Senate Bill 743 (SB 743) - Vehicle Miles Traveled Analysis Guidelines

The City of Encinitas SB 743 Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Analysis Guidelines were adopted by Resolution No. 2023-110 of the City Council on November 8th, 2023. The VMT Guidelines, City VMT Maps, and SANDAG Vehicular Trip Generation Rates can be accessed below:

• VMT Analysis Guidelines
  •  Appendix A - Project Information Form (Fillable PDF)
• City VMT Maps
• SANDAG Vehicular Traffic Generation Rates

VMT Background

SB 743 became law in 2013 and removed vehicular level of service (LOS) and other automobile delay measures as an environmental impact under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Under CEQA, agencies must analyze proposed development and transportation projects to determine whether they may have a significant impact on the environment. One key determination under CEQA is the transportation impact of these projects. Previously, transportation impacts have been evaluated by LOS analysis, which examines whether the project is likely to cause automobile delay at intersections and congestion on nearby individual roadway segments.

SB 743 initiated an update to the CEQA Guidelines to change how lead agencies evaluate transportation impacts under CEQA, with the goal of better measuring the actual transportation-related environmental impacts of any given project. Instead of LOS, agencies must now use the VMT metric. VMT measures how much actual auto travel (additional miles driven) a proposed project would create on California roads. If the project adds excessive auto travel to our roads, the project may cause a significant transportation impact. This does not necessarily mean the project cannot be approved, but rather that the impacts must be disclosed and potentially mitigated. Further information can be found on the SB 743 Legislation site.