Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Planning commission adopts VMT as CEQA metric, replacing LOS
Summary
The Planning Commission unanimously approved a resolution to replace level-of-service (LOS) automobile-delay analysis with vehicle miles traveled (VMT) as San Francisco’s primary CEQA transportation metric, citing alignment with safety and climate goals and California Senate Bill 743.
San Francisco’s Planning Commission on March 3 voted unanimously to adopt a citywide change in how transportation impacts are measured under the California Environmental Quality Act, replacing the long-standing level-of-service (LOS) standard with vehicle miles traveled (VMT).
"It is absurd that here in this city we can't make our streets safer because it could inconvenience drivers," Planning Department Environmental Review Officer Sarah Jones told commissioners, arguing LOS is a 1950s highway-era metric that misaligns with San Francisco goals for transit, safety and infill development. Staff and agency speakers pointed to California Senate Bill 743 as the legislative driver of the change and framed early local adoption as a way to align CEQA with the city's Transit First and Vision Zero policies.
Wade Whitgraf,…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
