scta.ca.gov

A Future With Less DrivingCurrent Travel Trends and Examining VMT and GHG EmissionsApril 29, 2020

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About the Comprehensive Transportation Plan

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The SCTA is embarking on the next update of the Sonoma County Comprehensive Transportation Plan (CTP) to examine transportation needs and revisit our vision for transportation throughout Sonoma County.

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Travel Trends and Behavior

VMT and Senate Bill 743

Measuring GHG Emissions

Impacts of Disruptive Events

Opportunities and Challenges

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AGENDA

scta.ca.gov

Travel Behavior in Sonoma County

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• Uses “Big Data” • Archival location

data from mobile devices

• Provides origin-destination data passively and anonymously

Sonoma County Travel Behavior Study

Final report covering travel flows, origins and destinations, estimates of visitor travel, etc.:https://scta.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Sonoma_TBS_2-7-2020_web.pdf

TitleSubtitle

• Text here.

Trip TypesAverage Weekday in Spring 2017

• Text here.

TitleSubtitleTrip Length DistributionBy jurisdiction, in Miles

60% of trips less than 5

miles

TitleSubtitle

• Text here.

scta.ca.gov

Travel Modes in Sonoma County

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Drive Alone45%

Shared Ride46%

Transit1%

Walk/Bike8%

ALL TRIPS

Drive Alone77%

Shared Ride17%

Transit1%

Walk/Bike5%

COMMUTE TRIPS

Source: Sonoma County Travel Model

Current Vehicle Miles Traveled:

Between 10 million – 15 million per day countywide

Sources: Sonoma County Travel Model, Sonoma County Travel Behavior Study, CalTrans, Streetlight Data

Total VMTWeekday, by Trip Type

80,000 80,000

1,464,000

3,389,000

3,400,000

8,462,000

0

1,000,000

2,000,000

3,000,000

4,000,000

5,000,000

6,000,000

7,000,000

8,000,000

9,000,000

0

200,000

400,000

600,000

800,000

1,000,000

1,200,000

1,400,000

1,600,000

Trips in to SonomaCounty

Trips out ofSonoma County

Intra-SonomaCounty Trips

Trips VMT

Trips vs. VMTWeekdays, by Trip Type

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Travel Behavior in Sonoma County

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Vehicle Miles Traveled and

Senate Bill 743

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Senate Bill 743 – What is it?

• Changes how transportation impacts are considered in California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)

• Requires that LOS (congestion) is no longer used to estimate transportation impacts in CEQA

• Governor’s Office of Planning and Research in charge of drafting guidelines

• VMT determined most appropriate metric for transportation

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What is Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)?

• Measures the amount of vehicular travel across the system, rather than at specific points, usually expressed per person

• Measure of total travel and activity not congestion

• Captures big picture or regional impacts of travel

VMT is not directly measured or observed• Estimated from traffic counts, using traffic models, or other derived data sources

and methods

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What is Level of Service?

• Measure of delay or congestion

• Usually expressed in seconds of delay per vehicle at an intersection or along a segment

• Detailed estimate of local traffic conditions at a specific area

Network VMT:

Traffic Volumes xRoad Length

Data Sources:

• Travel Models• HPMS• Traffic counts and road data

Origin & Destination VMT:

Vehicle Trips xAvg. Trip Length

Data Sources:

• Travel Models• Mobile Source/Big Data• VMT calculators

scta.ca.gov

VMT Estimation

• VMT can be calculated for different trip types• Home based work or commute trips• Home based other or all other trips starting and ending at home• Non-home based or trips starting and ending at a non-home location

(chained trips, lunch to/from work, etc.)

• Different types of VMT may be required for different project types• Residential Projects – All home based trips• Office Projects – home based work or commute trips only• Retail – total VMT

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SCTA SB 743 Support

• VMT Screening Maps – high and low VMT areas• VMT Data and Estimates• White paper on SB 743 Implementation• VMT Implementation Workshop • Travel Behavior Study another source for VMT

estimates, origin and destination data, information on average trip lengths, etc.

