3.3. Transportation Projects Subject to CEQA
Transportation projects that involve increasing roadway capacity for vehicular travel can lead to an increase in VMT due to induced growth and potentially increased speeds. To provide consistency across transportation projects and achieve the City of Inglewood's sustainability goals, the City has enacted policies to consider the potential for transportation projects to increase VMT, with impacts disclosed subject to CEQA.
For transportation projects, an assessment of whether substantial additional VMT is induced by a transportation project should be performed. The following sections provide screening and impact criteria as guidance for projects to determine whether a TIA should be performed, or whether a project generates a significant transportation impact. The criteria should be considered on a case-by-case basis as approved by the Public Works Department.
3.3.1. Project Screening
If the answer to the question "Would the project include the addition of through traffic lanes on existing or new highways, including general purpose lanes, high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, peak period lanes, auxiliary lanes, and lanes through grade-separated interchanges (except managed lanes, transit lanes, and auxiliary lanes of less than one mile in length designed to improve roadway safety)" is no, further analysis is not required, and a less-than-significant impact determination can be made for that threshold.
Transit and active transportation projects, and projects that reduce roadway capacity and reduce VMT, are presumed to cause a less-than-significant impact. Transportation projects listed below, which are not likely to lead to a substantial increase in vehicular travel or VMT, supported by the OPR technical advisory, would not be required to prepare an induced travel analysis:
- 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, transit lanes, or changing lane management in a manner that would not increase vehicle travel substantially
- 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 to separate preferential vehicles (e.g., high-occupancy vehicles [HOV], high-occupancy toll [HOT], or trucks) from general vehicles
- Installation, removal, or reconfiguration of traffic control devices
- 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
- Adding of passing lanes, truck climbing lanes, or truck brake-check lanes in rural areas that do not increase overall vehicle capacity along the corridor
3.3.2. VMT Estimating Tools
The City of Inglewood has developed a citywide Travel Demand Forecasting (TDF) model that is suitable for assessing changes in VMT due to a given roadway project in its land use/transportation context. The model should be used to calculate the change in VMT from transportation projects that, by definition, are considered to have the potential for inducing automobile travel. Alternatively, the SCAG's RTP/SCS Model can also be utilized to calculate the change in VMT from transportation projects. The project should coordinate with the Public Works Department to choose the appropriate tool for use in assessing the project and cumulative impacts of transportation projects.
3.3.3. VMT Methodology & Evaluation; Metrics and Significant Impact Thresholds
VMT Methodology
The VMT impact of a capacity-enhancing transportation project shall be calculated as the direct change in VMT as estimated by the VMT estimating tool (from Section 3.3.2) with and without the project plus a factor for induced demand calculated as follows:
- Run the TDF model with and without the transportation project to isolate the potential direct change in network VMT due to changes in trip length, mode split, and route choice.
- Using the TDF model, determine the total lane-miles over the project area that fully captures travel behavior changes resulting from the project.
- Determine the percent change in total lane miles that will result from the project.
- Using the TDF model, determine the total existing VMT over that same area.
- Multiply the percent increase in lane miles by the existing VMT and then multiply that by the elasticity factor.
Evaluation
The project impact metrics and cumulative impact metrics should be compared for the without and with transportation project plus induced travel elasticity factor per lane mile. If the comparison indicates that the project increases the project area VMT, a potential significant impact determination should be made.
Project Impact Metrics
For the direct measurement of project impacts, the TDF model's base year network should be modified to reflect the vehicle capacity enhancements that would result from the proposed transportation project. The base year model should be run with and without the proposed transportation project, without adjusting the model's land use inputs, to isolate the potential change in network VMT with the project compared to the baseline. The assessment should cover the full area in which driving patterns are expected to change and include supporting evidence for why such an area was selected.
The models listed in Section 3.2.2 are capable of adjusting trip lengths, mode split, and route choice in response to network changes. However, the models do not include the ability to modify land use in response to changes to the transportation system and will not increase trips to reflect latent demand. Therefore, such induced travel should be estimated by applying an induced demand elasticity factor available from appropriate academic literature.
Cumulative Impact Metrics
Analyses should consider short-term and long-term project effects on VMT. Short-term effects are evaluated in the detailed project-level VMT analysis described above. Cumulative effects that are long-term are determined through consistency with the SCAG RTP/SCS. Since the RTP/SCS demonstrates compliance with air quality conformity requirements and GHG reduction targets, transportation projects that are included in this regional plan as part of the regional solution for meeting air pollution and GHG goals would have a less-than-significant cumulative impact on VMT.
Transportation projects that are not deemed to be consistent may indicate a significant impact on transportation. Further analysis and evaluation would be necessary to determine the project's cumulative impact on VMT. This analysis should be conducted by running the appropriate model tool (from Section 3.2.2) for the cumulative year conditions and the cumulative "plus project" scenario by incorporating the network changes due to the proposed transportation project. An induced demand elasticity factor should be applied to any increase in VMT thus determined.
Significant Impact Thresholds
The transportation project will have a potential impact if:
- The project increases the project area VMT as measured using the VMT estimation tools noted in Section 3.2.2 plus an induced travel elasticity factor per lane mile.
3.3.4. Mitigations
Mitigation measures that reduce the amount of increased VMT corresponding to induced travel could include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Tolling new lanes to encourage carpools and fund transit improvements
- Converting existing general-purpose lanes to HOV lanes, high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, or bus lanes
- Cordon or congestion pricing to encourage sustainable travel behavior and fund district-wide mobility improvements
- Implementing or funding off-site mobility improvements, including the initiation of transportation management organizations (TMOs)
- Implementing intelligent transportation systems (ITS) strategies to improve passenger throughput on existing lanes