Title
Study Session Summary of October 8, 2019 - Level of Service (LOS) to Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Transition Update
Summary
Call to Order:
Vice Mayor Melton called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
City Councilmembers Present:
Mayor Larry Klein
Vice Mayor Russ Melton
Councilmember Glenn Hendricks
Councilmember Gustav Larsson
Councilmember Nancy Smith
Councilmember Michael S. Goldman
Councilmember Mason Fong
City Councilmembers Absent:
None
Study Session Summary:
Amber Blizinski, Principal Planner, and Dennis Ng, Transportation and Traffic Manager, delivered a presentation that discussed why the City was transitioning to VMT from LOS for the analyzation of traffic under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), how the City is collaborating with other jurisdictions in the County on these efforts, and what the next steps will look like before the final adoption of thresholds prior to the July 1, 2020 state deadline. The presentation also covered how LOS will continue to be used to evaluate congestion.
Councilmembers asked questions and made the following comments:
• How changes in transportation options, and future land development, modify VMT outputs, and how often that data is updated.
• More education is needed on VMT at the next Council Study Session.
• Information on the effect Transportation Demand Management has on VMT outputs.
• VMT is pollution reduction based, how do electric vehicles affect that output?
• Desire to continue to use LOS in addition to VMT.
• VMT 101 needed for public outreach component.
• Concern over what effects VMT analysis may have on the community.
• Interest in further understanding of the potential to streamline projects through CEQA.
• Desire to understand what other jurisdictions (San Jose) have learned from implementing VMT analysis.
• More information on how the model/spreadsheet will work to output project VMT.
• Concerns over potential lack of sophistication with the technical tools
• Concern over how thresholds should be set.
Public Comment:
Members of the public made the following comments:
• VMT analysis should always be estimated using the latest data and tech tools.
• VMT assumptions should continue to evolve over time.
• LOS promotes road capacity, which is less of a priority, VMT may result in better development and multi-modal upgrades.
• How is the City’s bicycle network integrated into VMT analysis?
Adjournment:
Vice Mayor Melton adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m.