often used to
determine the project’s VMT/capita or VMT/employee. For smaller projects (usually under 2,400
average daily trips – see footnote), VMT/capita and VMT/employee may also be based on the
SANDAG regional travel demand model. However, rather than using an individual model run for
each project, VMT/capita and VMT/employee may be determined from maps prepared by the City
of Carlsbad using output from the base year SANDAG regional model. These maps, shown by the
sample in Figure 3.1, provide an estimate of personal vehicle travel by residents and employees for
each Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) within the city. TAZ’s are geographical areas of varying size set up
in the SANDAG regional travel demand model. The maps display VMT/capita and VMT/employee
compared to city-wide VMT average and regional VMT average, respectively. The coloring scheme
for the VMT maps is as follows:
•TAZs shown in brown represent a VMT/capita or VMT/employee of less than 85% of the
city-wide or regional average, respectively, indicating a less than significant impact.
•TAZs shown in red represent a VMT/capita or VMT/employee of between 85% and 100%
of the city-wide or regional average, respectively, indicating a significant impact.
•TAZs shown in grey represent a VMT/capita or VMT/employee of over 100% of the city-
wide or regional average, indicating a significant impact.
1 2,400 daily trips is a historical “rule of thumb” number that may be updated periodically based on the travel
demand model sensitivity. The 2,400 daily trips historical “rule of thumb” is based on congestion management
program requirements from over a decade ago, and it may be updated based on current model considerations;
however, at the time of this document publication it is the best available information. Applicants should
coordinate with City staff to confirm the project size at which the SANDAG regional travel demand model maybe
run.
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Figure 3.1: City of Carlsbad Residential VMT Map
The City of Carlsbad’s VMT maps are available online here:
https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/43b530c57da9469387c665d96f11c5d6. To use the
maps, simply select the map corresponding to the project’s land use (either residential or
employment) to the right of the screen. It is important to note that only one land use should be
selected at a time. Then select the TAZ in which the project is located. A pop-up will appear
displaying the VMT data for that TAZ, including its percentage of the city-wide or regional average,
which can then be used to assess the project’s impact.
The assumption for smaller projects is that project VMT/capita or VMT/employee can be estimated
based on the average VMT/capita or VMT/employee for the TAZ in which it is located. In some
cases, TAZ’s do not have sufficient existing development to form the basis for VMT calculations. In
these cases, the VMT is determined based on the census tract in which the TAZ is located. Census
tracts are larger geographic areas that typically contain several TAZ’s. It may be acceptable for a
project under 2,400 ADT to complete an individual VMT assessment using VMT modeling tools
(such as the SANDAG regional travel demand model) if the project size and type are unique. Note
that use of the SANDAG regional travel demand model should be considered carefully for smaller
projects because often a project is too small for the regional model to be sensitive to; therefore,
regional model results may not appropriately represent the project. Likewise, it may be possible
for a project that is over 2,400 ADT to use other VMT modeling tools (other than the SANDAG
regional model) that are more project specific or representative of the project conditions or the
VMT maps if it is the same land use type/characteristics (such as density) as existing land use in the
project TAZ. In either case, coordination with City staff is recommended.
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Project trip generation should normally be determined using methodologies consistent with city
transportation guidelines. Reductions for internal trips and pass-by trips (if appropriate) should be
made prior to determination of project trip generation.
3.2 VMT Modeling Tools
The SANDAG regional travel demand model is one tool for estimating VMT. Since the SANDAG
model is a regional tool that provides high level planning estimates it is not appropriate for use for
all project types or at a microscopic scale. There are other modeling methods/tools that may be
more appropriate depending on the project characteristics, redevelopment conditions, or project
location. As stated in the OPR Technical Advisory:
Section 15064.3 explains that a “lead agency may use models to estimate a project’s
vehicle miles traveled . . . .” CEQA generally defers to lead agencies on the choice of
methodology to analyze impacts. (Santa Monica Baykeeper v. City of Malibu (2011) 193
Cal.App.4th 1538, 1546; see Laurel Heights Improvement Assn. v. Regents of University of
California (1988) 47 Cal.3d 376, 409 [“the issue is not whether the studies are irrefutable
or whether they could have been better” … rather, the “relevant issue is only whether the
studies are sufficiently credible to be considered” as part of the lead agency’s overall
evaluation].) (OPR Technical Advisory, Page 4)
Travel demand models, sketch models, spreadsheet models, research, and data can all be
used to calculate and estimate VMT… To the extent possible, lead agencies should choose
models that have sensitivity to features of the project that affect VMT. Those tools and
resources can also assist in establishing thresholds of significance and estimating VMT
reduction attributable to mitigation measures and project alternatives. When using
models and tools for those various purposes, agencies should use comparable data and
methods, in order to set up an “apples-to-apples” comparison between thresholds, VMT
estimates, and VMT mitigation estimates. (OPR Technical Advisory, Page 30)
Coordination with City staff is necessary if a model other than the SANDAG regional model is
proposed for a project analysis. The following provides an overview of the two categories of models
available for estimating VMT:
•Travel Forecasting Models: A travel forecasting model is a computer model used to
estimate travel behavior for a specific base year or horizon year based on land use and
transportation network supply inputs. VMT is one output of a travel forecasting model run.
The SANDAG regional travel demand model is an example of a travel forecasting model.
•Other models and tools: Use of a travel forecasting model is not always the most
appropriate method for estimating VMT (or may not be available in some cases), VMT can
also be estimated using sketch models or spreadsheet tools. Typically, these types of
models/tools estimate VMT directly by multiplying the number of trips by an average trip
length. Trips can be estimated using the results of local trip generation surveys or trip
generation rate data published by the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE). Trip
lengths can be extracted from models, from standardized averages, or travel pattern data
from household travel surveys, big data, or other sources. These methodologies could also
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be paired with a travel model and used between major model updates or to estimate
project generated VMT for smaller projects that would “get lost” or be part of the “model
noise” in a regional travel demand model.
VMT Efficiency Metric Definitions
The SANDAG regional travel demand model provides standard VMT efficiency metric outputs. The
VMT/capita and VMT/employee metrics produced by the SANDAG model are defined as follows:
•VMT/capita is established by summing up total daily VMT generated by residents of a
geographic area and dividing by the population of that geographic area. Total daily VMT
includes all trip tours made by residents: home-based and non-home-based trip tours (i.e.
all VMT for a resident for the entire day regardless of trip purpose or origin/destination).
To analyze the VMT/capita for a proposed project, total daily VMT generated by project
residents is divided by the project resident population.
The VMT/capita produced by the SANDAG model specifically includes VMT generated
within the SANDAG region by residents of the SANDAG region. If a resident travels outside
of the region, their VMT is only accounted for up to the SANDAG boundary. Since the OPR
Technical Advisory specifically provides guidance on avoiding truncating VMT2, to account
for VMT generated by residents of the SANDAG region making trips outside (and the back
into) the region, the SANDAG model data must be manually appended with the external
VMT from the California Statewide Travel Demand Model. The City of Carlsbad city average
VMT/capita and VMT maps have refined VMT/capita data that includes the external VMT
generated by SANDAG region residents.
•VMT/employee, as produced by the SANDAG model, is established by summing the work
related total daily VMT generated by resident employees3 of a geographic area and dividing
by the number of resident employees of that geographic area. Total daily work related VMT
includes all work tours made by employees (this includes an employee’s commute and any
other work-related travel such as going to lunch or to a meeting). To analyze the
VMT/employee for a proposed project, the total work tour daily VMT produced by the
project’s employees is divided by the total number of employees. The SANDAG model only
accounts for VMT generated within the SANDAG region by employees who are also
residents of the SANDAG region. Therefore, external VMT from resident employees is not
captured in the SANDAG model output. In addition, employees that live outside of the
region and travel into the SANDAG region for work are not accounted for in the SANDAG
output.
2 Lead agencies should not truncate any VMT analysis because of jurisdictional or other boundaries, for example, by
failing to count the portion of a trip that falls outside the jurisdiction or by discounting the VMT from a trip that
crosses a jurisdictional boundary. CEQA requires environmental analyses to reflect a “good faith effort at full
disclosure.” (CEQA Guidelines, § 15151.) Thus, where methodologies exist that can estimate the full extent of
vehicle travel from a project, the lead agency should apply them to do so. Where those VMT effects will grow over
time, analyses should consider both a project’s short-term and long-term effects on VMT. (OPR Technical Advisory,
Page 6)
3 Resident employees both live and work in the SANDAG region.
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The City of Carlsbad regional VMT/employee average and VMT maps display refined data
that accounts for the VMT associated with the commute trip for people who commute
into the SANDAG region from another adjacent county. The data used to include the
external VMT is derived from the “origin-destination” trip tables from the SANDAG model
(which is a modeling step that is not part of the VMT calculations). The external VMT
generated by people who live and work within the SANDAG region and travel outside the
SANDAG region as part of their work tour is not included. For example, for someone who
lives and works in the San Diego region and would occasionally travel to Orange County
for a work conference, his or her VMT associated with that trip is not included in the
refined work tour metric. Including this work related VMT is not possible because the
SANDAG model does not contain trip purpose information for trips that exit and return to
the region.
One limitation that applies to all VMT data produced by the SANDAG regional travel model is that
VMT generated within Mexico (for example, a San Diego region resident who travels to Mexico to
go shopping) or by residents of Mexico (for example someone who lives in Mexico and works in the
San Diego region) are not accounted for due to lack of information. Additional documentation for
the VMT/capita and VMT/employee refined metrics is provided in Appendix D.
Figure 3.2 shows a flow chart that summarizes the VMT analysis process.
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Identify VMT Metrics by Land Use Type
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* Screening Criteria•Small Projects (110 or fewer net new daily trips)•Projects Located within a ½ Mile of a Major Transit Stop or a Stop on a High-Quality Transit Corridor•Local-Serving Retail Projects•Local-Serving Public Facilities•Affordable Housing Projects•Redevelopment Projects with Lower TotalVMT
Screened*
Residential Employment Retail, Recreational, Public Facilities Mixed-Use***Industrial Employment
Other Project Types**
VMT/Capita VMT/Employee Total VMT
Figure 3.2: VMT Analysis ProcessThe following process depicts the typical steps for performing VMT analysis in the City of Carlsbad. Deviations from this process may be necessary for specific projects or unique situations as coordinated with City staff.
Project presumed to cause less than significant impact.
Provide a Technical Memorandum of the Screening Process End
15% Below Citywide Average (residential)ORRegional Average (employment)At or Below Regional Average
No Net Increase in Total VMT
Finding of Less than Significant ImpactFinding of Significant Impact
Impact Fully Mitigated
Yes
Yes
**Refer to Appendix C for a list of other project typesand to determine which land use category is appropriatefor VMT analysis purposes.
***Each project component should be evaluated based on land use type (e.g., residential, employment, and retail) and VMT metric.
Yes
Yes
No No
No
Yes
No Additional Analysis
VMT/Employee
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Identify Mitigation Measures End
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Smaller Project(Generally≤2,400 net new daily trips)
Perform Project Specific Modeling Consult with City Staff
VMT Maps to Determine VMT or May Perform Project Specific Modeling
Residential Employment Retail, Recreational, Public Facilities Mixed-Use***Industrial Employment
Larger Project(Generally>2,400 net new daily trips)
Small Project and Transit Screening Criteriaare not applicable per Cleveland National Forest Foundation v. County of San Diego (4th Appellate District).
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3.3 Screening Criteria
The following is a description of projects that would be presumed to have a less than significant
transportation impact due to project type or location unless substantial evidence would suggest
otherwise. If a project meets at least one of the following screening criteria, it would not require a
detailed VMT analysis. However, a discussion summarizing the applicability of relevant screening
criteria is required.
NOTE: Screening criteria are intended to quickly identify when a project would typically be
expected to cause a less than significant impact without conducting a detailed study (OPR
Technical Advisory, Page 12, December 2018). There may be circumstances where a project meets
one of the screening criteria, but evidence suggests that the project may increase areawide VMT.
For example, OPR describes replacing affordable housing with fewer moderate- or high-income
units, resulting in less VMT generated by the site (qualifying for the redevelopment screening);
however, the displaced residents’ VMT also needs to be considered because it may cause an
overall increase in VMT as the residents move to farther away affordable housing. Thus, in this
example, the project would not qualify for screening. Another example is redevelopment of core
services (basic grocery shopping, general needs stores/services, etc.) that the existing population
relies on. Removing these core services, without replacing them, may cause VMT to increase as
existing residents travel farther to access these services. An analysis showing the project’s effect
on VMT or an analysis showing how basic service access changes may be necessary.
Further guidance on screening criteria can be found in OPR’s Technical Advisory.
Small Projects
Per OPR’s Technical Advisory, projects that generate less than 110 ADT would be presumed
to have a less than significant transportation impact. Projects that can demonstrate that
they would generate an ADT of less than 110 after applying trip-reduction strategies would
be screened out from performing additional analysis.
Projects Located Near Transit
Per OPR’s Technical Advisory, residential, retail, office projects, or projects that have a mix
of those uses whose project site boundaries are within one half mile of an existing major
transit stop, planned major transit stop, or a stop/transit center along a high-quality transit
corridor would normally be presumed to have a less than significant transportation impact.
In the City of Carlsbad, this would apply to projects within one half mile of the Carlsbad
Village or Carlsbad Poinsettia Coaster stations, as well as projects within one-half mile of
the Plaza Camino Real transit center. Certain types of projects that are located near transit
would not have a presumption of a less than significant transportation impact even if
located near transit. This would include, for example, projects with low density or high
levels of parking. OPR Technical Advisory includes additional detail on determining the
status of projects located near transit.
Small Project and Transit Screening Criteria are not applicable per Cleveland National Forest Foundation v. County of San Diego (4th Appellate District).
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Local-Serving Retail and Similar Land Uses
Per OPR’s Technical Advisory, local-serving retail uses are presumed to have a less than
significant impact on VMT since they tend to attract trips from adjacent areas that would
have otherwise been made to more distant retail locations.
Local-Serving Public Facilities
Similar to retail land uses, local-serving public facilities are presumed to have a less than
significant impact on VMT. This would include government facilities intended to serve the
local public, parks, public elementary schools, public middle schools, and public high
schools. A study evaluating the user capture area may be required in order to demonstrate
that a public facility is local-serving. Typically, private schools, charter schools, or public
facilities with unique uses will be required to provide a user capture area study.
Affordable Housing Projects
OPR’s Technical Advisory allows for a less than significant finding for transportation impacts
of residential projects that are 100% affordable housing located in infill areas. Affordable
housing projects in the City of Carlsbad could use this recommendation if they demonstrate
that they are located in infill areas based on urban planning considerations.
Redevelopment Projects That Result in a Net Reduction of VMT
Per CEQA, projects are considered to have a less than significant impact if they result in a
net reduction in the relevant performance measure (in this case VMT). Therefore,
redevelopment projects in the City of Carlsbad that generate less VMT than the existing
project they are replacing would be considered to have a less than significant impact on
VMT. Since VMT/capita and VMT/employee are efficiency metrics, a redevelopment
project that would produce more VMT than the existing project it is replacing would need
to conduct a VMT analysis assuming the proposed land use (with no credit taken for the
existing land use) to determine whether the proposed project meets the applicable
significance thresholds.
3.4 Significance Thresholds
Significance thresholds for land development projects are summarized below. Additional
discussion and substantial evidence can be found in Appendix C.
•Residential Projects: A significant transportation impact occurs if the project VMT/capita
exceeds a level 15% below the city average VMT/capita
•Office Projects: A significant transportation impact occurs if the project VMT/employee
exceeds a level 15% below the regional average VMT/employee
•Regional Retail Projects: A significant transportation impact occurs if the project results in
a net increase in VMT
•Industrial Projects: A significant transportation impact occurs if the project VMT/employee
exceeds the average regional VMT/employee
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Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis Guidelines | 11
If the project is using data from the SANDAG regional travel demand model, the city average
VMT/capita and regional average VMT/employee values are determined using the SANDAG
regional travel demand model. If the project is performing a custom model run, the “no project”
version of the model version being used for the analysis should be used to derive the regional
average VMT/employee and VMT/capita values. Note that different model runs will produce
slightly varied results because the model is a simulation model (results can’t be identically
replicated).
If a different VMT analysis tool is used for the analysis, the values for the VMT thresholds should be
determined using the tool that is being used for the analysis. It is not appropriate to use one
tool/method to determine the VMT threshold and a different tool/method to perform the analysis.
3.5 Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis
For projects that do not meet the screening criteria listed above, a detailed VMT analysis is needed.
This section provides guidance on how a VMT analysis should be conducted for various types of
land development projects. See Appendix E for land use designations or consult city staff for project
types that are not listed.
For projects that are inconsistent with the General Plan or are evaluated using net change in VMT,
a cumulative VMT analysis may be required. Consultation with city staff should be conducted in
these cases to determine the appropriate VMT analysis methodology.
