What about local control? HB 6107 empowers municipalities with new tools to review proposed developments. As a result, VMT can be used as a tool by local governments to prevent developments from being located too far into “greenfields.” The fewer the VMT, the more likely a project is to be approved. These mitigation strategies might include adding biking and walking infrastructure, reducing parking, or encouraging public transit. The VMT standard, on the other hand, focuses on the amount (and vehicular emissions) of vehicular traffic that may be generated by a project but then requires mitigation strategies to reduce the amount of vehicles going to and from a site. LOS calculations accept the number of vehicles as a given, and does not incorporate vehicle-demand-reduction strategies. Road expansion may not be the best environmental solution, and it exacerbates sprawl. A project that reduces the LOS of nearby intersections by too much may necessitate road expansion, since the only thing that matters in LOS calculations is the speed of cars. The LOS standard focuses on the amount of traffic created by development and the ease and speed with which vehicles pass through intersections. What is the “level of service” (LOS) standard, and what is the “vehicle miles traveled” (VMT) standard? Both standards can be used to measure the potential impact of a development. HB 6107 empowers towns, at their option, to measure traffic impacts with a “vehicle miles traveled” standard, instead of the outdated “level of service” calculation Why did HB 6107 address vehicle standards? Outdated metrics for measuring traffic impacts promote sprawl and impede sustainable and active transportation options.

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