Senate Bill (SB) 743 eliminated vehicular delay and Level of Service (LOS) as the metrics for measuring the transportation impacts of new development under the California Environmental Quality Act. The legislation tasked the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research with developing a metric that promotes the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the development of multimodal transportation networks, and a diversity of land uses.
The Office of Planning and Research identified Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) per capita, VMT per employee, and net VMT as new metrics for transportation analyses. The Natural Resources Agency adopted these metrics as CEQA regulatory changes in December 2018. Statewide implementation will occur by January 1, 2020.
Several cities have already adopted VMT as their primary measure of of transportation impact under CEQA. Many other jurisdictions are in various stages of making the transition. Because SB 743 preserves local authority over planning decisions, LOS and congestion can still be measured for planning purposes. While traffic studies may be required for planning approvals, those studies will no longer be part of the CEQA process.
The current version of OPR's technical advisory on evaluating transportation impact in CEQA is available on the Office of Population Research's website: http://opr.ca.gov/docs/20190122-743_Technical_Advisory.pdf