Single Land-Use Residential or Office Projects
Typical residential or office single land-use projects generating less than 2,400 ADT4 would
use the City of Carlsbad VMT/capita and VMT/employee analysis maps and would
determine VMT/capita or VMT/employee for the traffic analysis zone in which the project
is located. If the project VMT/capita or VMT/employee exceeds the corresponding
threshold of significance, a significant impact would be indicated. Mitigation measures
would then be considered.
Typical single land-use residential or office projects generating more than 2,400 ADT would
use a model run of the SANDAG regional travel demand model or other VMT estimation
tool to determine the project’s VMT/capita or VMT/employee. If the resulting VMT/capita
or VMT/employee exceeds the corresponding threshold of significance, a significant impact
would be indicated. Mitigation measures would then be considered.
Mixed-Use Projects
Per OPR’s Technical Advisory, VMT analysis for mixed-use projects would be conducted by
analyzing each individual land use independently and applying the significance threshold
for each land use. It is appropriate to calculate a VMT reduction associated with “internal
capture” that is applied to each land use. Internal capture accounts for the vehicle trip
4 2,400 daily trips is a historical “rule of thumb” number that may be updated periodically based on the travel
demand model sensitivity. Applicants should coordinate with City staff to confirm the project size at which the
travel demand model should be run. As described, a variety of considerations go into the selection of which VMT
modeling tool should be used.
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Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis Guidelines | 12
reduction due to interaction between land uses and is typically calculated as part of the trip
generation analysis. Reducing vehicle trips results in reduced VMT; therefore, a reduction
in VMT can be taken for mixed use projects that have internal capture. Note that if the
SANDAG model is used to perform the VMT analysis for a mixed use project, it will typically
account for the internal capture and further reductions are typically not necessary.
Redevelopment Projects
Redevelopment projects that do not meet the screening criteria above would need to
conduct a VMT analysis to determine whether they meet the appropriate significance
thresholds based on the project type. For analysis that uses efficiency metrics, it would be
based solely on the characteristics of the new project to be developed without any
consideration of the development that is being replaced.
Regional Retail Projects
All retail projects that do not meet the screening criteria above are considered regional
retail projects and require a project specific evaluation of VMT using the SANDAG model or
other model/method to assess the effect that the project has on affected area VMT. Note
that the affected area should be developed in consultation with City staff and may include
the City, Region, or another area as appropriate to the context of the project. Regional retail
projects that result in a net increase in VMT compared to the no project condition would
have a significant transportation impact.
Industrial Projects
For the purposes of VMT analysis, industrial projects include establishments whose primary
purpose is the manufacture of goods. See Appendix E for types of industrial land uses.
Typical industrial projects generating less than 2,400 ADT5 would use the City of Carlsbad
VMT/employee analysis maps and would determine VMT/employee for the traffic analysis
zone in which the project is located. If the project VMT/employee exceeds the regional
average VMT/employee, a potentially significant impact would be indicated. Mitigation
measures would then be considered.
Typical industrial projects generating more than 2,400 ADT would use a model run of the
SANDAG regional travel demand model or other model/method to determine
VMT/employee. If the resulting VMT/employee exceeds the regional average
VMT/employee, a potentially significant impact would be indicated. Mitigation measures
would then be considered.
It should be noted that goods movement is not subject to VMT analysis. Therefore, goods
movement trips associated with an industrial project would not be included when
determining VMT/employee.
5 2,400 daily trips is a historical “rule of thumb” number that may be updated periodically based on the travel
demand model sensitivity. Applicants should coordinate with City staff to confirm the project size at which the
travel demand model should be run.
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Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis Guidelines | 13
Regional Public Facility Projects
Regional public facilities that do not meet the screening criteria above are analyzed like a
regional retail project and require a project specific evaluation of VMT using the SANDAG
model or other model/method to assess the effect that the project has on affected area
VMT. Note that the affected area should be developed in consultation with City staff and
may include the City, Region, or another area as appropriate to the context of the project.
Regional public facility projects that result in a net increase in VMT compared to the no
project condition would have a significant transportation impact. Note that for regional
public facilities that are entirely office space (for agency staff, not customer facing) it may
be appropriate to use the office project methodology/metrics, coordination with City staff
is required.
3.6 Mitigation
Projects can apply VMT reductions to lower their calculated resident VMT/capita or employee
VMT/employee below the significance threshold. Typically, VMT is reduced by implementing
strategies that achieve one of the following:
•Reducing the number of automobile trips generated by the project or by the residents or
employees of the project.
•Reducing the distance that people drive.
Measures that reduce single occupant automobile trips or reduce travel distances are called
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) strategies. Several TDM strategies applied in
combination is referred to as a TDM plan or program.
See Appendix F for additional information on mitigation measures for land development projects.
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4 TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS
SB 743 also applies to transportation projects, which are projects that improve transportation facilities for
any mode of travel. Per revised CEQA Section 15064.3, lead agencies have the discretion to determine
the appropriate measure of transportation impact consistent with CEQA and other applicable
requirements. As recommended in OPR’s Technical Advisory, the City of Carlsbad uses VMT as the
performance measure for transportation projects.
4.1 Screening Criteria
Per OPR’s Technical Advisory, certain types of transportation projects are presumed to have a less than
significant impact on transportation. These include the following:
•Rehabilitation, maintenance, replacement, safety, and repair projects designed to improve the
condition of existing transportation assets (e.g., highways; roadways; bridges; culverts;
Transportation Management System field elements such as cameras, message signs, detection,
or signals; tunnels; transit systems; and assets that serve bicycle and pedestrian facilities) and
that do not add additional motor vehicle capacity
•Roadside safety devices or hardware installation such as median barriers and guardrails
•Roadway shoulder enhancements to provide “breakdown space,” dedicated space for use only
by transit vehicles, to provide bicycle access, or to otherwise improve safety, but which will not
be used as automobile vehicle travel lanes
•Addition of an auxiliary lane of less than one mile in length designed to improve roadway safety
•Installation, removal, or reconfiguration of traffic lanes that are not for through traffic, such as
left, right, and U-turn pockets, two-way left turn lanes, or emergency breakdown lanes that are
not utilized as through lanes
•Addition of roadway capacity on local or collector streets provided the project also substantially
improves conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and, if applicable, transit
•Conversion of existing general purpose lanes (including ramps) to managed lanes or transit
lanes, or changing lane management in a manner that would not substantially increase vehicle
travel
•Addition of a new lane that is permanently restricted to use only by transit vehicles
•Reduction in number of through lanes
•Grade separation to separate vehicles from rail, transit, pedestrians or bicycles, or to replace a
lane in order to separate preferential vehicles (e.g., HOV, HOT, or trucks) from general vehicles
•Installation, removal, or reconfiguration of traffic control devices, including Transit Signal
Priority (TSP) features
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Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis Guidelines | 15
•Installation of traffic metering systems, detection systems, cameras, changeable message signs
and other electronics designed to optimize vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian flow
•Timing of signals to optimize vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian flow
•Installation of roundabouts or traffic circles
•Installation or reconfiguration 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 operation with no net increase in number of
traffic lanes
•Removal or relocation of off-street or on-street parking spaces
•Adoption or modification of on-street parking or loading restrictions (including meters, time
limits, accessible spaces, and preferential/reserved parking permit programs)
•Addition of traffic wayfinding signage
•Rehabilitation and maintenance projects that do not add motor vehicle capacity
•Addition of new or enhanced bike or pedestrian facilities on existing streets/highways or within
existing public rights-of-way
•Addition of Class I bike paths, trails, multi-use paths, or other off-road facilities that serve non-
motorized travel
•Installation of publicly available alternative fuel/charging infrastructure
•Addition of passing lanes, truck climbing lanes, or truck brake-check lanes in rural areas that do
not increase overall vehicle capacity along the corridor
4.2 Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis
For projects that do require VMT analysis and are large transportation infrastructure projects, the
typical approach would be to use the SANDAG regional travel model (or other model/method) and
compare a model run without the project to a model run with the project and determine the net
change in total VMT. Any net increase in VMT would result in a significant impact.
It is possible to manually calculate VMT for a small-scale transportation projects if the size of the
project would be inappropriate for inclusion in a regional travel model because of model sensitivity.
Generally, the change in daily trips on the project roadway (i.e. a new roadway) and roadways
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within a reasonable distance of the project should be estimated. VMT can be manually calculated
by multiplying the daily trips by the length of the roadway. For small-scale roadway projects that
serve a small area, are a short distance, or add a short section of new travel lane, a qualitative
analysis may be appropriate. If a project closes a gap (such as a bridge connection) where it can be
shown to reduce the travel distance for roadway users, the project would likely reduce VMT and
have a less than significant impact.
4.3 Significance Thresholds
The significance thresholds for transportation projects is the following:
•Transportation Projects: A significant transportation impact occurs if the project results in
a net increase in VMT
4.4 Mitigation
Guidance on mitigation measures for transportation projects may be found in OPR’s Technical
Advisory.
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5 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES FOR VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS
This chapter provides locations of websites that can be used to locate additional resources that may be
useful in conducting VMT analyses in the City of Carlsbad:
•Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR): https://www.opr.ca.gov/ceqa/sb-743/
•California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA). This organization has provided
one of the most widely used resources for VMT mitigation (Handbook for Analyzing Greenhouse
Gas Emission Reductions, Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities, and Advancing Health and Equity).
It can be found at the following website:
https://www.airquality.org/ClimateChange/Documents/Final%20Handbook_AB434.pdf
•Caltrans SB 743 Website: https://dot.ca.gov/programs/sustainability/sb-743
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VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
APPENDIX A VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED REPORT TEMPLATES
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 22 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
Screening Only
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
1
How to Use this Template: Land development projects are required to conduct a California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) transportation analysis to evaluate the transportation impacts
of the project. The City of Carlsbad’s VMT Analysis Guidelines provide direction to City staff,
consultants, and project applicants regarding the methodologies and thresholds to be used for VMT
analysis. The VMT analysis process as documented in the VMT Analysis Guidelines is:
1.Apply project screening criteria. If the project meets at least one of the screening criteria, the
project is assumed to cause a less than significant impact and a detailed VMT analysis is not
necessary. If the project does not meet any of the screening criteria, continue to Step 2.
2.Identify VMT calculation methodology.
3.Identify VMT metric.
4.Determine whether project falls within VMT threshold.
5.Assess transportation impact.
6.Propose mitigation measures, if necessary.
Report Types
Based on the VMT analysis process, a project will fall into one of three report types listed below:
•Screening Only – Projects that have met at least one of the screening criteria and do not
require a detailed VMT analysis.
•VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps – Smaller projects (i.e., projects that generate 2,400 or
less average daily trips or projects that do not require a separate modeling approach) that do
not meet any of the screening criteria and require a detailed VMT analysis using the City of
Carlsbad’s VMT maps to determine VMT. NOTE: This method only applies to residential
and employment projects.
•VMT Analysis Using a Custom Model/Method – Larger projects that do not meet any of
the screening criteria and require a detailed VMT analysis using a project-specific
model/method to determine VMT.
This template applies to projects identified as Screening Only projects.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis
Guidelines.
Note that for projects with multiple land uses, the land use with the most complex report should be
followed. If components of the project meet the screening criteria, they should be documented in
the Screening Assessment section of the document.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 23 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
Screening Only
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
2
VMT Analysis (Screening Only) Requirements
Submission Date:
SECTION I: Developer Profile
Developer Name: Property Manager Name:
Developer Mailing Address: Number Street Suite
City State Zip CodePrimary Contact Name: Primary Contact Phone/Email: Phone:Email:
Transportation Consultant Firm/ Representative
Transportation Consultant Phone/Email: Phone:Email:
SECTION II: Project Information
Project Name:
Permit Number:
Project Address:
Number Street Suite
City State Zip Code
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VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
Screening Only
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
3
SECTION III: Compliance Overview Checklist
Complete the appropriate sections of the checklist below to ensure compliance with the City of
Carlsbad’s VMT Analysis Guidelines.
CEQA VMT Analysis (Screening Only)
Compliance Checklist
Satisfactory?
(completed by City)
YES NO
Technical memorandum documenting screening analysis and conclusions,
citing relevant information from VMT Analysis Guidelines Chapter 3.3 ☐☐
Which of the screening criteria does the project satisfy? Select all that apply.
☐Small project (less than 110
net new daily trips)
☐Local-serving public facility
☐Project located near transit ☐Affordable housing project
☐Local-serving retail project ☐Redevelopment project
resulting in net reduction of VMT
☐ ☐
SECTION IV: Technical Memorandum Contents
The following provides the required contents of a VMT Analysis (Screening Only) technical
memorandum.
Page # or
Appendix:
(completed by
preparer)
CEQA VMT Analysis (Screening Only)
Required Content
Satisfactory?
(completed by City)
YES NO
Introduction, including:
•Purpose of the VMT Analysis and identification of the
type of VMT report being prepared
•Regional vicinity map with project location
☐☐
Project Description, including:
•Proposed project description (land use type, intensity,
etc.)
•Projected opening year
•Site plan
☐☐
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VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
Screening Only
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
4
VMT Screening Assessment
•Table that displays all screening criteria and identifies
which screening criteria the project meets.
•Justification for how the project meets the screening
criteria listed in the screening criteria table. This
information may include:
o Daily project trip generation (total, without
adjustments for existing land uses on the
site).
o A map showing proximity of the project to a
major transit stop, planned major transit stop,
or a stop/transit center along a high-quality
transit corridor and the walking route from
the project to the transit stop. Justify that the
project does not exceed Carlsbad parking
requirements and that the floor area ratio
does not exceed 0.75.
o Locally serving characteristics of the project.
o Documentation of the project’s location
within an infill area and designation as 100%
affordable housing.
o A total VMT analysis comparison for a
redevelopment project demonstrating that
the proposed project generates less total
VMT than the existing land uses.
☐☐
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 26 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
1
How to Use this Template: Land development projects are required to conduct a California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) transportation analysis to evaluate the transportation impacts
of the project. The City of Carlsbad’s VMT Analysis Guidelines provide direction to City staff,
consultants, and project applicants regarding the methodologies and thresholds to be used for VMT
analysis. The VMT analysis process as documented in the VMT Analysis Guidelines is:
1.Apply project screening criteria. If the project meets at least one of the screening criteria, the
project is assumed to cause a less than significant impact and a detailed VMT analysis is not
necessary. If the project does not meet any of the screening criteria, continue to Step 2.
2.Identify VMT calculation methodology.
3.Identify VMT metric.
4.Determine whether project falls within VMT threshold.
5.Assess transportation impact.
6.Propose mitigation measures, if necessary.
Report Types
Based on the VMT analysis process, a project will fall into one of three report types listed below:
•Screening Only – Projects that have met at least one of the screening criteria and do not
require a detailed VMT analysis.
•VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps – Smaller projects (i.e., projects that generate 2,400 or
less average daily trips or projects that do not require a separate modeling approach) that do
not meet any of the screening criteria and require a detailed VMT analysis using the City of
Carlsbad’s VMT maps to determine VMT. NOTE: This method only applies to residential
and employment projects.
•VMT Analysis Using a Custom Model/Method – Larger projects that do not meet any of
the screening criteria and require a detailed VMT analysis using a project-specific
model/method to determine VMT.
This template applies to projects identified as VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps projects.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis
Guidelines.
Note that for projects with multiple land uses, the land use with the most complex report should be
followed. If components of the project meet the screening criteria, they should be documented in
the Screening Assessment section of the document.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 27 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
2
VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps Requirements
Submission Date:
SECTION I: Developer Profile
Developer Name: Property Manager Name:
Developer Mailing Address:
Number Street Suite
City State Zip Code
Primary Contact Name: Primary Contact Phone/Email: Phone: Email:
Transportation Consultant Firm/ Representative
Transportation Consultant Phone/Email: Phone: Email:
SECTION II: Project Information
Project Name:
Permit Number:
Project Address:
Number Street Suite
City State Zip Code
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 28 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
3
SECTION III: Compliance Overview Checklist
Complete the appropriate sections of the checklist below to ensure compliance with the City of
Carlsbad’s VMT Analysis Guidelines.
CEQA VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps
Compliance Checklist
Satisfactory?
(completed by City)
YES NO
VMT Report documenting VMT screening and VMT analysis ☐ ☐
VMT Analysis performed using VMT maps ☐ ☐
VMT Impact Conclusion (significant or less than significant impact) ☐ ☐
Mitigation Measure Identification and Analysis (for significant impacts) ☐ ☐
SECTION IV: VMT Report Contents
The following provides the required contents of a VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps Report.
Page # or
Appendix:
(completed by
preparer)
CEQA VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps
Required Content
Satisfactory?
(completed by City)
YES NO
Executive Summary/Introduction:
• Purpose of VMT analysis and identification of type of
VMT report being prepared
• Regional vicinity map with project location
• Project screening results
• VMT analysis method (Carlsbad VMT maps)
• Significance of CEQA impacts
• Mitigation measures and significance after mitigation
☐ ☐
Project Description, including:
• Proposed project description (land use type, intensity,
etc.)