• Project level VMT analysis

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Vehicle Miles Traveled and SB

743

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Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions

GHG Emissions = Activity Data x Emissions Factor• Activity Data: Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT)– Sonoma County Travel Demand Model– California Highway Performance Monitoring System

(HPMS)

• Emissions Factor Data– EMission FACtors (EMFAC) model

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Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Activity Data

• Origin / Destination Model Example

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(50% VMT) (50% VMT)

(100% VMT)

Windsor

Santa Rosa

SonomaSanta Rosa VMT = 50% Trip A + 100% Trip B + 50% Trip C

Trip A

Trip B

Trip C

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Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Emission Factors

• EMFAC developed by California Air Resources Board (CARB)

• Shows how California emissions change over time and are projected to change in future

• Uses vehicle registration data from DMV and measurements of emissions from different vehicle types (passenger, truck, etc.) to estimate emission factors

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scta.ca.gov

Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions: RCPA 2015 GHG Inventory Update

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- 500,000

1,000,000 1,500,000 2,000,000 2,500,000 3,000,000 3,500,000 4,000,000

CloverdaleCotati

Healdsburg

Petaluma

Rohnert Park

Santa Rosa

Sebastopol

Sonoma

Windsor

Unincorporated Sonoma County

Mile

s

Daily VMT

2010 2015

0100,000200,000300,000400,000500,000600,000700,000800,000

CloverdaleCotati

Healdsburg

Petaluma

Rohnert Park

Santa Rosa

Sebastopol

Sonoma

Windsor

Unincorporated Sonoma County

MT

CO2e

Annual GHG Emissions

2010 2015

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Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Impact of EV VMT

29Source: EMFAC2017 (v1.0.2) Emissions Inventory

Diesel8.9% Electricity

0.7%

Gasoline90.3%

Natural Gas0.1%

2018 Total Daily VMT by Fuel Type

Diesel Electricity Gasoline Natural Gas

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Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Shift Sonoma County Low Carbon Transportation Action Plan

• Goals:– Reduce greenhouse gas emissions from transportation– Reduce vehicle miles traveled– Promote safety and health– Promote economic vitality

• Strategies:– Mode Shift– Fuel Shift

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scta.ca.gov

Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Shift Sonoma County Fuel Shift

• Goal: Reduce petroleum use in transportation by 50% by 2030– Achieve overall fleet fuel

efficiency gains– Replace at least 87,000 internal

combustion engine vehicles with EVs

• Shift Plan 2030 EV Target = 100,000 EVs in Sonoma County by 2030

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Source: Shift Low Carbon Transportation Action Plan, January 2018, https://scta.ca.gov/planning/shift/

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Tracking Greenhouse Gas Emissions

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Travel Impacts of Recent Disruptive

Events

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Disruptive EventsHow do they impact travel in Sonoma County?

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• Wildfires• COVID 19 Stay-at-Home

Orders

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Source: INRIX

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COVID-19 Shelter in Place:Impact on VMT

Source: Streetlight Data

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VEH

ICLE

MIL

ES T

RAV

ELED

DATE

Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled - Sonoma County

Shelter in Place Order

Source: Streetlight Data

January 2020 AVG VMT

scta.ca.gov

Travel Impacts of Disruptive Events

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Opportunities & Challenges

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Opportunities

• 60% of trips under 5 miles– Shift to non-motorized or other non-auto modes

• Almost 90% of trips stay in the county– Continue to develop job centers in-county and connect them to

appropriate housing• Continued focus on city-centered growth

– Improved accessibility and safety and efficiency of walking, biking, transit, and other emerging travel modes

• Telecommuting and avoiding trips has shown to reduce VMT a great deal

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scta.ca.gov

Challenges

• Emergencies impact travel conditions and patterns.• Travel in the county continues to be focused on

single occupant vehicle travel.• Even though most travel stays in the county, trips

leaving or entering the county contribute a higher proportion of VMT.

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scta.ca.gov

Opportunities & Challenges

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Contact: Chris.Barney@scta.ca.gov,Tanya.Narath@rcpa.ca.gov

THANK YOU!QUESTIONS?

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