Come join the Sustainability Task Force for a webinar on LOS vs VMT
Please register for Sustainability TF Presentation and Web Meeting on Wednesday, May 27, 2015 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM EDT at:
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the training.
Transportation impacts have historically been measured using “level of service” (LOS). This metric evaluates the transportation system from a driver’s perspective and is typically based on delays at intersections or volume to capacity ratios. As a result, new development projects in denser, urban environments – which tend to be the most walkable, have the best access to higher-quality transit, and make the shortest vehicle trips – can be difficult to implement, because these areas also tend to have higher levels of localized traffic congestion. This, encourages development toward suburban and rural locations, where the associated trips tend to be longer and are more likely to be made by autos. Many regions have been exploring alternate ways to evaluate growth to better account for the regional and system-wide benefits of infill development and to more closely align with their stated values, such as greenhouse gas reduction, improving safety, and transit-first policies. Examples include the use of vehicle-miles traveled (VMT), auto trips generated, and multi-modal level of service. This session will highlight the unintended consequences of exclusive reliance on auto LOS as a performance metric.