☐ ☐
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VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
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• VMT reduction measures that are part of the project
description
• Site plan
VMT Screening Assessment
• Table that displays all screening criteria and
demonstrates that the project does not meet the
criteria and a brief statement of why. To demonstrate
why a project doesn’t meet any of the screening
criteria, the following information may be necessary:
o Daily project trip generation (total, without
adjustments for existing land uses on the
site).
o A map showing the project’s lack of proximity
to a major transit stop, planned major transit
stop, or a stop/transit center along a high-
quality transit corridor.
o Statements that locally serving, affordable
housing, and redevelopment criteria are not
applicable.
• For projects with multiple land uses, perform a
screening assessment and create a screening
assessment table for each land use. Document the
conclusion of the screening assessment by land use. If
one land use meets the screening criteria and one
does not, only complete a VMT analysis for the
component that does not meet the screening criteria.
☐ ☐
Identify VMT Calculation Methodology and VMT Metric
• Provide screenshot(s) of Carlsbad VMT maps with
project TAZ(s) highlighted and VMT data displayed
(for each metric that is applicable).
• For residential projects, VMT/Capita is applicable.
• For employment projects, VMT/Employee is
applicable.
• The VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps Report type is only
applicable to residential and employment projects.
☐ ☐
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 30 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
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Identify VMT Thresholds and Perform VMT Impact Analysis
•Refer to the Carlsbad VMT Analysis Guidelines to
determine the appropriate impact threshold to apply
to the analysis. Document the threshold and the
numerical value that represents the threshold. For
example, the threshold for residential projects is 15%
below the city-wide average VMT/capita, or currently
20.4 miles per resident.
•Determine the project’s VMT using the Carlsbad VMT
maps, and if applicable, apply any VMT reduction
measures that are part of the project description
(refer to VMT Analysis Guidelines Appendix F for
guidance on performing reduction calculations).
•Compare the project’s VMT to the City threshold and
document if the project has a significant or less than
significant impact.
Identify and Analyze Mitigation Measures (if the Impact is
Significant)
•If a significant impact is identified, refer to VMT
Analysis Guidelines Appendix F to identify potential
mitigation measures and analysis guidance.
•Analyze how much VMT reduction is associated with
the mitigation measures and determine if mitigation
reduces the impact to less than significant.
•If the impact is still significant after mitigation is
applied, document that the project has a significant
and unavoidable impact.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 31 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
1
How to Use this Template: Land development projects are required to conduct a California
Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) transportation analysis to evaluate the transportation impacts
of the project. The City of Carlsbad’s VMT Analysis Guidelines provide direction to City staff,
consultants, and project applicants regarding the methodologies and thresholds to be used for VMT
analysis. The VMT analysis process as documented in the VMT Analysis Guidelines is:
1.Apply project screening criteria. If the project meets at least one of the screening criteria, the
project is assumed to cause a less than significant impact and a detailed VMT analysis is not
necessary. If the project does not meet any of the screening criteria, continue to Step 2.
2.Identify VMT calculation methodology.
3.Identify VMT metric.
4.Determine whether project falls within VMT threshold.
5.Assess transportation impact.
6.Propose mitigation measures, if necessary.
Report Types
Based on the VMT analysis process, a project will fall into one of three report types listed below:
•Screening Only – Projects that have met at least one of the screening criteria and do not
require a detailed VMT analysis.
•VMT Analysis Using VMT Maps – Smaller projects (i.e., projects that generate 2,400 or
less average daily trips or projects that do not require a separate modeling approach) that do
not meet any of the screening criteria and require a detailed VMT analysis using the City of
Carlsbad’s VMT maps to determine VMT. NOTE: This method only applies to residential
and employment projects.
•VMT Analysis Using a Custom Model/Method – Larger projects that do not meet any of
the screening criteria and require a detailed VMT analysis using a project-specific
model/method to determine VMT.
This template applies to projects identified as VMT Analysis Using a Custom Model/Method
projects.
For more detailed information, please refer to the Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis
Guidelines.
Note that for projects with multiple land uses, the land use with the most complex report should be
followed. If components of the project meet the screening criteria, they should be documented in
the Screening Assessment section of the document.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 32 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
2
VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method Requirements
Submission Date:
SECTION I: Developer Profile
Developer Name:
Property Manager Name:
Developer Mailing Address:
Number Street Suite
City State Zip Code
Primary Contact Name:
Primary Contact Phone/Email: Phone: Email:
Transportation
Consultant Firm/ Representative
Transportation Consultant Phone/Email: Phone: Email:
SECTION II: Project Information
Project Name:
Permit Number:
Project Address:
Number Street Suite
City State Zip Code
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 33 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
3
SECTION III: Compliance Overview Checklist
Complete the appropriate sections of the checklist below to ensure compliance with the City of
Carlsbad’s VMT Analysis Guidelines.
CEQA VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method
Compliance Checklist
Satisfactory?
(completed by City)
YES NO
VMT Report documenting VMT screening and VMT analysis ☐ ☐
VMT Analysis performed using custom model/method ☐ ☐
VMT Impact Conclusion (significant or less than significant impact) ☐ ☐
Mitigation Measure Identification and Analysis (for significant impacts) ☐ ☐
SECTION IV: VMT Report Contents
The following provides the required contents of a VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method
Report.
Page # or
Appendix:
(completed by
preparer)
CEQA VMT Analysis Using Custom
Model/Method
Required Content
Satisfactory?
(completed by City)
YES NO
Executive Summary/Introduction:
• Purpose of VMT analysis and identification of type of
VMT report being prepared
• Regional vicinity map with project location
• Project screening results
• VMT analysis method
• Significance of CEQA impacts
• Mitigation measures and significance after mitigation
☐ ☐
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 34 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
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Project Description, including:
• Proposed project description (land use type, intensity,
etc.)
• VMT reduction measures that are part of the project
description
• Site plan
☐ ☐
VMT Screening Assessment
• Table that displays all screening criteria and
demonstrates that the project does not meet the
criteria and a brief statement of why. To demonstrate
why a project doesn’t meet any of the screening
criteria, the following information may be necessary:
o Daily project trip generation (total, without
adjustments for existing land uses on the
site).
o A map showing the project’s lack of proximity
to a major transit stop, planned major transit
stop, or a stop/transit center along a high-
quality transit corridor.
o Statements that locally serving, affordable
housing, and redevelopment criteria are not
applicable.
• For projects with multiple land uses, perform a
screening assessment and create a screening
assessment table for each land use. Document the
conclusion of the screening assessment by land use. If
one land use meets the screening criteria and one
does not, only complete a VMT analysis for the
component that does not meet the screening criteria.
☐ ☐
Identify VMT Calculation Methodology and VMT Metric
• Provide a detailed description of the methodology
that will be used to perform the analysis, including
assumptions and substantial evidence for use of the
method (i.e. data sources, research studies, etc.).
• Identify the appropriate metrics for the project land
use(s). Document how the metrics will be developed
from the custom model/method.
☐ ☐
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 35 of 83
VMT Report Template for
Land Development Projects –
VMT Analysis Using Custom Model/Method
City of Carlsbad 1200 Carlsbad Village Dr. Carlsbad, CA 92008
5
Identify VMT Thresholds and Perform VMT Impact Analysis
•Refer to the Carlsbad VMT Guidelines to determine
the appropriate impact threshold to apply to the
analysis. Document the threshold and the numerical
value that represents the threshold. Note that the
same methodology must be used to determine the
project VMT and the VMT threshold. For example, if a
custom spreadsheet model using origin/destination
GIS analysis is used, the threshold must also be
determined using the same method.
•Determine the project’s VMT using the custom
model/method, and if applicable, apply any VMT
reduction measures that are part of the project
description (refer to VMT Analysis Guidelines
Appendix F for guidance on performing reduction
calculations).
•Compare the project’s VMT to the City threshold and
document if the project has a significant or less than
significant impact.
☐ ☐
Identify and Analyze Mitigation Measures (if the Impact is
Significant)
•If a significant impact is identified, refer to VMT
Analysis Guidelines Appendix F to identify potential
mitigation measures and analysis guidance.
•Analyze how much VMT reduction is associated with
the mitigation measures and determine if mitigation
reduces the impact to less than significant.
•If the impact is still significant after mitigation is
applied, document that the project has a significant
and unavoidable impact.
☐☐
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VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
APPENDIX B RESOLUTION NO. 2020-114
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 37 of 83
RESOLUTION NO. 2020-114
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CARLSBAD,
CALIFORNIA, APPROVING VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED THRESHOLDS OF
SIGNIFCANCE AND SCREENING CRITERIA FOR PUPRPOSES OF ANALYZING
TRANSPORTATION IMPACTS UNDER THE CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL
QUALITY ACT
EXHIBIT 1
WHEREAS, the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines ("CEQA Guidelines") encourage
public agencies to develop and publish generally applicable "thresholds of significance" to be used in
determining the significance of a project's environmental effects; and
WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7(a) defines a threshold of significance as "an
identifiable quantitative, qualitative or performance level of a particular environmental effect,
noncompliance with which means the effect will normally be determined to be significant by the
agency and compliance with which means the effect normally will be determined to be less than
significant"; and
WHEREAS, screening criteria are applied to determine when a project should be expected to
cause a less-than-significant impact without conducting a detailed study; and
WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7(b) requires that thresholds of significance must be
adopted by ordinance, resolution, rule, or regulations, developed through a public review process, and
be supported by substantial evidence; and
WHEREAS, pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15064. 7(c), when adopting thresholds of
significance, a public agency may consider thresholds of significance adopted or recommended by
other public agencies provided that the decision of the agency is supported by substantial evidence;
and
WHEREAS, Senate Bill 743, enacted in 2013 and codified in Public Resources Code section
21099, required changes to the CEQA Guidelines regarding the criteria for determining the significance
of transportation impacts of projects; and
WHEREAS, in 2018, the Governor's Office of Planning and Research ("OPR") proposed, and the
California Natural Resources Agency certified and adopted, new CEQA Guidelines section 15064.3 that
identifies vehicle miles traveled ("VMT") -meaning the amount and distance of automobile travel
attributable to a project -as the most appropriate metric to evaluate a project's transportation impacts;
and
June 16, 2020 Item #7 Page 9 of 221Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 38 of 83
EXHIBIT 1
WHEREAS, as a result, automobile delay, as measured by "level of service" and other similar
metrics, generally no longer constitutes a significant environmental effect under CEQA; and
WHEREAS, CEQA Guidelines section 15064.3 goes into effect on July 1, 2020, though public
agencies may elect to be governed by this section immediately; and
WHEREAS, the City of Carlsbad, following internal study and a public review process consisting
of staff a presentation before the Transportation and Mobility Commission, wishes to adopt VMT
thresholds of significance for determining the significance of transportation impacts and screening
criteria; and
WHEREAS, on June 16, 2020, the City Council held a duly noticed public hearing to consider this
Resolution, at which all persons interested were given an opportunity to be heard.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Carlsbad, California, as
follows:
1. That the above recitations are true and correct.
2. That the City of Carlsbad hereby adopts the VMT thresholds of significance and
screening criteria for transportation impact analysis under CEQA that are included as
Attachment A. These thresholds of significance and screening criteria have been
developed through a public review process and are supported by substantial evidence,
as required by CEQA Guidelines section 15064.7.
3. This Resolution shall take effect on July 1, 2020.
PASSED, APPROVED AND ADOPTED at a Regular Meeting of the City Council of the City of
Carlsbad on the 16th day of June 2020, by the following vote, to wit:
AYES:
NAYS:
ABSENT:
Hall, Blackburn, Bhat-Patel, Schumacher.
None.
None.
MATT HALL, Mayor
(SEAL)
June 16, 2020 Item #7 Page 10 of 221Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 39 of 83
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
APPENDIX C SCREENING CRITERIA AND THRESHOLD EVIDENCE
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SCREENING CRITERIA AND THRESHOLD EVIDENCE
This appendix provides context and evidence for the screening criteria and threshold evidence included
in Chapters 3 for Land Development Projects and Chapter 4 for Transportation Projects.
Screening Criteria
Certain types of development projects are presumed to have less than significant impacts to the
transportation system, and therefore would not be required to conduct a detailed VMT analysis, if any of
the following criteria are established, based on substantial evidence.
Small Projects
Small projects that would generate less than 110 average daily vehicle trips (ADT), would also not result
in significant transportation impacts on the transportation system:
Evidence – The OPR Technical Advisory states that “projects that generate or attract fewer than 110 trips
per day generally may be assumed to cause a less-than-significant impact.” This is supported by the fact
that CEQA provides a categorical exemption for existing facilities, including additions to existing structures
of up to 10,000 square feet, so long as the project is in an area where public infrastructure is available to
allow for maximum planned development, and the project is not in an environmentally sensitive area.
(CEQA Guidelines, § 15301(e)(2).) Typical project types for which trip generation increases relatively
linearly with building footprint (e.g., general office building, single tenant office building, office park, or
business park) generate or attract an additional 110- 124 trips per 10,000 square feet. Therefore, absent
substantial evidence otherwise, it is reasonable to conclude that the addition of 110 or fewer trips could
be considered not to lead to a significant impact.
Projects Located Near Transit
Per OPR’s Technical Advisory projects whose project site boundaries are within a half mile of an existing
or planned major transit stop or a major stop along a high-quality transit corridor can be screened out of
VMT analysis. Withing the City of Carlsbad, this would apply to projects within one half mile of the
Carlsbad Village or Carlsbad Poinsettia Coaster stations, as well as projects within one-half mile of the
Plaza Camino Real transit center. This presumption would not apply, however, if project-specific or
location-specific information indicates that the project will still generate significant levels of VMT.
Evidence – The OPR Technical Advisory states that “Proposed CEQA Guideline Section 15064.3,
subdivision (b)(1), states that lead agencies generally should presume that certain projects (including
residential, retail, and office projects, as well as projects that are a mix of these uses) proposed within ½
mile of an existing major transit stop or an existing stop along a high quality transit corridor will have a
less-than-significant impact on VMT. This presumption would not apply, however, if project-specific or
location-specific information indicates that the project will still generate significant levels of VMT.” Pub.
Resources Code, § 21064.3 clarifies the definition of a major transit stop (“ ‘Major transit stop’ means a
site containing an existing rail transit station, a ferry terminal served by either a bus or rail transit service,
or the intersection of two or more major bus routes with a frequency of service interval of 15 minutes or
less during the morning and afternoon peak commute periods.”). Pub. Resources Code, § 21155 clarifies
the definition of a major transit stop (“For purposes of this section, a high-quality transit corridor means
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a corridor with fixed route bus service with service intervals no longer than 15 minutes during peak
commute hours..”).
Local-Serving Retail and Similar Uses
Local-serving retail is defined in the City of Carlsbad as retail that is less than 50,000 square feet of total
gross floor area or retail development that is greater than 50,000 square feet that has a market area study
showing a market capture area that is primarily within Carlsbad and the adjacent cities of Oceanside, Vista,
San Marcos, and Encinitas. Local-serving retail is typically characterized by retail and services that people
access on a regular basis such as supermarkets, drug stores, discount store, restaurants, strip commercial,
and other uses as identified in Appendix E.
Evidence – The OPR Technical Advisory provides that “because New local-serving retail development new
retail development typically redistributes shopping trips rather than creating new trips. The greater
options and access to services that are nearby Carlsbad residential uses, the less likely it is for those
residents to travel out of their way to obtain the service. For example, if an existing market is 3 miles
away, and a new one is built 1 mile away, any resident that chooses the closer store would save 2 VMT,
as shown in the graphic below.
While some residents may still patronize the store that is 3 miles away, even if just one customer changes
to the closer store, VMT is saved. It is reasonable to anticipate that a proportion of residents will choose
the closer store, saving a significant amount of VMT. This concept applies to any retail/commercial that
offers regular needs. A reduction in total VMT is considered a less than significant impact; therefore, since
local-serving retail reduces VMT, it is presumed to have a less than significant impact. , estimating the
total change in VMT (i.e., the difference in total VMT in the area affected with and without the project) is
the best way to analyze a retail project’s transportation impacts.” Local serving retail generally shortens
trips as longer trips from regional retail are redistributed to new local retail. The OPR Technical Advisory
states that stores larger than 50,000 square feet may be considered regional-serving.Note that S since the
type of retail influences whether it will be locally serving or retail servinglocal serving (for example grocery,
drug stores, convenience stores, etc.) and the size of these facilities may be above 50,000 square feet, an
applicant can provide a market surveydocumentation demonstrating that the project serves the local
community if it is over 50,000 square feet.
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Local-Serving Public Facilities
Local-serving public facilities are City or other public agency facilities that provide services or support to
the community. Land uses such as libraries, public schools, fire stations, city buildings, and parks are all
considered local-serving. A full list is provided in Appendix E. Similar to local-serving retail, local-serving
public facilities serve the community and either produce very low VMT or divert existing trips from
established local facilities.
