UC Irvine

Since the implementation of CEQA in 1970, traffic impact analyses have been a key component in California’s land development. A current paradigm shift towards building and living sustainably has caused policy makers, engineers and planners to reexamine the policies that have been instituted. It has also influenced exploration of solutions that can change future developments. We must first analyze the established system of traffic impact analysis to determine the viability and potential benefits of measuring transportation network efficiency through factors highlighted in Senate Bill (SB) 743. These factors include vehicle miles travelled (VMT), fuel use or automobile trips generated. For the purpose of this paper, the focus will be on the VMT. When VMT analysis is applied on a project level, a list of key questions arise that are related to SB 743’s goals of reducing greenhouse gases, increasing multimodal transportation and developing appropriate metrics to conduct transportation analysis. A review of Senate Bill 743 text along with the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research report on the Bill paints a picture of what California’s future development will look like. Furthermore, an examination of travel trends and literature about current transportation analysis helps to evaluate the potential success of Senate Bill 743. In summary, Senate Bill 743 symbolizes a huge step towards carbon emission reduction and an excellent opportunity to start a conversation about making land development more sustainable in California. However, the bill leaves out the essential components of existing traffic impact analyses and employs a measure of environmental impact that does not reflect accessibility or multi-modal transportation.