On June 23, 2020, the City of Lake Elsinore City Council adopted a new transportation policy to meet the State requirements set by Senate Bill (SB) 743, signed into law in 2013. The bill changes the focus of how transportation impacts are analyzed, from measuring the number of vehicles and congestion (Level of Service) to measuring the number of miles driven (Vehicle Miles Traveled).
SB 743 requires all California cities and counties (including Lake Elsinore) to:
- Use Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) to comply with *CEQA required assessments of transportation impacts.
- Adopt a VMT policy, including thresholds, which are City-adopted measurements, by July 1, 2020.
The City of Lake Elsinore will still use the old measurement method of Level of Service (LOS) to:
- Determine consistency with the General Plan.
- Determine intersection and roadway traffic impacts and improvements.
Traffic Impact Analysis Preparation Guide
In order to provide guidance to the consultants who prepare traffic impact analyses, the City Council adopted a revised Traffic Impact Analysis Preparation Guide (PDF) dated November 2022 ("Guide"). All traffic studies prepared for projects within the City of Lake Elsinore shall comply with the revised preparation guide.