Evidence – Similar to local-serving retail, local-serving public facilities serve the community and providing
additional access by constructing new public buildings/locations reduces VMT. For example, if an
additional fire station were built in Carlsbad, the service call area of other nearby stations would decrease
and the new station would provide closer and more efficient access to residents in need, reducing total
VMT associated with emergency service calls. Similarly, if additional library or community recreation
resources are provided closer than an existing facility residents may shift from driving to a more distant
facility to use a closer facility as depicted in the graphic below.
Even if just one resident chooses the closer option, VMT is reduced. It is reasonable to anticipate that a
proportion of residents will choose to use the closer facility, saving a significant amount of VMT. A
reduction in total VMT is considered a less than significant impact; therefore, since local-serving public
facilities reduce total VMT, they are presumed to have a less than significant impact. Per CEQA, projects
are considered to have a less than significant impact if they result in a net reduction in the relevant
performance measure.
Similar to local serving retail, local serving public facilities would redistribute trips and would not create
new trips. Thus, similar to local serving retail, trips are generally shortened as longer trips from a regional
facility are redistributed to the local serving public facility. The evidence from the OPR Technical Advisory
described above also applies to local-serving public facilities.
Affordable Housing Projects
Affordable Housing is defined as multi-family housing that is below market rate, affordable for lower
income families, and is deed restricted or otherwise permanently dedicated as affordable housing. The
California Department of Housing and Community Development (2021) defines lower-income as 80
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percent of the area median income or below, and affordable housing as costing 30 percent of the gross
household income or less.
Residents of affordable residential projects typically generate less VMT than residents in market rate
residential projects. This pattern is particularly evident in affordable residential projects near transit. In
recognition of this effect, and in accordance with the OPR Technical Advisory, deed- restricted affordable
housing projects meet the City’s screening criteria and would not require a VMT analysis.
Projects that provide affordable housing affordable to persons with a household income equal to or less
than 50 percent of the area median income as defined by California Health and Safety Code Section 50093,
housing for senior citizens (as defined in Section 143.0720(e)), housing for transitional foster youth,
disabled veterans, or homeless persons (as defined in 143.0720(f)) are not required to complete a VMT
analysis.
Evidence –Affordable residential projects generate fewer trips than market rate residential projects. This
supports the assumption that the rate of vehicle ownership is expected to be less for persons that qualify
for affordable housing. Additionally, senior citizens, transitional foster youth, disabled veterans, and
homeless individuals also have low vehicle ownership rates.
The CAPCOA GHG Handbook (2024) provides the GHG percent reduction (which is equivalent to the VMT
reduction) expected in affordable housing projects as compared to market rate projects. The CAPCOA
GHG Handbook relies on the 11th Edition of the ITE Trip Generation Manual (2021) Land Use Category
221 – “Multifamily Housing (low-rise and not close to transit)” and ITE Land Use Category 223 –
“Affordable Multifamily Housing.” It compares the daily trip generation rates for these two categories.
The daily trip generation rate for Category 223 is 28.6% less than the rate for Category 221. While the ITE
Trip Generation Manual is only focused on trip generation (not trip length or VMT) it is appropriate to
apply because the equation for VMT is trip generation multiplied by average trip length. If the trip
generation is 28.6% lower for an affordable housing project, and the trip length is unchanged for a project
in a given location (which is an appropriate assumption, because trip length is a direct result of project
location), it follows that the VMT would also be 28.6% lower.
The City of Carlsbad’s VMT threshold for housing is 85% or below the citywide average VMT/capita.
Carlsbad provides current citywide VMT/capita information by Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) based on the
current SANDAG travel demand model. Based on analysis conducted using the current SANDAG Activity
Based Model 2+, the TAZ that has the highest VMT/capita in Carlsbad has a VMT of 26.1 miles, which is
108.3% higher than the citywide average of 24.0. Therefore, an affordable housing project located in this
TAZ would be expected to have a VMT that is 28.6% lower than the TAZ’s current VMT. This would result
in 18.6 VMT/capita for the affordable housing project, which is 78% of the citywide average. 78% of the
citywide average is better than the 85% of citywide average threshold, resulting in a less than significant
impact. Since this analysis is conduced for the location in the City with the highest VMT/capita, affordable
housing in all other locations of the City would have lower VMT/capita than this location and would also
have a less than significant impact.
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Redevelopment Projects That Cause a Net Reduction in VMT
A redevelopment project is a project that is demolishing an existing use (that has been in operation within
two years of the initial project application submittal to the city) and replacing it with a new use. that
demonstrates that the total project VMT is less than the existing land use’s total VMT is not required to
complete a VMT analysis.
Evidence – If analysis shows that the new proposed project would generate less total VMT than the project
it is replacing the proposed project is reducing VMT. Consistent with the OPR Technical Advisory, “[w]here
a project replaces existing VMT- generating land uses, if the replacement leads to a net overall decrease
in VMT, the project would lead to a less-than-significant transportation impact. If the project leads to a
net overall increase in VMT, then the thresholds described above should apply.” A reduction in total VMT
is considered a less than significant impact; therefore, a redevelopment project that reduces total VMT
has a less than significant impact. Per CEQA, projects are considered to have a less than significant impact
if they result in a net reduction in the relevant performance measure.
Thresholds
If a project is required to complete a VMT analysis, the project’s impacts to the transportation system
would be significant if the VMT would exceed any of the thresholds below.
Residential Projects
Threshold – 15% below city average household VMT/Capita.
Evidence – The OPR Technical Advisory provides that “residential development that would generate vehicle
travel that is 15 or more percent below the existing residential VMT/capita, measured against the region
or city, may indicate a less-than-significant transportation impact.”
Office/Employment Projects
Threshold – 15% below regional average VMT/Employee.
Evidence – The OPR Technical Advisory provides that “office projects that would generate vehicle travel
exceeding 15 percent below existing VMT/employee for the region may indicate a significant
transportation impact.”
Industrial Projects
Threshold – Above the regional average VMT/employee
Evidence – The OPR Technical Advisory provides that “[o]f land use projects, residential, office, and retail
projects tend to have the greatest influence on VMT. For that reason, OPR recommends the quantified
thresholds described above for purposes of analysis and mitigation. Lead agencies, using more location-
specific information, may develop their own more specific thresholds, which may include other land use
types.” Purely industrial uses are desired to be located in locations that are less dense and not within urban
areas which typically have higher VMT/employee. Industrial land uses are land intensive; therefore,
placing industrial land uses in less urban areas characterized by having higher VMT/employee allows land
in efficient VMT areas to be more effectively utilized as high density residential and commercial uses. This
threshold is consistent with achieving an overall reduction in VMT. It recognizes that industrial uses, which
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generate relatively lower total VMT are most appropriate in areas that have a lower potential to reduce VMT.
This allows more available land within areas with a high potential to achieve VMT reductions available for
more dense development.
Regional Retail
Regional retail uses are retail uses that are larger than 50,000 square feet of total gross floor area and/or
do not have a market study indicating that they are local-serving.
Threshold – A net increase in total regional VMT
Evidence – The OPR Technical Advisory provides that “because new rRetail development typically
redistributes shopping trips rather than creating new trips, estimating the total change in VMT (i.e., the
difference in total VMT in the area affected with and without the project) is the best way to analyze a
retail project’s transportation impacts. …Therefore, since Rregional-serving retail development,… which
can lead to substitution of longer trips for shorter ones, VMT analysis should be conducted to determine
the change in the affected area’s total VMT.may tend to have a significant impact. Where such
development decreases results in a decrease in affected area total VMT, lead agencies should consider
the impact is to be less-than- significant.”.
Transportation Project Screening Criteria
This section provides a list of transportation projects that are presumed to have a less than significant
impact, and therefore, would not be required to conduct VMT analysis.
Project types that would not result in increased vehicle travel have a less than significant impact and can
be screened out from performing VMT analysis. These types of projects include:
Rehabilitation/maintenance projects that do not add motor vehicle capacity
Addition of bicycle facilities
Intersection traffic signal improvements/turn-lane configuration changes
Additional capacity on local/collector streets if conditions are substantially improved for active
transportation modes
Installation of roundabouts and traffic calming devices
The following specific project types are presumed to have a less than significant impact to VMT:
Rehabilitation, maintenance, replacement, safety, and repair projects designed to improve the
condition of existing transportation assets (e.g., highways; roadways; bridges; culverts;
Transportation Management System field elements such as cameras, message signs, detection,
or signals; tunnels; transit systems; and assets that serve bicycle and pedestrian facilities) and
that do not add additional motor vehicle capacity
Roadside safety devices or hardware installation such as median barriers and guardrails
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Roadway shoulder enhancements to provide “breakdown space,” dedicated space for use only
by transit vehicles, to provide bicycle access, or to otherwise improve safety, but which will not
be used as automobile vehicle travel lanes
Addition of an auxiliary lane of less than one mile in length designed to improve roadway safety
Installation, removal, or reconfiguration of traffic lanes that are not for through traffic, such as
left, right, and U-turn pockets, two-way left turn lanes, or emergency breakdown lanes that are
not utilized as through lanes
Addition of roadway capacity on local or collector streets provided the project also substantially
improves conditions for pedestrians, cyclists, and, if applicable, transit
Conversion of existing general purpose lanes (including ramps) to managed lanes or transit
lanes, or changing lane management in a manner that would not substantially increase vehicle
travel
Addition of a new lane that is permanently restricted to use only by transit vehicles
Reduction in number of through lanes
Grade separation to separate vehicles from rail, transit, pedestrians or bicycles, or to replace a
lane in order to separate preferential vehicles (e.g., HOV, HOT, or trucks) from general vehicles
Installation, removal, or reconfiguration of traffic control devices, including Transit Signal
Priority (TSP) features
Installation of traffic metering systems, detection systems, cameras, changeable message signs
and other electronics designed to optimize vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian flow
Timing of signals to optimize vehicle, bicycle, or pedestrian flow
Installation of roundabouts or traffic circles
Installation or reconfiguration 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 operation with no net increase in number of
traffic lanes
Removal or relocation of off-street or on-street parking spaces
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Adoption or modification of on-street parking or loading restrictions (including meters, time
limits, accessible spaces, and preferential/reserved parking permit programs)
Addition of traffic wayfinding signage
Rehabilitation and maintenance projects that do not add motor vehicle capacity
Addition of new or enhanced bike or pedestrian facilities on existing streets/highways or within
existing public rights-of-way
Addition of Class I bike paths, trails, multi-use paths, or other off-road facilities that serve non-
motorized travel
Installation of publicly available alternative fuel/charging infrastructure
Addition of passing lanes, truck climbing lanes, or truck brake-check lanes in rural areas that do
not increase overall vehicle capacity along the corridor
Evidence – The list above contains transportation projects that would not change VMT, such as minor
modifications to roadways and intersections and safety improvements or would reduce VMT, such as
adding bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure. Since these projects would not change or reduce VMT, they
are is consistent with recommendations in the OPR Technical Advisory that indicates projects that can be
presumed to have a less than significant impact on VMT due to overall project characteristics.
Threshold
For transportation projects, significant impact occurs if the project results in a net increase in VMT.
Evidence – Use of any net increase in the performance measure (in this case VMT) is considered to be the
most conservative possible threshold possible under CEQA, assuming that any degradation in the
performance measure cause a significant impact. In the OPR Technical Advisory, the determination of a
performance measure for transportation projects is left to the discretion of the lead agency.
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VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
APPENDIX D VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED METRIC CALCULATION DOCUMENTATION
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VMT METRIC CALCULATION DOCUMENTATION
ACCOUNTING FOR EXTERNAL VMT
The City of Carlsbad uses refined VMT/capita and VMT/employee metrics instead of the metrics as
produced directly from SANDAG and displayed on the SANDAG website/web-map application. The
purpose of producing refined metrics is to provide more detailed estimates that are consistent with the
recommendations from the OPR Technical Advisory on Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA
(December 2018). Specifically, refined metrics are responsive to the following quote from the OPR
Technical Advisory:
•Considerations for All Projects. Lead agencies should not truncate any VMT analysis because ofjurisdictional or other boundaries, for example, by failing to count the portion of a trip that falls
outside the jurisdiction or by discounting the VMT from a trip that crosses a jurisdictional boundary.
CEQA requires environmental analyses to reflect a “good faith effort at full disclosure.” (CEQAGuidelines, §15151.) Thus, where methodologies exist that can estimate the full extent of vehicle
travel from a project, the lead agency should apply them to do so. Where those VMT effects will
grow over time, analyses should consider both a project’s short-term and long-term effects on VMT
(Page 6).
If a SANDAG model run is used to evaluate a project’s VMT/capita or VMT/employee, an additional step
is necessary to refine the results for impact analysis purposes. This step is to run a script that is available
to the City and the step will be performed by City staff or affiliates. The script is available in two
programming language formats; Python and R.
The script utilizes SANDAG model files (some of the files are model outputs that will be generated after
running the model and some are the model inputs) to calculate the employee and resident VMT based
on new refined metrics. The following files should be requested from SANDAG/City in the CSV format to
run the script:
1.Households (from SANDAG) – it provides information for every household in the
SANDAG region.
2.Persons (from SANDAG) – it provides information for every person within a household in
the SANDAG region.
3.wsLocResults_3 (from SANDAG) – it provides information about the work and school
location. Only work location information is used for this script.
4.maz_xref (from SANDAG) – it provides information about Micro Analysis Zones (MAZ or
MGRA); in what TAZ, Census Tract, City, or County they are located.
5.Ietrip (from SANDAG) – it provides information about internal-external trips. These trips
are made by SANDAG residents who travel outside the region.
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6. Eitrip (from SANDAG) – it provides information about external-internal trips. These trips
are made by people living outside the SANDAG region who travel to San Diego County.
7. Jointtrips (from SANDAG) – it provides information about trips made by SANDAG
residents traveling in groups of more than one person per vehicle.
8. Indivtrips (from SANDAG) – it provides information about individual trips made by
SANDAG residents.
9. jointTourData_3 (from SANDAG) – it provides information about tours made by SANDAG
residents traveling in groups of more than one person per vehicle.
10. ieei (from the City) – it provides information about the average trip length outside the
region for residents and non-residents where either end of their trips started in the
SANDAG region. This file is based on the CSTDM and provides the calculated weighted
average trip length outside of the region.
Once the files are obtained, they can be loaded in the script. All necessary functions and libraries are
included in the script to load and process the data. Outputs of the script will be generated in two CSV
files for VMT/Capita and VMT/Employee. The CSV files will include all TAZs within the region. The user
should look for the TAZ that they are interested in to find the associated VMT/Capita or VMT/Employee.
The following sections explain how the refined metrics differ from the “off-the-shelf” metrics from
SANDAG.
VMT per Capita
A limitation of the SANDAG-generated VMT/Capita is that it only includes VMT generated within the
SANDAG region by residents of the SANDAG region. For example, if a resident of San Diego County shops
in Riverside County, a part of his or her trip from the SANDAG border to the shopping mall would not be
included in that resident’s VMT record.
In addition, the Technical Advisory statement, mentioned above (CEQA Guidelines, § 15151), indicates
that external trips – trips that originate or terminate outside of the transportation model area or outside
of the agency – should be considered when calculating VMT. For the County of San Diego, this would
entail incorporating VMT information from Riverside County, Imperial County, and Orange County. In
addition, VMT associated with trips originating or terminating in Mexico should also be included;
however, including these Mexico – US trips is extremely difficult because VMT data sources are
extremely limited.
To account for VMT generated by residents of the SANDAG region traveling outside of the region, the
California Statewide Travel Demand Model (CSTDM) was used to calculate average trip lengths outside
of San Diego County for each entry/exit point of San Diego County. These trip lengths were appended to
trips made by residents of San Diego County to Riverside, Orange, or Imperial Counties and back to
calculate VMT per Resident considering the entirety of a resident’s daily vehicle miles traveled both
within and outside the County.
Table D-1 displays the current base year (2012) weighted average distance beyond the SANDAG model
boundary for trips passing through each model gateway using the CSTDM.
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TABLE D-1 - TRIP DISTANCES OUTSIDE SAN DIEGO COUNTY FOR ENTERING AND EXITING
TRIPS
Gateway Distance Outside San Diego County (miles)
Route County IX Trips XI Trips I-8 Imperial 70.16 69.20 SR-78 Imperial 54.07 58.90 SR-79 Riverside 71.71 62.54 Pechanga Pkwy Riverside 35.89 30.91 I-15 Riverside 24.86 24.81 I-5 Orange County 60.54 62.81
VMT per Employee
A limitation of the SANDAG VMT/Employee is that it does not include employee trips from people living
outside of San Diego County. For example, someone who commutes to San Diego from Riverside County
would not be included in the calculation. In addition, the VMT/Employee metric only includes VMT
generated within the SANDAG region by employees who live and work in the SANDAG region; therefore
if an employee lives and works in Carlsbad, but travels regularly to meetings in Orange County, the VMT
associated with the meeting travel is not included.
