CalBike
  • About Us
  • Get Involved
    • Tell the Governor: Hold Caltrans Accountable
    • Sign the Petition: Invest in Active Transportation
    • Volunteer
    • Join/Renew
  • What We Do
    • Stay Informed about E-Bike Incentives
    • 2024 California Bicycle Summit
    • Sign-On Letters
    • More…
  • Resources
    • E-Bike Resources
    • What Is an E-Bike? A Guide to California E-Bike Classifications.
    • California Bicycle Laws
    • Map & Routes
    • Register Your Bike
    • Learn to Bike at Any Age
    • Free Quick-Build Bikeway Design Guide
  • News
    • Blog
    • CalBike In the News
    • Press Releases
    • CalBike Insider
  • Shop
  • Donate
  • Search
  • Menu Menu

Stop caring about auto congestion in environmental analysis, says OPR

November 10, 2014/by Zac

A new law changes a perverse aspect of the California Environmental Quality Act that required local agencies to consider delays to motor vehicles worse for the environment than negative impacts on bicycle safety. The Governor’s Office of Planning & Research is writing new guidelines to comply with the law, eliminating “automobile level of service” as a measurement of a project’s environmental impact. Pushback from some local agency leaders more concerned with congestion than safety threatens to weaken the proposal, so OPR needs to hear from you.

Last year, the Governor signed SB 743 by Darryl Steinberg to eliminate the use of “automobile level of service” (LOS) as a measurement of a project’s environmental impact for purposes of compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The old guidelines for compliance required an agency to measure the seconds of delay that motor vehicles experience at an intersection, and declare a project to have a significant (and bad) impact on the environment if it increased that delay beyond a certain thresshold. The rule was widely panned, as it penalized a bike project that removed a traffic lane for a bike lane, while giving a project that removed a bike lane for a traffic lane a free pass, in the name of environmental protection.

SB 743 required the Governor’s Office of Planning & Research (OPR) to develop new guidelines that did not use LOS or any measure of congestion as an indication of environmental impact. OPR’s proposed new guidelines replace LOS with a measurement of the increase in vehicle miles traveled caused by a project. Whereas project proponents used to mitigate for increases in congestion by widening roadways or elminating bike lanes, now they will be required to mitigate for increases in vehicle miles traveled by improving conditions for biking, walking, and taking transit.

It’s a sensible change to environmental law that implements the intent of CEQA’s original drafters more than 40 years ago. Requirements to maintain a certain so-called “level of service” for automobile traffic may still be imposed by a local agency, and some state congestion management laws still require local agencies to reduce automobile congestion, so this change isn’t the last one that’s needed. You can learn as much as you’d ever want to know in this 2-hour webinar.

Pushback from agencies more concerned about traffic flow than economic vitality and safety is growing. They need to hear from you. The comment period is open through November 21, 2014. By clicking on this link you can download a letter and mail it to the OPR to tell them how much you support their current direction.

Share this entry
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on WhatsApp
  • Share by Mail
https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png 0 0 Zac https://www.calbike.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/calbike-logo.png Zac2014-11-10 17:30:242018-08-11 17:33:28Stop caring about auto congestion in environmental analysis, says OPR

Latest News

  • California Bicycle Summit Advance Session Generates Excitement About San Diego BikewaysNovember 30, 2023 - 12:32 pm
  • CalBike Joins Panel on E-Bike Incentives at Micromobility ConferenceNovember 29, 2023 - 5:59 pm
  • Happy bike riders making their way down an extra wide bike lane on a verdant street.CalBike Complete Streets User Survey Exposes Network GapsNovember 13, 2023 - 7:00 am
Follow a manual added link

Get Email Updates

Follow a manual added link

Join Calbike

  • Link to Facebook
  • Link to Twitter
  • Link to LinkedIn
  • Link to Mail
  • Link to Instagram
About Us

Staff
Board
Financials & Governance
Local Partners
State & National Allies
Careers
Contact Us

What We Do

California Bicycle Summit
E-Bike Advocacy
2023 Legislative Watch

Take Action

Current Projects
Past Projects
Donate
Volunteer
Join or Renew

Resources

Maps & Routes
Crash Help and Legal Resources
Quick Build Guide
All Resources

News

CalBike Blog
CalBike in the News
Press Releases
CalBike Insider

© California Bicycle Coalition 2023

1017 L Street #288
Sacramento, CA 95814
© California Bicycle Coalition 2023

Advice to Council submittedSF in line to lead the state with Vision Zero campaign
Scroll to top