The methodology for assessing the impact of different types of development projects on vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in the City of Los Angeles involves specific approaches for each project type:
Residential Projects:
- Use the VMT Calculator tool to estimate daily vehicle trips, daily VMT, and daily household VMT per capita. Consider transportation demand management strategies as part of the estimation.
Redevelopment Projects Near Transit that Reduce Total Housing Supply:
- Evaluate if aggregate VMT impacts may result from existing residents displaced to higher VMT areas. Assess the availability of replacement housing within the project area. If replacement housing is not available, include the additional average daily VMT of the displaced existing residents in the total VMT per capita assessment.
Office Projects:
- Utilize the VMT Calculator tool to estimate daily vehicle trips, daily VMT, and daily work VMT per employee. Consider transportation demand management strategies in the estimation.
Regional Serving Retail Projects:
- Evaluate whether the project would result in a net increase in total VMT. Assess whether the project serves as a localized demand for shopping trips, potentially shortening existing shopping trips.
Event Centers and Regional-Serving Entertainment Venues:
- Develop a customized approach for estimating VMT for these projects in consultation with and approval from LADOT staff.
Hotel and Motel Uses:
- Assess the VMT impacts of both employee trips and visitor/guest trips separately. Apply an impact threshold to each trip type. Consider the generation of work VMT per employee and guest/visitor trip distances.
Regional Serving Schools and Religious Uses:
- Evaluate whether the project would result in a net increase in total VMT using a customized methodology developed in consultation with LADOT staff.
Mixed-Use Projects:
- If the project combines multiple land uses, focus on the VMT of the dominant land use that generates the highest amount of daily trips. Assess the impacts of the dominant use.
Multiple-Phased Projects:
- Apply the appropriate VMT methodology and project thresholds depending on the mix of land uses in each project phase.
Unique Land Uses:
- For projects that do not fit into standard categories, develop a customized approach for estimating daily trips and VMT. Obtain approval from LADOT staff for the methodology and thresholds.
Land Use Plans/Community Plans:
- For community plans, use modified versions of the City's Travel Demand Forecasting (TDF) model to assess VMT impacts. Run scenarios for baseline and future conditions, accounting for land use changes and transportation system measures.
The goal is to determine if a project results in significant VMT impacts, considering various factors and thresholds based on the project type and location. Customized approaches may be required for specific cases, and methodologies should be developed in consultation with LADOT staff.
Please contact us if you need help preparing a transportation assessment report for a development project in the City of Los Angeles LADOT.