The Carlsbad refined work-tour VMT/Employee metric includes all work-related trips (work-tour) for
employees and is assigned to their work location TAZ. To account for work-related VMT generated by
people living outside of the San Diego region, one of SANDAG’s model output files (“eitrip” file) was
used to calculate the work-related VMT for trips originating outside the SANDAG region and terminating
in the SANDAG region. For example, if a resident of Orange County works in the City of Carlsbad, his or
her commute VMT is included in the employee VMT record. There is a limitation with inclusion of non-
resident commute VMT, which is that if that employee makes other work-related trips during the day
(for example going to lunch or to a meeting), the VMT associated with those trips is not included.
One other limitation of the refined metric is that external to/from internal work-related VMT generated
by people who live and work within the SANDAG region and travel outside the SANDAG region as part of
their work tour is not included. For example, for someone who lives and works in the San Diego region
and occasionally travels to Orange County for a work conference, his or her VMT associated with the
Orange County trips is not included in the refined work tour metrics. Including this work related VMT is
not possible because the SANDAG model does not provide trip type/purpose for resident’s trips that are
leaving and re-entering the SANDAG model boundary; therefore, it is not possible to conclude which
internal to/from external trips are work related.
APPLYING COMMUTE RELATED TDM MEASURES TO THE VMT/CAPITA
METRIC
Residential projects, as part of their travel demand management program, will sometimes provide on-
site travel demand management measures and amenities that reduce commute/work related trips.
Example work based measures that may be incorporated into residential projects are rideshare
programs, vanpool programs, and business centers. Since these measures apply specifically to work
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related travel, VMT reductions associated with them should only be applied to the portion of VMT
generated by the project that is commute/work related. Therefore, it is necessary to determine the
portion of the VMT/capita metric that is work related.
The SANDAG ABM 2+ model output was used to determine the portion of the VMT/Capita metric that is
work related. The calculation was specifically performed for Carlsbad VMT/Capita, the percentage would
be slightly different in other areas of the region. The portion of City of Carlsbad VMT/Capita that is work
related is approximately 44% of the total VMT/Capita. Table D-2 shows the calculation for determining
the percent of VMT/capita that is work related for the City of Carlsbad.
TABLE D-2 – PERCENT OF VMT/CAPITA THAT IS WORK RELATED
TRACT Within the City Total Resident
VMT
Commute Tour VMT
17109 169,512.32 71,571.76 17801 171,803.75 75,181.49
17808 155,168.22 64,574.99
17809 54,413.80 23,800.48
17810 123,174.56 52,491.84
17811 153,235.52 67,175.34
17813 110,467.06 44,286.25
17900 162,556.71 79,133.40
18000 89,582.07 42,555.98
19803 103,112.99 46,054.21
19804 110,746.43 45,678.20
19806 269,038.40 106,520.49
20013 317,174.47 145,442.50
20014 196,150.14 86,916.59
20015 135,581.04 64,107.30
20016 220,858.50 98,741.53
22100 225,085.81 88,839.17
Total 2,767,661.80 1,203,071.52
Portion of City of
Carlsbad Resident VMT
that is work related
44%
Source: SANDAG Model ABM 2+ Output
To determine the effectiveness of TDM measure(s) or commute trip reduction program(s) that are part
of a residential project’s travel demand management program, the following steps are taken:
1. Determine the project’s VMT/Capita
2. Identify the work based TDM measure and calculate the percent reduction in work-related
VMT due to implementing the measures/program.
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3. The effectiveness of the work based TDM measure is multiplied by 44% to get the resulting
effectiveness. If multiple work based TDM measures are identified, the procedure outlined
in Appendix F would be followed to combine them together. If TDM measures that would
reduce all VMT are also included, the same dampening process for combining measures
would apply (Appendix F). The resulting work effectiveness would be combined with the
other measures’ effectiveness using the dampening equations.
4. The percent reduction calculated in Step 3 is applied to the VMT/Capita from Step 1 to
arrive at “reduced” VMT/Capita.
5. The “reduced” VMT/Capita is compared to the significance threshold to assess whether
there is a significant impact.
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VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
APPENDIX E LAND USE DESIGNATIONS
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LAND USE DESIGNATIONS
Table E-1 provides guidance on how specific land use designations fit within the overall land use VMT
analysis categories: residential, office, industrial, retail (typically size determines if it is locally serving or
regional), and public facilities. Land use designation will be determined in consultation with City staff.
TABLE E-1: LAND USE DESIGNATIONS
LAND USE
Residential
Mobile Home
Multiple Dwelling Unit (all sizes)
Senior Housing (not Assisted Living)
Single Family Detached
Office/Employment
Assisted Living/Nursing Facility
Hospital
Industrial/Business Park
Scientific Research and Development
Hotel (including with and without convention facilities/restaurant)
Motel
Resort Hotel (could be considered retail, coordination with City Staff required)
Office
Medical Office
Government Offices (Use is Primarily Office with Employees; not Providing In-Person Customer Service)
Industrial Employment
Manufacturing/Assembly
Warehousing (including high-cube warehouses, parcel hubs, fulfillment centers, and cold storage warehouses)
Data Center
Agriculture
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Regional Public Facilities/Services: Presumed to be Not Locally Serving
Airport
University
Community College
Regional Education Facilities
Regional House of Worship
Regional Park
Public Facilities/Services: Presumed to be Locally Serving
Cemetery
Cellular Communications Towers/Facilities and other Utility Facilities
Local-Serving Educational Facilities
Day Care Center/Child Care Center
Fire Stations
Library
Department of Motor Vehicles
Government Offices (Providing Primarily In-Person Customer Service)
Post Office
Park & Ride Lot
Neighborhood House of Worship
Transit Station
Park
Waste-water Treatment Facilities
Regional Retail: Presumed to be Not Locally Serving
Shopping Center Greater than 50,000 square feet (unless a market study demonstrates otherwise)
Stand Alone Convention Centers/Event Venues
Theme Parks
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Retail: Presumed to be Locally Serving (Less than 50,000 square feet or a market study). If multiple
retail land uses are provided as one development, the sizes for all retail uses must be summed and
considered together as a shopping center to determine whether the project qualifies for screening.
Automobile Services
Convenience Market Chain
Discount Store/Discount Club
Drugstore
Fitness Center/Sports Facility (indoor or outdoor)
Furniture Store
Lumber/Home Improvement Store
Nursery
Restaurant/Winery
Neighborhood Shopping Center
Specialty Retail Center/Strip Commercial
Supermarket
Financial Institution (Bank or Credit Union)
Bowling Center
Movie Theater
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VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
APPENDIX F VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
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VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES UNDER CEQA
Projects can apply VMT reduction strategies to lower their calculated VMT below the significance
threshold. Typically, VMT is reduced by implementing strategies that achieve one of the following:
• Reducing the number of automobile trips generated by the project or by the residents or
employees of the project; or
• Reducing the distance that people drive.
Measures that reduce single occupant automobile trips or travel distances are called Transportation
Demand Management (TDM) strategies.
QUANTIFYING TDM EFFECTIVENESS
To be effective mitigation measures, TDM strategies must be supported by sufficient evidence to
quantify the level of VMT reduction that they could achieve for a given project site. In general, the TDM
strategies can be quantified using the methodologies described in the Handbook for Analyzing
Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions, Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities, and Advancing Health and
Equity (California Air Pollution Control Officers Association (CAPCOA), 2021, referred to herein as “GHG
Handbook”).
The 2021 GHG Handbook supersedes the 2010 CAPCOA Quantifying Greenhouse Gas Mitigation
Measures handbook (referred to herein as the “CAPCOA report”). Projects must use the current
available information, and as such, should rely on data and procedures contained in the 2021 GHG
Handbook and not the 2010 CAPCOA report. The GHG Handbook contains updated data, calculations,
and procedures used in calculating TDM measure effectiveness at reducing VMT.
Table F-1 identifies TDM measures that are included in the GHG Handbook. This table provides a
description of each measure with information about the land use types that they are applicable to,
maximum effectiveness (if available), and guidance for the application of each measure for VMT
reduction.
Calculating TDM Program Effectiveness
As explained below, there are some important considerations for calculating the effectiveness of TDM
strategy mitigation measures. Alternative methodologies may be used to quantify VMT reductions,
provided there is substantial evidence to justify the calculated reduction. All assumptions regarding
participation, eligibility, and other variables should be clearly documented for each proposed TDM
strategy.
Some TDM strategies can be combined with others to increase the effectiveness of VMT mitigation;
however, the interaction between the various strategies is complex and sometimes counterintuitive.
Strategies apply to either the Project scale or the Community/City scale; therefore, VMT reductions at
these scales must be calculated separately. This limits project scale strategies to employer commute
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programs, land use strategies (increased density, mixed-use development, and transit-oriented
development), and parking (unbundled parking, parking cash-out, and pricing).
While individual projects may contribute to the cost of community-serving infrastructure improvements
(for example, pedestrian network and bicycle facility improvements), percentage VMT reductions from
community-scale strategies should be calculated separately from percentage VMT reductions due to
project-focused strategies. These percentage reductions can then be applied to total VMT generated at
the project or community levels. At the City’s discretion, community-scale VMT reductions can be
applied to offset project-generated VMT impacts.
As described in the GHG Handbook, strategy effectiveness levels are not directly additive, and when
determining the overall VMT reduction, the VMT reduction separately calculated for each individual
strategy (within their overall TDM strategy category) should be dampened, or diminished, according to a
multiplicative formula to account for the fact that some of the strategies may be redundant or
applicable to the same populations. Ultimately, the intent of this dampening is to provide a mechanism
for minimizing the possibility of overstating VMT reduction effectiveness.
To quantify the VMT reduction that results from combining strategies, the formula below can be applied
absent additional knowledge or information: 𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇𝑇 𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑉𝑇𝑇 𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑅𝑇𝑇𝑅𝑅𝑇𝑇𝑅𝑅 = 1-[(1 − 𝑃𝑃a) ∗ (1 – 𝑃𝑃b) ∗ (1 – 𝑃𝑃c) ∗ …]
Where: 𝑃𝑃x = percent reduction of each VMT reduction strategy
For example, if two strategies were proposed with corresponding VMT reductions of 20 percent and 10
percent, the equation would be [1-(1-20%)*(1-10%)] or [1-(80%*90%)], which equates to a 28 percent
reduction rather than the 30 percent reduction that would otherwise result from a direct sum. This
adjustment methodology is simply a mathematical approach to dampening the potential effectiveness
and is not supported by research related to the actual effectiveness of combined strategies. As noted
above, this approach minimizes possibility of overstating VMT reduction effectiveness. When calculating
the effects of different groups of strategies, this formula should be applied when combining individual
strategies in a group and again when combining groups of strategies in a single program.
When calculating the VMT reduction of a combination of strategies, the effectiveness of each strategy
should be calculated using the same method consistently.
Per the GHG Handbook, subcategory-specific maximum reasonable VMT reductions are identified to
prevent double-counting of reductions from measures that affect travel behavior in similar ways. For
example, the GHG Handbook indicates that the combination of any group of trip reduction strategies
would have a maximum effect. Maximums are provided for each subcategory of measures. Within
Carlsbad, the combination of all measures is expected to have a maximum feasible overall reduction of
15 percent.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
Land Use Measures
T-1 Increase Residential Density (from existing neighborhood conditions) P/S U, S Residential 30%
Typically, this measure is accounted for in the SANDAG Model if a model run is performed for a project. If a model run is not required for the project, this measure may be applicable. To be applicable, the project density must exceed 9.1 dwelling units per acre (the typical US residential unit density). If the existing residential density of the transportation analysis zone/census tract is greater than 9.1 dwelling units per acre, the existing residential unit density (variable “C” in the GHG Handbook equation) should be derived from the relevant transportation analysis zone or census tract instead of the value for a typical development in the calculation.
T-2 Increase Job Density (from existing neighborhood conditions) P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial 30%
Typically, this measure is accounted for in the SANDAG Model if a model run is performed for a project. If a model run is not required for the project, this measure may be applicable. To be applicable, the employment density must exceed 145 employees per acre (the typical US employment density). If the existing employment density is greater than 145 employees per acre, the existing employment density (variable “C” in the GHG Handbook equation) should be derived from the relevant transportation analysis zone (or census tract) instead of the value for a typical development in the calculation.
T-3 Provide Transit-Oriented Development P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
31% This measure is accounted for in the SANDAG model.
T-4 Integrate Affordable and Below Market Rate Housing P/S U, S Residential 26.8% This measure is applicable to a project (or a portion of a project) that is defined as below market rate affordable housing, defined as 80-percent of area median income or below.
T-17 Improve Street Connectivity P/S U, S N/A 30% This measure accounts for the VMT reduction achieved by a project that is designed with a higher density of vehicle intersections compared to the average intersection density in the U.S. This is not applicable at a project scale.
T-31-A Locate Project in Area with High Destination Activity P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified
This measure is accounted for in the SANDAG model. The measure requires development in an area with high accessibility to destinations. Destination accessibility is measured in terms of the number of jobs or other attractions (e.g., schools, supermarkets, and health care services) that are reachable within a given travel time or travel distance, and tends to be highest at central locations and lowest at peripheral ones.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-31-B Increase Destination Accessibility in Underserved Areas P/C U, S Retail Office Industrial Not Quantified This measure accounts for the VMT reduction that would be achieved by constructing job centers or other attractions (e.g., schools, supermarkets, and health care services) for residents in underserved areas (e.g., food deserts).
T-32 Orient Project Toward Non-Auto Corridor P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified Not applicable/captured by other measures.
T-33 Locate Project near Bike Path/Bike Lane P/C U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified Not applicable/captured by other measures.
Trip Reduction Programs
T-5 Implement Commute Trip Reduction Program (Voluntary) P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial 4%
A multi-strategy program implemented by employers on a voluntary basis. The program must include:
• Employer-provided services, infrastructure, and incentives for alternative modes such as ridesharing (Measure T-8), discounted transit (Measure T-9), bicycling end of trip facilities (Measure T-10), vanpool (Measure T-11), and guaranteed ride home.
• Information, coordination, and marketing for said services, infrastructure, and incentives (Measure T-7).
T-6 Implement Commute Trip Reduction Program (Mandatory Implementation and Monitoring) P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial
26% Participation in the program by employees is required and the GHG Handbook requires specific strategies are implemented as part of the program. A reduction goal is specified, and ongoing monitoring and reporting to assess the program’s effectiveness is required. Given the mandatory trip reduction requirements and associated penalties, this measure would not typically be applicable. Coordination with Carlsbad staff is required if this measure is selected.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-7 Implement Commute Trip Reduction Marketing P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
4%
Promote and advertise various transportation options, including promoting information and resources regarding Carlsbad’s Citywide TDM Plan as well as SANDAG’s iCommute program, which provides support to commuters through a variety of TDM measures such as carpool matching services, vanpool, and other services. As resources are available through Carlsbad’s Citywide TDM Program, those should be advertised and applied as well. Marketing should be for services that are appropriate and available to employees/residents. Viable transportation alternatives should be marketed, for example, it is not appropriate to market transit options if there are no transit options near the project site. For residential projects, the VMT reduction is only applicable to the portion of the VMT associated with the commute trips. The “eligible employees” should be a maximum of 50% to indicate that not all residents will have work locations or schedules that are compatible with available options. For ABM2+, the portion of the Carlsbad citywide average VMT/capita that is commute/work related is 44% (see Appendix D for additional information).
T-8 Provide Ridesharing Program P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
8%
This strategy focuses on encouraging carpooling by project site/building tenants. Existing ride-share companies could also be leveraged by providing subsidies for shared ride purchases (e.g., Waze Carpool or equivalent). The program must be specify the platform(s) that will be promoted and identify the subsidy that will be provided to incentive use. Must use GHG Handbook, Table T-8.1 to determine variable “C.” For Suburban context the value is -4%, for Urban context the value is -8%. For residential projects, the VMT reduction is only applicable to the portion of the VMT associated with the commute trips and the “eligible employees” should be a maximum of 25% to indicate that it is more difficult to match employees for ridesharing in a residential project where people work in various geographic areas and have various work schedules. For ABM2+, the portion of the Carlsbad citywide average VMT/capita that is commute/work related is 44% (see Appendix D for additional information).
