Transportation Performance – Above Green

Required | 6 possible points

Intent

To promote non-motorized transportation, encourage use of public transit and reduce pollution from transportation sector.

Requirements

Measure the daily per capita Vehicle Miles Travelled (VMT) for the city or community by capturing the commute patterns of the population. Total VMT must be calculated for a minimum period of the most recent calendar year using either of the following methodologies:

Non-traffic count based
Traffic count based
Transportation modeling software derived

VMT per capita per day is calculated by dividing the total VMT for the city or community for a period of the most recent calendar year by total population of the city (Use USGBC population calculator based on residing and floating population). Divide this by 365 to get daily VMT per capita. Document the assumptions for differing day/night and seasonal populations if variations significantly alter travel patterns. Obtain a minimum transportation performance score of 40. Additional points for this prerequisite are awarded for transportation performance scores above 40, according to the table given below.

Table 4. LEED Points for Transportation Performance

Transportation Performance Score in Arc	Points
40	Prerequisite
50	1
60	2
70	3
80	4
90	5
100	6

Transportation Performance Score

VMT is a metric that measures the number of miles travelled by a vehicle or a fleet of vehicles. Traffic counts measure the number of vehicles passing a fixed point during a specified time. VMT includes trip distance with the traffic volume. For example, 10,000 vehicles each traveling an average of 15 miles per day (24 kilometers per day) would result in 150,000 vehicle miles travelled per day. VMT is useful as a descriptor of changes in travel demand in an urban area. As trip lengths increase, VMT goes up. Trip lengths are a function of the relative locations of residences, jobs, schools, and retail. As the number of vehicle trips increase, VMT again goes up. Factors affecting the number of vehicle trips made each day include age, income, population and household size, workers per household, auto ownership, and access to transit. The score is a value from 1-100 based on city’s or community’s VMT per capita.

Performance Score Calculation

To calculate transportation performance score, the following data are required: 1. Total VMT (in miles) for the city or community for a minimum period of one recent calendar year. 2. Total population of the city or community. Consider day time and night time population, permanent and floating population for calculations.

References: LEED for Cities (Pilot) Transportation STAR v2 BE-7: Transportation Choices, Outcome 4: Vehicle Miles Travelled