The city of Los Angeles aims to accomplish sustainable and accessible traffic systems. So, an applicant needs to discover whether the land uses reviewed by LADOT have any VMT impacts. On that note, here are the screening criteria to evaluate. The following criteria identify if other types of land use reviewed by LADOT result in impacts related to vehicle miles traveled or VMT:
- 1. Uses of Motels and Hotels
VMT impacts on uses of motels and hotels must evaluate the impact of both the visitor's and employee's trips. It must apply an impact threshold to every trip type.
The employee trips must treat similar to the ones for office usage where the motel or hotel project results in a significant impact. That might be evident when it generates VMT per employee. Note that it must exceed 15% below the average work VMT for every employee (already existing ones) for the APC where the land is located.
The analysis must select guest/visitor trips from the quantitative study where motels or hotels meet the localized demand for any travel plan. That way, it helps evaluate the potential VMT impacts of the trips. Motel and hotel usage may not contribute to guest or visitor trips when proposed in sites in close proximity to the desired locations.
As a result, there will be shorter visitor trips. To conclude, the motel and hotel usage may not cast a significant impact on VMT from the guest or visitor trips. Thus, it is more substantiated where motel or hotel project encompasses the TDM measures promoting bike share services and transits to the customers.
If the hotel or motel does not get demonstrated qualitatively, the analysis qualifies the VMT of guest or visitor trips. It evaluates whether the guest or visitor trips contribute to a net increase in the VMT of trips. Alternatively, if it is feasible technically, it might generate VMT for every visitor or guest exceeding 15% below the average citywide VMT for every guest or visitor.
- 2. Religious and Schools Usages
The impact of VMT on school & religious uses get determined in a case-by-case study. The school and religious uses that are smaller in scale & shown to serve the society may have local serving uses. Thus, it may get screened out from any VMT analysis.
Religious and school use on a larger in scale and attracting individuals from a wider area will need further evaluation to demonstrate the impacts. Market analysis may be used for evaluating the study. If the project does not get screened out from the examination, the project may be shown to have an impact on VMT. As a result, the project is expected to have a net increase in VMT.
- 3. Public Services
Public services like fire stations, police, local serving parks, public utilities, and recreation facilities don't generate considerable VMT. Rather, the land uses are built in response to the development of residential and commercial land uses. Thus, the land might get presumed to have lesser impacts on the VMT.
- 4. Entertainment Venues and Event Spots
Trips with land uses are discretionary trips made by people. These trips may be a substitute or newer trips. For the land uses, an
in-depth, individualized VMT study is needed to determine whether the project attracts regional trips. Thus, no screening norm
is offered. For uses that attract regional trips, lands must factor in whether the project has a net VMT increase.
Projects described above aren't intended to include each land use that LADOT review for projects that are subject to the CEQA analysis. For other land developments, the analysis must be consistent with any screening criterion.
What Are the Most Significant Methodologies?
Here are the things you must learn about the significant methodologies:
- Residential or Commercial Projects
Regular vehicle trips, VMT, and household VMT for every capita for residential projects must be estimated via the VMT Calculator. Transportation demand management tactics must be included as the project design features. Note that the design of the land development should be considered in the estimation of any project's vehicle trips & VMT.
- 2. Redevelopment Projects Reducing the Total Housing Supply
Some projects might be in close proximity to the one-half mile of the fixed-rail transit station. It may result in the net housing units' decrease.
Thus, the project needs to be evaluated to determine the VMT impacts.
It is to note that conclusive findings of the displacement impact on VMT are quite uncertain. However, a few methodologies shall still evolve. The analysis must indicate whether there is a housing supply near the project to meet existing residents' requirements.
When the replacement housing shows no availability within a project area, VMT analysis needs to include the average VMT of the residents expected to be displayed in the total VMT per capita.
- 3.Regional Serving Retail Land Developments
Retail projects must get evaluated to demonstrate whether the project results in a net increase in the VMT. The fact is that the local-serving retail development may shorten the trips. Besides, it can also reduce VMT while regional-serving retail development leads to the substitution of long trips. That results in an increase in VMT. Any of the given methods may be necessary for the retail projects:
- Preparing the market study on the basis of transportation analysis should be submitted by the Project Applicant. Note that it must demonstrate to the LADOT staff that a project area is underserved for retail use. The project must shorten the existing shopping trips. The best way to do so is by creating the intervening location between current retail and destinations and trip origins.
- Run the Travel Demand Forecasting model of the City of Los Angeles with or without a project. Since the number of trips in a model is on the basis of the home-based trips and balanced to the home-trip productions, the number of trips gets influenced by additional retail space materially. The model will reorganize home-shopping trips from different retail destinations to the retail destination as proposed.
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