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T-9 Implement Subsidized or Discounted Transit Program P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
5.5%
Subsidized or discounted public transit passes are provided to employees and/or residents. Example applications include subsidized, discounted, or free out-of-pocket costs for daily or monthly public transit passes. Reducing the out-of-pocket cost for choosing transit improves the competitiveness of transit against driving, increasing the total number of transit trips and decreasing vehicle trips. The project should be accessible either within 1 mile of high-quality transit service (rail or bus with headways of less than 15minutes), 0.5 mile of local or less frequent transit service, or along a designated shuttle route providing last-mile connections to rail service. If a well-established bikeshare service (Measure T-22-A) is available, the site may be located up to 2 miles from a high-quality transit service. If this measure is selected, the user may not also take credit for either Measure T-5 or T-6. Calculating the effectiveness of this measure requires inputting several variables. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variable B/C – Average transit fare without subsidy and subsidy amount. These variables can be presented as either the fare per ride or cost of a monthly pass. The variables should be input based on how the program will be administered. If the program will subsidize individual rides, the fare per ride should be used. If the program will provide monthly passes, the cost of a monthly pass should be used. Variable D – The percentage of employees/residents associated with the site who have access to the subsidy. If it is an employment project – all employees (accounting for contract, part-time, etc. who may not be eligible) should be included in the percentage. If the subsidy doesn’t fully cover the cost of transit, or if a limited number of subsidized passes would be available, Variable D must be adjusted. Variable E – The percentage of project-generated VMT from employees/residents is used to adjust the percent reduction in GHG emissions from the scale of employee and/or resident-generated VMT to project-generated VMT. Since the VMT metrics are VMT/employee or VMT/resident and the VMT associated with these metrics is already scaled to the individual, the value is 100%. Variable F – The existing transit mode share for work trips (employment projects) or all trips (residential projects) should be based on the project location. The GHG Handbook indicates that if a local survey is not available, the California Household Travel Survey is the preferred data source for determining the transit mode shares. Based on the most recent California Household Travel Survey (2012) the values are 0.6% for all trip transit mode share based on the City of Carlsbad data (to be applied to residential projects) and 1.6% for work trips transit mode share (based on the combined transit mode share for North County coastal cities: Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside). The North County coastal cities were combined to provide a bigger sample size of work trips in the California Household Travel survey data. Variable H – Use given value of 50% unless a project specific value is available.
T-10 Provide End-of-Trip Bicycle Facilities P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial 4.4%
This measure will install and maintain end-of-trip facilities for employee use. End-of-trip facilities include bike parking, bike lockers, showers, and personal lockers. If this measure is selected, the user may not also take credit for either Measure T-5 or T-6. See the City of Carlsbad TDM Handbook for amenity design requirements. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variable B: If only bicycle racks/lockers are provided the value is 1.78. If bicycle racks/lockers, personal storage lockers, and showers are provided the value is 4.86. Variable C/D – The bicycle and vehicle average trip length should be based on the project location. The GHG Handbook indicates that if a local survey is not available, the California Household Travel Survey is the preferred data source for determining the average trip lengths. Based on the most recent California Household Travel Survey
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
(2012) the average bicycle trip length for Carlsbad is 5.0 miles and the average vehicle trip length is 7.9 miles. The applicant may also provide SANDAG model data specific to the City of Carlsbad for these values as an alternative. Variable E/F - The existing bicycle and vehicle mode shares for work trips (employment projects) should be based on the project location. The GHG Handbook indicates that if a local survey is not available, the California Household Travel Survey is the preferred data source for determining the bicycle and vehicle mode shares. Based on the most recent California Household Travel Survey (2012) the values are 1.2% for work trips bicycle mode share (based on the combined bicycle mode share for North County coastal cities: Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside). The work trip vehicle mode share for the North County coastal cities is 95.0%. The North County coastal cities were combined to provide a bigger sample size of work trips in the California Household Travel survey data. The applicant may also provide SANDAG model data specific to the City of Carlsbad for these values as an alternative.
T-11 Provide Employer Sponsored Vanpool P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial 20.4%
This measure will implement an employer-sponsored vanpool service or subsidy for iCommute vanpool program. Vanpooling is a flexible form of public transportation that provides groups of 5 to 15 people with a cost-effective and convenient rideshare option for commuting. If this measure is selected, the user may not also take credit for either Measure T-5 or T-6. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variable B, D, and E – Since the GHG Handbook values are derived from San Diego data, use GHG Handbook suggestions. Variable C - The work trip vehicle average trip length should be based on the project location. The GHG Handbook indicates that if a local survey is not available, the California Household Travel Survey is the preferred data source for determining the average trip lengths. Based on the most recent California Household Travel Survey (2012) the average work vehicle trip length is 11.9 miles. The applicant may also provide SANDAG model data specific to the City of Carlsbad for as an alternative.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-12 Price Workplace Parking P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial 20%
This measure will price onsite parking at workplaces. Because free employee parking is a common benefit, charging employees to park onsite increases the cost of choosing to drive to work. On-street public parking must be restricted near (within ¾ miles) the project to reduce the opportunity for employees to avoid charges for parking at the workplace while still driving to work. Given the context of the City of Carlsbad, this measure would not typically be applicable and use of it requires coordination with City staff. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variable C: If baseline parking price is $0 (that is, if parking is typically free), set C = ¼ B, allowing for the maximum 50 percent increase in price. Alternatively, for locations that are located within 0.5 mile of transit service, set C = average transit fare to/from the location.
T-13 Implement Employee Parking Cash-Out P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial 12%
This measure will require project employers to offer employee parking cash-out. Cash-out is when employers provide employees with a choice of forgoing their current subsidized/free parking for a cash payment equivalent to or greater than the cost of the parking space. This measure also requires that employee parking is managed and enforced via a permit system (or other monitoring system) and free parking is not available within ¾ miles of the project site (reducing the incidence of employees receiving parking cash out, but still driving and parking within walking distance).
T-23 Provide Community-Based Travel Planning P/C U, S Residential 2.3%
This measure will target residences in the plan/community with community-based travel planning (CBTP). CBTP is a residential based approach to outreach that provides households with customized information, incentives, and support to encourage the use of transportation alternatives in place of single occupancy vehicles, thereby reducing household VMT and associated GHG emissions. This measure requires a staffed position that is responsible for providing outreach.
T-38 Provide First and Last Mile TNC Incentives P/C U, S N/A Not Quantified
This measure requires a first-last mile partnership between a municipality/transit agency and a transportation network company (TNC) for subsidized, shared TNC rides to or from the local transit station within a specific geographic area. This measure encourages a shift to transit mode for longer trips. Consider providing inclusive mechanisms so people without bank accounts, credit cards, or smart phones can access the incentives.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-39 Implement Preferential Parking Permit Program (Carpoolers) P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified This measure requires projects provide preferential parking in terms of free or reduced parking fees, priority parking, or reserved parking in convenient locations (such as near public transportation or building entrances) for commuters who carpool, vanpool, ride-share or use sustainably fueled vehicles.
T-40 Implement School Bus Program P/S U, S Residential Not Quantified
This measure will provide school bus service transporting students to a school project. A school bus service can reduce the number of private vehicle trips to drop-off or pick-up students, thereby reducing VMT and associated GHG emissions, as well as onsite air pollution emissions, especially if the bus is zero emissions. If a residential project includes a school and the type, enrollment, and school bus commitment is known, it may be possible to quantify the VMT reduction associated with school busing. The reduction would only apply to school related VMT. Coordination with Carlsbad staff is required if this measure is selected.
T-41 Implement School Pool Program P/S U, S Residential Not Quantified
This measure requires projects create a ridesharing program for school children. If a residential project includes a school and the type, enrollment, and school pool commitment is known, it may be possible to quantify the VMT reduction associated with a school pool program. The reduction would only apply to school related VMT. Coordination with Carlsbad staff is required if this measure is selected.
T-42 Implement Telecommute and/or Alternative Work Schedule Program P/S U, S Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified
This measure requires projects to permit employee telecommuting and/or alternative work schedules and monitor employee involvement to ensure forecasted participation matches observed participation. This measure is not quantified because recent research has suggested that while commute VMT is reduced, overall VMT of teleworkers may not be reduced. Since commute VMT is reduced and can be directly applicable to VMT/Employee, teleworking may be appropriate to include VMT reduction for. The program must ensure that more than 15% of the employees will telecommute (15% is assumed in the SANDAG model; therefore, is already accounted for in the VMT calculations). Information on employee participation and methods for monitoring the program are necessary. Coordination with Carlsbad staff is required if this measure is selected.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
Parking or Road Pricing/Management
T-14 Provide Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure P/S U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
0%
Install onsite electric vehicle chargers in an amount beyond what is required by the 2019 California Green Building Standards (CALGreen) at buildings with designated parking areas (e.g., commercial, educational, retail, multifamily). This measure does not result in VMT reduction but does reduce GHG.
T-15 Limit Residential Parking Supply P/S U, S Residential 13.7% This measure will reduce the total parking supply available at a residential project or site as compared to the residential parking demand in an effort to reduce access to automobiles and reduce driving. Since the majority of Carlsbad is car dependent, this measure is not applicable at this time.
T-16 Unbundle Residential Parking Costs from Property Cost P/S U, S Residential 15.7%
This measure will unbundle, or separate, a residential project’s parking costs from property costs, requiring those who wish to purchase parking spaces to do so at an additional cost. To be effective, this parking cost must be passed through to the vehicle owners/drivers utilizing the parking spaces. In addition. on-street public parking must be restricted within ¾ miles of the project to reduce the opportunity for residents to avoid parking costs. If this measure is selected, a discussion of the implications of reductions in car ownership is necessary. For example, for much of the City it would be unreasonable to conclude that residential units would have no vehicles; however, it may be feasible that the number of units that have two vehicles is reduced through this measure. The values provided in the GHG Handbook should be used in the VMT reduction equation.
T-24 Implement Market Rate Public Parking (On-Street) P/C U, S N/A 30% This measure will price all on-street parking in a given community, with a focus on parking near central business districts, employment centers, and retail centers.
T-48 Implement Area or Cordon Pricing P/C U N/A Not Quantified
This measure requires projects implement a cordon pricing scheme. The pricing scheme will set a cordon (boundary) around a specified area to charge a toll to enter the area by vehicle. The cordon location is usually the boundary of a central business district or urban center but could also apply to substantial development projects with limited points of access. This is not applicable at a project scale.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-49 Replace Traffic Controls with Roundabout P/C U, S N/A Not Quantified
This measure requires projects install a roundabout as a traffic control device to smooth traffic flow, reduce idling, eliminate bottlenecks, and manage speed. In some cases, roundabouts can improve traffic flow and reduce emissions. The emission reduction depends heavily on what the roundabout is compared to (e.g., uncontrolled intersection, stop sign, traffic signal). This is not applicable at a project scale.
T-50 Required Project Contributions to Transportation Infrastructure Improvement P/C U, S N/A Not Quantified
This measure requires projects contribute to traffic-flow improvements or other multi-modal infrastructure projects that reduce emissions and are not considered as substantially growth inducing. This may be applicable when/if Carlsbad develops a program to facilitate contributions to VMT reducing infrastructure. If that program determines the citywide VMT reduction associated with implementation, credit to the project VMT may be warranted.
T-51 Install Park-and-Ride Lots P/C U,S N/A Not Quantified This measure requires projects install park-and-ride lots near transit stops and high occupancy vehicle lanes. This is not applicable at a project scale.
T-52 Designate Zero Emissions Delivery Zones P/C U N/A Not Quantified This measure requires the municipality to designate certain curbside locations as commercial loading zones exclusively available for zero-emission commercial delivery vehicles. This is not applicable at a project scale.
Neighborhood Design
T-18 Provide Pedestrian Network Improvement P/C U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
6.4%
This measure will increase the sidewalk coverage to improve pedestrian access. Reduction is calculated for all household trips in the surrounding neighborhood, offsetting VMT impacts arising from the project. VMT reduction is associated with expansion of sidewalk coverage, which includes building of new sidewalks and improving degraded or substandard sidewalk. Sidewalk measurements should be collected on both sides of the street. A reasonableness check should be performed using an average walk trip length of 0.5 miles to determine how many new walk trips result from this measure. If the VMT reduced divided by 0.5 miles results in a 200% increase or higher on a particular sidewalk segment, the VMT reduction may need to be adjusted. Note that percentage VMT reductions from Project-Level and Community-Level measures must be calculated separately. To apply the VMT reduction as a credit to the project VMT, the total residential tour based VMT should be calculated by multiplying the VMT/resident by the total number of residents. The VMT reduction is subtracted from the total residential tour based VMT value.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-19-A Construct or Improve a Bike Facility P/C U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
0.8% of adjacent roadway VMT
This measure will construct or improve a single bicycle lane facility (only Class I, II, or IV) that connects to a larger existing bikeway network. This measure reduces VMT on the roadway segment parallel to the bicycle facility (i.e., the corridor). Therefore, to calculate the VMT reduced it is necessary to know the VMT on the corridor. This is calculated by multiplying the daily vehicle volume by the length of the corridor. The corridor length should be the full length of the roadway that includes the bicycle facility or the full length of the roadway within Carlsbad if the bicycle facility is present on the entire corridor. A reasonableness check should be performed using an average bike trip length of 5 miles to determine how many new bike trips result from this measure. If the VMT reduced divided by 5 miles results in 200% or larger increase in daily bike trips, the VMT reduction may need to be adjusted. Note that percentage VMT reductions from Project-Level and Community-Level measures must be calculated separately. To apply the VMT reduction as a credit to the project VMT, the total residential tour based VMT should be calculated by multiplying the VMT/resident by the total number of residents. The VMT reduction is subtracted from the total residential tour based VMT value. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variables B, C, D, E, F, and I should be applied from the GHG Handbook. Variable G/H: The bicycle and vehicle average trip length should be based on the project location. The GHG Handbook indicates that if a local survey is not available, the California Household Travel Survey is the preferred data source for determining the average trip lengths. Based on the most recent California Household Travel Survey (2012) the average bicycle trip length for Carlsbad is 5.0 miles and the average vehicle trip length is 7.9 miles. The applicant may also provide SANDAG model data specific to the City of Carlsbad for these values as an alternative.
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We T-19-B Construct or Improve Bike Boulevard P/C U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
0.2% of corridor VMT
Construct or improve a single bicycle boulevard that connects to a larger existing bikeway network. Bicycle boulevards are a designation within Class III Bikeway that create safe, low-stress connections for people biking and walking on streets. See GHG Handbook for specific design requirements. This measure reduces VMT on the roadway segment parallel to the bicycle facility (i.e., the corridor). Therefore, to calculate the VMT reduced it is necessary to know the VMT on the corridor. This is calculated by multiplying the daily vehicle volume by the length of the corridor. The corridor length should be the full length of the roadway that includes the bicycle facility or the full length of the roadway within Carlsbad if the bicycle facility is present on the entire corridor. A reasonableness check should be performed using an average bike trip length of 5 miles to determine how many new bike trips result from this measure. If the VMT reduced divided by 5 miles results in 200% or larger increase in daily bike trips, the VMT reduction may need to be adjusted. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variables B and C should be applied from the GHG Handbook. Variable D/E: The bicycle and vehicle average trip length should be based on the project location. The GHG Handbook indicates that if a local survey is not available, the California Household Travel Survey is the preferred data source for determining the average trip lengths. Based on the most recent California Household Travel Survey (2012) the average bicycle trip length for Carlsbad is 5.0 miles and the average vehicle trip length is 7.9 miles. The applicant may also provide SANDAG model data specific to the City of Carlsbad for these values as an alternative. Variable F/G: The existing bicycle and vehicle mode shares for work trips (employment projects) should be based on the project location. The GHG Handbook indicates that if a local survey is not available, the California Household Travel Survey is the preferred data source for determining the bicycle and vehicle mode shares. Based on the most recent California Household Travel Survey (2012) the values are 1.2% for work trips bicycle mode share (based on the combined bicycle mode share for North County coastal cities: Del Mar, Solana Beach, Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside). The work trip vehicle mode share for the North County coastal cities is 95.0%. The North County coastal cities were combined to provide a bigger sample size of work trips in the California Household Travel survey data. OR The “San Diego-Carlsbad” values from GHG Handbook Appendix C Table T-10.2 (which are based on the National Household Travel Survey) should be used (unless more current local survey data is available) for bicycle and vehicle work trip mode share. Based on the December 2021 GHG Handbook the values are 1.3% for work trips bicycle mode share and 91.8% for work trips vehicle mode share.
T-20 Expand Bikeway Network P/C U, S N/A 0.5% This measure will increase the length of a city or community bikeway network. A bicycle network is an interconnected system of bike lanes, bike paths, bike routes, and cycle tracks. This is not applicable at a project scale, see T-19A/B for options that could be available to individual projects.
T-21-A Implement Conventional Carshare Program P/C U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
0.15%
This measure will increase carshare access in the user’s community by deploying conventional carshare vehicles. Carsharing offers people convenient access to a vehicle for personal or commuting purposes. This research associated with this measure was conducted for large scale carshare programs (with fleets of 400 vehicles or more); therefore, applying this measure at a small scale will result in minimal reductions. An applicant may coordinate with the City of Carlsbad to determine if VMT reduction associated with this measure is appropriate. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variable B, D, and E should be applied from the GHG Handbook.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
Variable C: Total VMT in plan/community without carshare should be calculated using the total tour VMT calculated by multiplying the VMT/resident or VMT/employee by the total residents or employees.
T-21-B Implement Electric Carshare Program P/C U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
0.15%
This measure will increase electric vehicle carshare access in the user’s community by deploying electric carshare vehicles. Carsharing offers people convenient access to a vehicle for personal or commuting purposes. This research associated with this measure was conducted for large scale carshare programs (with fleets of 400 vehicles or more); therefore, applying this measure at a small scale will result in minimal reductions. An applicant may coordinate with the City of Carlsbad to determine if VMT reduction associated with this measure is appropriate. Guidance for selecting variables is described below: Variable B, D, and E should be applied from the GHG Handbook. Variable C: Total VMT in plan/community without carshare should be calculated using the total tour VMT calculated by multiplying the VMT/resident or VMT/employee by the total residents or employees. The VMT reduction is calculated using the simplified equation for Variable O in the GHG Handbook.
T-22-A Implement Pedal (non-Electric) Bikeshare Program P/C U, S N/A 0.02%
This measure will establish a bikeshare program. Bikeshare programs provide users with on-demand access to bikes for short-term rentals. Minimal reductions are calculated for this measure. The research associated with this measure is for citywide bikeshare programs and is not applicable to individual development projects.
T-22-B Implement Electric Bikeshare Program P/C U, S N/A 0.06%
This measure will establish an electric bikeshare program. Electric bikeshare programs provide users with on-demand access to electric pedal assist bikes for short-term rentals. Minimal reductions are calculated for this measure. The research associated with this measure is for citywide bikeshare programs and is not applicable to individual development projects.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-22-C Implement Scootershare Program P/C U, S N/A 0.07%
This measure will establish a scootershare program. Scootershare programs provide users with on-demand access to electric scooters for short-term rentals. Minimal reductions are calculated for this measure. The research associated with this measure is for citywide scootershare programs and is not applicable to individual development projects.
T-34 Provide Bike Parking All U, S Residential Not Quantified
This measure requires projects provide short-term and long-term bicycle parking facilities to meet peak season maximum demand. Parking can be provided in designated areas or added within rights-of-way, including by replacing parking spaces with bike parking corrals. Ensure that bike parking can be accessed by all, not just project employees or residents. This measure is a component of measure T-10.
T-35 Provide Traffic Calming Measures All U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified This measure requires projects to include pedestrian/bicycle safety and traffic calming measures above jurisdictional requirements. Roadways should also be designed to reduce motor vehicle speeds and encourage pedestrian and bicycle trips with traffic calming features.
T-36 Create Urban Non-Motorized Zones P/C U
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified The measure requires projects to convert a percentage of its roadway miles to transit malls, linear parks, or other non-motorized zones.
T-37 Dedicate Land for Bike Trails All? U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified This measure requires projects to provide for, contribute to, or dedicate land for the provision of off-site bicycle trails linking the project to designated bicycle commuting routes in accordance with an adopted citywide bikeway plan.
Transit
T-25 Extend Transit Network Coverage or Hours P/C U, S N/A 4.6%
This measure will expand the local transit network by either adding or modifying existing transit service or extending the operation hours to enhance the service near the plan/community area. This is not applicable at a project scale since transit service is managed and operated by North County Transit District (NCTD) and is not within the control of an individual project to change.
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TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-26 Increase Transit Service Frequency/Speed P/C U, S N/A 11.3% This measure will increase transit frequency on one or more transit lines serving the plan/community. This is not applicable at a project scale since transit service is managed and operated by NCTD and is not within the control of an individual project to change.
T-27 Implement Transit-Supportive Roadway Treatments P/C U, S N/A 0.6%
This measure will implement transit-supportive treatments on the transit routes serving the plan/community. Treatments can include transit signal priority, bus-only signal phases, queue jumps, curb extensions to speed passenger loading, and dedicated bus lanes. This is not applicable at a project scale since transit service is managed and operated by NCTD and is not within the control of an individual project to change.
T-28 Provide Bus Rapid Transit P/C U, S N/A 13.8%
This measure will convert an existing bus route to a bus rapid transit (BRT) system. BRT includes the following additional components, compared to traditional bus service: exclusive right-of-way (e.g., busways, queue jumping lanes) at congested intersections, increased limited-stop service (e.g., express service), intelligent transportation technology (e.g., transit signal priority, automatic vehicle location systems), advanced technology vehicles (e.g., articulated buses, low-floor buses), enhanced station design, efficient fare-payment smart cards or smartphone apps, branding of the system, and use of vehicle guidance systems. This is not applicable at a project scale since transit service is managed and operated by NCTD and is not within the control of an individual project to change.
T-29 Reduce Transit Fares P/C U, S N/A 1.2% This measure will reduce transit fares on the transit lines serving the plan/community. This is not applicable at a project scale since transit service is managed and operated by NCTD and is not within the control of an individual project to change.
T-43 Provide Real-Time Transit Information P/C U, S N/A Not Quantified
This measure requires projects provide real-time bus/train/ferry arrival time, travel time, alternative routings, or other transit information via electronic message signs, dedicated monitor or interactive electronic displays, websites, or mobile apps. This is not applicable at a project scale since transit service is managed and operated by NCTD and is not within the control of an individual project to change.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 75 of 83
Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis Guidelines (May 2023) | F-17
TABLE F-1: VMT REDUCTION STRATEGIES AND EFFECTIVENESS CALCULATIONS
GHG Handbook #
Measure1 Measures shown in green may be applied to individual development projects in Carlsbad– Must Follow procedures in GHG Handbook, this Appendix, and Calculation Notes shown in this Table.
Measures shown in orange are not quantified in the GHG Handbook but may be quantifiable with appropriate evidence/information. Coordination with City staff required.
Measures shown in yellow are not quantifiable but should be considered if a project has a significant and unavoidable impact to provide mitigation to the extent feasible. Measures shown in gray are not quantifiable, are not appropriate at the project scale, are not applicable in Carlsbad, or are already accounted for in the VMT modeling and may not be considered as mitigation measures.
Scale of Application P/S – Project/Site P/C – Plan/Community
Locational Context U – Urban (Village) S – Suburban (Outside of Village)
Applicable Land Use Types
Maximum Percent Reduction in VMT2
Measure Description/GHG Handbook Calculation Notes The calculation notes provide guidance on selecting values for the variables in the GHG Handbook VMT reduction equations. If a variable does not have stated guidance below, the user should apply the value provided in the GHG Handbook. Additionally, data sources are periodically updated; therefore, the user should confirm and use the most current data source for any given variable.
T-44 Provide Shuttles (Gas or Electric) All U, S Residential Office Industrial Not Quantified
This measure will provide local shuttle service through coordination with the local transit operator or private contractor. The shuttles will provide service to and from commercial centers to nearby transit centers to help with first and last mile connectivity, thereby incentivizing a shift from private vehicles to transit, reducing associated GHG emissions. Note that this measure can also be implemented at the Project/Site scale by a large employer as part of a Trip Reduction Program. Quantification of VMT reduction associated with this measure may be possible if the applicant can provide details about the shuttle service such as vehicle type, routes, schedule, and ridership estimates. An applicant may coordinate with the City of Carlsbad to determine if VMT reduction associated with this measure is appropriate.
T-45 Provide On-Demand Microtransit All U, S Office Industrial Not Quantified
This measure will provide small-scale, on-demand public transit services that can offer fixed routes and schedules or flexible routes and on-demand scheduling through coordination with the local transit operator or private contractor. Note that this measure may also be applicable at the Project/Site scale for a large employer (e.g., Google’s Via2G pilot) as part of a Trip Reduction Program. Typically, this is not applicable at a project scale since transit service is managed and operated by NCTD and is not within the control of an individual project to change. An applicant may coordinate with the City of Carlsbad to determine if VMT reduction associated with this measure is appropriate.
T-46 Improve Transit Access, Safety, and Comfort All U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified
This measure requires projects improve transit access and safety through sidewalk/crosswalk safety enhancements, bus shelter improvements, improved lighting, and other features. Projects should evaluate access to transit stops within one-half mile of the project site to determine if additional features are needed to meet NCTD’s Bus Stop Development Handbook, March 2018 or the city’s multimodal level of service standards.
T-47 Provide Bike Parking Near Transit -All U, S
Residential Retail Office Industrial
Not Quantified This measure requires the project to provide short-term and long-term bicycle parking near rail stations, transit stops, and freeway access points where there are commuter or rapid bus lines.
Source: GHG Handbook (2021), Fehr & Peers, 2022. 1 Refer to updated information contained in the 2021 GHG Handbook. CAPCOA (2021) Each measure is numbered alphanumerically with the first letter of the emissions sector serving as the letter code (e.g., T=Transportation).
2 Effectiveness is based on the 2021 GHG Handbook unless otherwise specified. Measures that are “not quantified” are those that did not have sufficient research to support determination of individual effectiveness.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 76 of 83
Community Development Department | 1635 Faraday Ave. | Carlsbad, CA 92008 | www.carlsbadca.gov
Vehicle Miles Traveled IB-160
This info-bulletin generalizes the process of analyzing
and mitigating transportation impacts resulting from
development projects using the Vehicle Miles
Traveled (VMT) methodology, as required under the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The
intent of this bulletin is to provide the general public
with a high-level understanding of VMT; it is not
intended to act as a technical guide. For that level of
detail, please refer to the links and documents referenced in this bulletin.
SENATE BILL 743
SB 743 (Public Resources Code §21099) was passed by
the state legislature and signed into law in the fall of
2013 and led to a significant change in the way
transportation impacts are measured under CEQA
(Refer to IB-150 for more information on CEQA and its
role in the development process). SB 743 mandates
that jurisdictions can no longer use automobile delay
–commonly measured by Level of Service (LOS) – as
the performance measure to determine the
transportation impacts of land development projects
pursuant to CEQA.
SB 743 helps reduce transportation impacts on the environment by measuring the overall amount that
people drive. While a replacement performance
measure was not specified, SB 743 required that the
replacement metric needed to bring CEQA
transportation analyses into closer alignment with
other statewide policies regarding greenhouse gas
reductions, smart growth, and improved and
expanded multimodal transportation networks (i.e.,
more complete streets to serve a variety of roadway
users including pedestrians and bicyclists).
GOV. OFFICE OF PLANNING & RESEARCH
The SB 743 legislation
designated the Governor’s
Office of Planning and
Research (OPR) to develop
detailed implementation
guidelines consistent with SB
743 that jurisdictions can use
for CEQA transportation analysis. While the bill does
not prevent jurisdictions from developing their own
methodologies or guidelines, the city, along with
virtually every other jurisdiction in the state, opted to
follow OPRs chosen methodology.
OPR develops technical advice on various issues that
broadly affect CEQA practice and land use planning.
These “advisories” provide general advice and
recommendations, which agencies, the public, and
other entities may use at their discretion.
When developing a replacement for LOS, OPR looked
towards an alternative transportation impact metric
that more closely approximates the true
environmental impacts of driving --- how much actual
auto travel (additional miles driven) a proposed
project would create on regional and local roads. If
the project adds excessive car travel onto our roads,
the project may cause a significant transportation impact that requires mitigation under CEQA.
The process of writing guidelines started in January
2014 and concluded in 2018, when OPR released their
guidance document entitled Technical Advisory on
Evaluating Transportation Impacts in CEQA (OPR
Advisory), which cities can, and have used to develop
their own VMT guidelines. The OPR Advisory contains
technical recommendations regarding assessment of
VMT, thresholds of significance, screening criteria,
and mitigation guidance. More on this below.
Documents Referenced
Senate Bill 743; PRC §21099
OPR Technical Advisory; OPR Advisory
California Air Pollution Control Officers Association
(CAPCOA) Guidance Document; GHG Handbook
Carlsbad VMT Analysis Guidelines; VMT Guidelines
Transportation Demand Management; TDM
CEQA Informational Bulletin; IB-150
Exhibit 2
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 77 of 83
Page 2 of 7 IB-160_Vehicle Miles Traveled_April 2025
CALIFORNIA NATURAL RESOURCES AGENCY
The mission of the California Natural Resources
Agency (Resources Agency) is to restore, protect and
manage the state’s natural, historical, and cultural
resources. Among other duties, the Resources Agency
is tasked with updating the state’s CEQA Guidelines,
which are state administrative regulations that public
agencies follow in order to show compliance with
CEQA statute, applicable court decisions, and practical
planning considerations.
Relative to VMT, the Resources Agency on Dec. 28,
2018 adopted revisions to CEQA Guidelines §15064.3
stating that VMT is the most appropriate measure of
transportation impacts under CEQA. This is the official
action taken by the state that replaced LOS with VMT.
Following this action, and the release of the OPR
Advisory, jurisdictions throughout the state had until
July 1, 2020, to adopt local VMT analysis guidelines for
CEQA analysis.
CALIFORNIA ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY ACT
Before we can discuss the components of the city’s
VMT Analysis Guidelines, which were largely based on
the OPR Advisory, it is important to define certain
CEQA terms such as “thresholds of significance” and
“screening criteria” to better understand their roles
and functions when reviewing VMT impacts.
Simply put, CEQA requires government agencies to
inform decision-makers and the public about the
potential environmental impacts of proposed
projects, and to reduce those environmental impacts
to the extent feasible. In practice, however, CEQA is a
complex piece of legislation with complicated
processes and procedures that projects must follow.
The sections below provide a brief description of the
aforementioned terms, and how they relate to VMT.
For additional information on how CEQA works, please refer to our Info-Bulletin on CEQA (IB-150).
CEQA Thresholds of Significance
To assist in determining whether a specific impact is
“significant” under CEQA, public agencies are
encouraged to develop administrative guidance often
referred to as significance thresholds. For VMT
analysis, significance thresholds are based on the use
of land, because land use conditions directly affect
transportation activity. For residential projects, OPR
recommends that a project’s VMT per capita be
compared to the citywide average. For office and
industrial projects, a project’s VMT per employee is
compared to the regional average. For retail and other
projects that evaluate VMT, the threshold is based on the change in VMT in the affected area.
CEQA Screening Criteria
In another method similar to creating significance
thresholds, public agencies are encouraged to develop
“screening criteria” to help quickly and easily screen
out projects that are likely not to cause significant
environmental impacts. For VMT, OPR recommends
that a project may be presumed to not have a
significant impact resulting from VMT if it is near
public transit, comprised entirely of affordable
housing, or considered a small project.
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CARLSBAD VMT ANALYSIS GUIDELINES
Transportation impacts and their potential need for
mitigation are important for any community to
consider when contemplating proposed new
developments, expansion of existing developments, or
implementation of transportation projects. Carlsbad
residents, businesses, other community members,
and permit decision-makers all have a stake in
understanding and responding to additional demands on the transportation system.
To help analyze project related transportation
impacts, the city developed VMT Analysis Guidelines
(VMT Guidelines), which include procedures to
promote consistency in VMT analysis and assist with
the evaluation of discretionary projects under CEQA.
In preparing and implementing the VMT Guidelines,
the city relied on the OPR Advisory and recent court
rulings.
The city’s VMT screening criteria and thresholds were
adopted by the City Council on June 16, 2020. Any
changes to the thresholds and criteria will require City
Council action, following recommendations by the
Traffic & Mobility Commission. Due to a recent court
ruling, the city’s “small project” and “transit
proximate” thresholds may no longer be utilized to
review the environmental impacts of proposed
projects, so they are no longer referenced in the
bulletin. The rest of the VMT Guidelines are for
informational purposes only to assist applicants and
their consultants when preparing traffic impact
analyses. As such, the VMT Guidelines themselves
may be administratively updated as new information
becomes available.
VMT Screening Criteria
Below are the city’s adopted VMT screening criteria,
which coincide with the VMT screening criteria in the
OPR Advisory with the exception of one (discussed
further below). It is presumed that projects meeting
any one of the criteria listed below will not cause a
significant impact on transportation services. As such, no further VMT analysis or mitigation is required.
VMT SCREENING CRITERIA
Residential projects made up of entirely affordable
housing
Redevelopment projects that result in a net overall
decrease in VMT for the site
Locally serving public facilities (i.e., public schools,
parks, fire/police stations, libraries, other facilities
intended to serve the local public)
All screening criteria listed in OPR’s Advisory for
transportation projects
“Locally serving public facilities” are not specifically
defined in the OPR Advisory. However, like “locally
serving retail uses,” locally serving public facilities
redistribute trips rather than create new ones. For
example, the construction of a new community park
or library actually shortens trips for nearby residents
because users do not need to travel as far to receive
the same public service or benefit. As such, these
facilities are screened out and determined not to have a significant impact on transportation.
It should be noted, however, that if a proposed public
facility includes a use that has the potential of
generating trips from outside the region, such as an
amphitheater or a public golf course, a study
evaluating where users are coming from may be
required to demonstrate that a public facility is locally
serving and still eligible to be screened out under
these criteria.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 79 of 83
Page 4 of 7 IB-160_Vehicle Miles Traveled_April 2025
VMT Significance Thresholds
A threshold of significance for a given environmental
impact defines the level of effect above which the city
will normally consider impacts to be significant, and
below which it will normally consider impacts to be
less than significant. The table below reflects the City
Council adopted VMT Thresholds of Significance,
which are used to determine whether a project, which
did not meet the screening criteria, will create a
significant transportation impact. The thresholds and
specific VMT metrics used to measure VMT are
described by land use type below. These thresholds
are consistent with OPR Advisory recommendations.
How these thresholds are applied in practice is
discussed later in the bulletin.
PROJECT TYPE THRESHOLD OF SIGNIFICANCE
Residential
A significant transportation impact
occurs if the project VMT/capita
exceeds a level 15% below the city
average VMT/capita.
Office
A significant transportation impact
occurs if the project VMT per
employee exceeds a level 15%
below the regional average
VMT/employee.
Retail
A significant transportation impact
occurs if the project results in a net
increase in VMT.
Industrial
A significant transportation impact
occurs if the project
VMT/employee exceeds the
average regional VMT/employee.
Transportation
A significant transportation impact
occurs if the project creates a net
VMT increase in the affected area.
VMT Analysis
The OPR Advisory advises that a city/county may use
transportation modeling to estimate a project’s VMT.
And CEQA requires that jurisdictions must use the
best available data when assessing project impacts. As
such, jurisdictions, including Carlsbad, typically use
the most current regional travel demand model
available, which is developed and maintained by the
San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG).
The value of travel forecasting using SANDAG’s
activity-based modeling comes from its capacity to
provide a full range of quantitative dimensions to
estimate travel-inducing activities and choices. The
model simulates daily activities and travel patterns in
the region, as affected by the transportation level of
service, and it simulates the effects of transportation
and land development patterns and policies on the
quality (time and cost) and quantity (traffic volume,
congestion, and VMT) of travel by different modes
(walk, bike, transit, and auto).
However, the VMT data that is provided by SANDAG
does not account for interregional trips. Put another
way, SANDAG’s data does not reflect the miles that
are traveled beyond the county border or those trips
originating from outside the county.
As such, the city takes the SANDAG travel demand
model data and combines it with the regional
transportation model data that is collected by
Caltrans. This combined data is then used to create
local VMT maps that better forecast a full accounting
of VMT, not limited by regional boundaries, as recommended by the OPR Technical Advisory.
Residential, office, and industrial projects generating
under 2,400 Average Daily Trips (ADT) can utilize
these VMT Maps. Projects that generate over 2,400
ADT, or retail projects that do not meet screening
criteria discussed earlier in this bulletin, must perform
project-specific modeling consistent with OPR
guidelines.
The 2,400 threshold comes from the document
entitled “Guidelines for Transportation Impact Studies
in the San Diego Region,” as prepared by a SB 743
subcommittee led by the Institute of Transportation
Engineers. Staff from SANDAG and Caltrans were on
this subcommittee along with transportation
engineers from the region.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 80 of 83
IB-160_Vehicle Miles Traveled_April 2025 Page 5 of 7
Sometimes showing the math helps folks better
understand how the analysis works. This is one way of
calculating VMT impacts.
THEORETICAL PROJECT
A law firm is locating in Carlsbad and proposing to
construct a new two-story office complex on a vacant
lot located near the corner of Carlsbad Village and Pio
Pico Drive. The size of the office building is anticipated
to generate an ADT of 1,500 trips.
Per city VMT maps, the regional mean is shown as 20.6
VMT/employee and the office project will have a
VMT/employee of 18.71, which is 90.8 % of the
regional average (18.7 divided by 20.6).
Per the city’s significance threshold, a significant
transportation impact occurs when an office project
exceeds a level of 15% below the regional average, or
another way of stating this is the project exceeds 85%
of the regional average. 85% of the regional average is
17.5 VMT/employee. As such, in this theoretical
example, the percentage of project VMT that must be
reduced is 6.4% (1-(17.5/18.7)).
It is important to note that travel demand modeling is
very sensitive to input changes. As growth and
transportation system development occurs in the
region, which is inconsistent with the assumptions
used in the model, SANDAG will adjust the model to
keep the analysis current and reliable for CEQA
review. The city defaults to the most recent version of
SANDAG’s model when analyzing VMT but accepts
other modeling strategies that are consistent with the
OPR Advisory (see “Common VMT Questions” for
additional information).
VMT Mitigation
Under CEQA, projects resulting in a significant impact
requires that mitigation measures be applied in an
effort to reduce VMT impacts to the extent feasible.
There are two ways to do this.
• Reduce the number of automobile trips
generated by the project; and/or,
• Reduce the distance people drive.
A project can accomplish this by incorporating
Transportation Demand Management (TDM)
strategies or actions into the development. Some
examples include rideshare programs, trip reduction
marketing, charging to use parking, employer paid
transit expenses, end-of-trip bicycle facilities, and
improvements to existing infrastructure such as bike
paths and sidewalks.
TDM strategies can be quantified using the
methodologies described in the ”Handbook for
Analyzing Greenhouse Gas Emission Reductions,
Assessing Climate Vulnerabilities, and Advancing
Health and Equity” (GHG Handbook). As mentioned
above, CEQA requires that cities use the most reliable
information available --- this document meets this
requirement and is currently used by virtually all state
jurisdictions when developing VMT mitigation.
The resource document provides a description of each
TDM measure with examples, notes on which
measures must be grouped with others to be
effective, a range of effectiveness (how much VMT
reduction will be achieved), and guidance on how the
measure should be implemented.
Some of the TDM measures can be combined with
others to increase the effectiveness of VMT
mitigation; however, the interaction between the
various strategies is complex and the effectiveness
levels are not directly additive --- simply adding
together the maximum VMT reduction values of
multiple TDM measures will not provide a true
representation of the total VMT expected to be
reduced. This is because some TDM measures, when
combined with others, may become redundant.
Per the GHG Handbook, maximum VMT reductions
are dependent upon the category of TDM measures
implemented, which are defined as subsectors.
Subsector maximums are intended to ensure that
emissions are not double counted when measures
within a given subsector are combined. For example,
the subsector maximum for “Trip Reduction
Programs” is 45% of a project’s commute VMT.
For a TDM program consisting of many measures, care
must be taken to verify that the calculated VMT
reductions are dampened (diminished) according to a
multiplicative formula to account for the above-
mentioned redundancies. This formula can be found
on page C-2 of the city’s guidelines but let’s use the
sample project above to show how a TDM program
made up of multiple measures is discounted.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 81 of 83
Page 6 of 7 IB-160_Vehicle Miles Traveled_April 2025
THEORETICAL PROJECT, CONTINUED…
As shown previously, the office project requires a 6.4%
reduction in VMT to have a transportation impact that
is less than significant under CEQA. As such, the
applicant proposes two TDM measures from the GHG
Handbook to mitigate this impact.
• Rideshare Program (3.2% VMT reduction)
• Commute Trip Marketing (4.0% VMT reduction)
To address anticipated redundancies when applying
multiple TDM measures, the following GHG Handbook
dampening equation must be applied.
1 - [(1-Pa) X (1-Pb) X (1-Pc)] = Total VMT Reduction
(where Px is percent reduction of a TDM measure)
After applying this dampening equation to the proposed TDM measures for the theoretical office
project, the anticipated VMT reduction for the project
is adjusted to 7.1%.
1 - [(1 -3.2%) X (1-4.0%)] = 7.1%
Since 7.1% is more than the minimum 6.4% reduction
needed, the proposed TDM measures, which will be
added as conditions to the project permit, will
adequately reduce the project’s transportation impacts
to a level of less than significant.
COMMON VMT QUESTIONS
VMT analysis is new and evolving, which has resulted
in a lot of confusion and questions in its
appropriateness and effectiveness. This info-bulletin is
intended to explain to the reader the value, aptness,
and usefulness of measuring and mitigating
transportation impacts through the reduction of VMT.
However, given its technical nature, there are some
common questions that warrant discussion.
Why are new projects only required to
implement minimum TDM measures?
This question comes up a lot during the review of new
development projects --- particularly in areas where
traffic congestion is already an issue or existing
infrastructure (e.g., bus stop) is lacking or deficient.
CEQA Guidelines §15126.4(a) requires lead agencies
(city) to consider and require feasible mitigation
measures to avoid or substantially reduce a proposed
project's significant environmental impacts. The key
word here is the project’s impacts. The city cannot
legally require a project to make improvements to
resolve transportation deficiencies that existed prior
to the project being developed; the city can only
require mitigation that addresses the direct and
cumulative impacts generated by the proposed
development.
The due process clause of the Fifth Amendment of the US Constitution further addresses this point. Pursuant
to the US Constitution, local governments can exact
property, or something of value from a property
owner (developer), without having to provide
compensation, provided two tests are met:
• “Nexus”
• “Rough Proportionality”
Nexus means the exaction (TDM mitigation) must
have a rational connection (nexus) to the burden the
government seeks to avoid (increased VMT). The
nexus requirement derives from the court case Nollan
v. California Coastal Commission, 483 U.S. 825, 107 S.
Ct. 3141 (1987).
Rough proportionality means that the amount of the
exaction (TDM mitigation) must roughly correspond to
the burden placed on the government/public
(increased VMT), resulting from the proposed
development. This test derives from court case Dolan
v. City of Tigard, 512 U.S. 374, 114 S. Ct. 2309 (‘94).
Using the theoretical project example, since the
rideshare and commute trip reduction marketing
programs address the VMT impacts of the office
project to a level of less than significant, the city
cannot require that the same project also improve a
nearby transit stop or add a turn lane to an existing
intersection to improve existing traffic flows as a
mitigation requirement under CEQA. To do so would
violate both tests.
That said, there may be other city policies that require
multimodal improvements and transportation
demand management strategies. The city may impose
additional project requirements in order to satisfy
these mobility policies IF the city finds that the VMT
mitigation does not adequately address them. In other
words, VMT CEQA mitigation can also be used to
satisfy other city mobility policies.
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Why are applicants allowed to use customized
VMT models?
While the SANDAG model is the city’s default model
to analyze project level VMT impacts, it is not without
its limitations. The SANDAG model makes certain
general assumptions on how land will be
develop/redeveloped. However, proposed
development projects, or the surrounding
development area, may be a particular size or contain
certain features that were not or could not be
accounted for in the SANDAG model.
Recognizing this, the OPR Advisory, and in turn the
city, allows applicants to develop customized models
using varying model strategies. Travel demand
models, sketch models, spreadsheet models, research,
and data can all be used to calculate and estimate
VMT. Models can also work together. For example, an
applicant can use travel demand models or survey
data to estimate existing trip lengths and input those
into sketch models to achieve more accurate results.
When using alternative models and tools, however,
the city requires consultants to use comparable data
and methods in order to set up an “apples-to-apples”
comparison between thresholds, VMT estimates, and
VMT mitigation estimates.
Why do some TDM measures work for some
projects, but don’t work for others?
There are some limits to overall VMT reduction
effectiveness depending on a project’s land use
context --- Developable area, proposed land use mix,
surrounding development patterns, and availability of
transit resources can vary significantly from project to
project. Similarly, so can the effectiveness of TDM
measures. For this reason, VMT mitigation measures
must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to ensure
that they are site appropriate, justified, and can be
reasonably incorporated in the proposed project.
Why does the city use traffic analysis zones for
VMT analysis?
Daily activities and travel patterns in any city is greatly
influenced by existing land use patterns and
transportation networks. To maximize the
effectiveness of a predictive model, it is important to
assess VMT impacts in smaller, more focused
geographic areas.
SANDAG provides
transportation
model data in two
different ways:
Census Tracts and
Traffic Analysis
Zones (TAZ). Some
people may be
familiar with Census
Tracts (image right),
which are small
geographical subdivisions of a county that help
present different statistical data points (i.e., average
age, ethnicity, household income, household size),
with each tract representing a population size
between 1,200 and 8,000 people. A TAZ is a similar
geographical area, but typically much smaller than a
census tract and most commonly used in
transportation models.
Use of either geographic area is perfectly acceptable
for VMT analysis. However, the city prefers to use TAZ
data because the TAZ offers a more refined area
around the project. The data tends to be a better
representation of the VMT in the area of the project
as opposed to the census tract where the VMT is
averaged across larger areas.
YOUR OPTIONS FOR SERVICE
To learn more, please contact one of our staff in Land
Development Engineering at 760-602-2750 or via
email at LandDev@CarlsbadCA.gov.
Nov. 5, 2025 Item #1 83 of 83
Overview of
Vehicle Miles Traveled
(VMT)
Jason Geldert, P.E.
Engineering Manager, Land Development Engineering
Katy Cole, P.E.
Fehr & Peers/City of Carlsbad VMT Reviews
November 5, 2025
2
TODAY’S PRESENTATION
•VMT Overview (Jason)
•VMT Thresholds and Screening Criteria (Katy)
•Measuring VMT (Katy)
•Mitigating VMT (Katy)
•Sample Project (Katy & Jason)
•Q&A
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
VMT?
(VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED)
3
Amount of driving generated by a project
OLD WAY OF MEASURING TRANSPORTATION
IMPACTS
4
Level of Service (LOS)
5
•Metric: Vehicle delay (congestion)
•Goal: Reduce congestion
•Mitigation: Bigger roads, lower density
LEVEL OF SERVICE
(LOS)
6
•Sprawl
•Reduced infill development
•Induced Demand
OUTCOMES OF LOS
LOS is not a measure of environmental impacts
7
•Metric: Amount of driving
•Goal: Reduce emissions, promote sustainable
land use
•Mitigation: transit, bike and pedestrian
improvements, infill development
VMT
8
•Increased infill development
•Less sprawl
•Focus on travel options
OUTCOMES OF VMT
9
CARLSBAD’S REGULATIONS
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
•Resolution No. 2020-114 approved on June
16, 2020
•Adopted VMT thresholds of significance and
screening criteria
•VMT Analysis Guidelines were provided
with the staff report for context
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•Miles/resident/day
•Miles/employee/day
•Total miles/day
VMT METRIC
majority of projects
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VMT THRESHOLDS
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
Residential Projects A significant transportation impact occurs if the project VMT/capita
exceeds a level 15% below the city average VMT/capita.
Office/Employment Projects A significant transportation impact occurs if the project
VMT/employee exceeds a level 15% below the regional average
VMT/employee.
Regional Retail/Recreational Projects A significant transportation impact occurs if the project results in a
net increase in VMT.
Industrial Projects A significant transportation impact occurs if the project
VMT/employee exceeds the average regional VMT/employee.
Transportation Projects A significant transportation impact occurs if the project results in a
net increase in VMT in the affected area.
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VMT SCREENING CRITERIA
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
Projects that generate less than 110 ADT (no longer legally valid, an applicant can provide evidence to support
other “small project” screening)
Residential, office, or retail uses located withing one-half mile of a major transit stop or stop along a high-
quality transit corridor that can demonstrate that existing VMT meets the VMT threholds
Locally serving retail uses
Affordable housing (all units)
Redevelopment projects that result in a net overall decrease in VMT for the project site
Locally serving public facility
Transportation projects that don’t increase vehicle capacity (as listed in the Office of Land Use and Climate
Innovation’s (LCI, formally OPR) Technical Advisory
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Overview of the VMT Guidelines
MEASURING VMT
•No Universal Tool
•Common Tools in Carlsbad:
•City VMT Maps
•SANDAG Travel Demand Model
•Travel Survey Data (using a project’s
trip generation and average trip
length.
•Custom spreadsheet tools
•Use of “big data” to understand
existing VMT.
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REDUCING VMT
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
VMT > Vehicle Trips x Average Trip Length
•Affordable Housing
•Rideshare Program
•Subsidize Transit
•Bicycle Facilities
•Pedestrian Facilities
•Price Parking
•Compact Land Use
•Infill Locations
•Mixed Use Projects
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REDUCING VMT
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
VMT > Vehicle Trips x Average Trip Length
•Affordable Housing
•Rideshare Program
•Subsidize Transit
•Bicycle Facilities
•Pedestrian Facilities
•Price Parking
•Compact Land Use
•Infill Locations
•Mixed Use Projects
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SAMPLE PROJECT - DESCRIPTION
Pretend Project:
Location: Rotary Park
Land Uses: Residential and
Office
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SAMPLE PROJECT – ANALYSIS REQUIREMENTS
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SAMPLE PROJECT – VMT/RESIDENT
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SAMPLE PROJECT – VMT/EMPLOYEE
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SAMPLE PROJECT – IMPACT CONCLUSION
Residential Component = Less Than Significant (82% of City Average)
No Mitigation Required
Office Component = Significant Impact (92% of Regional Average)
Mitigation Required
Mitigation could include transit pass subsidies, carpool program,
end of trip bicycle facilities, etc.
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QUESTIONS & COMMENTS
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
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Measuring VMT
Overview of the VMT Guidelines
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VMT 201
Overview of the VMT Guidelines