A city (or county) is not an accident but the result of coherent visions and aims

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statute as “bicyclists, children, persons with disabilities, motorists, movers of commercial goods, pedestrians, users of public 
transportation, and seniors.” For more information on integrating complete streets concepts to help address these requirements, 
see OPR’s “
Complete Streets and the Circulation Element
.”
The circulation element must identify funding for capital, operations, and maintenance of planned additions to the network, 
additions that would be triggered by policies in the element, and the existing network.
Relationship with Regional Planning
California courts have recognized that general plans must reflect the regional context. Circulation elements must, therefore, 
account for both regional transportation plans and, in some cases, congestion management plans.
Regional Transportation Plans
Metropolitan planning organizations and regional transportation planning agencies prepare regional transportation 
plans in cooperation with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Federal Transit Administration (FTA), Caltrans, the Air 
Resources Board, the Department of Housing and Community Development and other stakeholders, including system users. 
The purpose of the regional transportation plan is to establish regional goals, identify present and future transportation 
needs, deficiencies and constraints, analyze potential solutions, estimate available funding, and propose investments. In most 
regions in California, the regional transportation plan includes a sustainable communities strategy that aligns transportation 
investments with a land use pattern designed to reduce regional greenhouse gas emissions. In order to be eligible for federal 
and state funding, transportation projects must be consistent with the adopted regional transportation plan, including an 
applicable sustainable communities strategy.
Regional transportation plans are required to reflect certain population growth and distribution assumptions contained in 
local general plans. As a practical matter, circulation elements should also reflect the adopted regional transportation plan to 
ensure access to transportation funds. If adopting a circulation element that is not consistent with the regional transportation 
plan, that inconsistency and its impact on regional greenhouse gas reductions also should be discussed in the environmental 
analysis under the California Environmental Quality Act. (See, e.g., 
CEQA Guidelines § 15125(d)
.)
Correlation with the Land Use Element
Requirement Description:
Creating connected, accessible, and complete systems of circulation networks and ensuring access to opportunities within a 
community and region requires coordination between land use and circulation planning. Due in part to the connection between 
transportation funding and greenhouse gas reduction established in 
SB 375
, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is an increasingly 
important metric of impact in the circulation element. Because the circulation element is required to correlate with the land use
 
element, it should account for the features of the particular community. For example, the circulation element can demonstrate 

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connectivity between residential uses, 
services and employment centers. Lack 
of transportation options from identified 
disadvantaged communities to essential 
destinations, such as grocery stores, 
may be improved through circulation 
(e.g. working with transit provider to 
increase transit frequency) or land use 
(e.g. new commercial development). 
Mapping transportation options as part 
of the general plan process may help 
identify gaps to address. The
 land use
 
and circulation elements are useful 
places to plan for equitable access for 
all community members. Pedestrian 
and bicycle routes in the circulation 
element should connect residential areas 
identified in the 
land use
 element with jobs centers, parks, schools, and other destination centers. Truck routes should be 
directed away from noise- and emissions-sensitive residents and designated instead to serve areas designed for commercial and 
industrial uses in the 
land use
 element. The design speed of a roadway should equal its target speed (in other words, a street 
should be designed to accommodate intended auto speeds, not faster speeds).
Regional Transportation Plans, SB 375, and Sustainable Community Strategies
The 
Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act of 2008 (Sustainable Communities Act, SB 375, Chapter 728, 
Statutes of 2008)
 supports the State’s climate action goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through coordinated 
transportation and land use planning with the goal of more sustainable communities.
Under the Sustainable Communities Act, ARB sets regional targets for GHG emissions reductions from passenger vehicle use. 
In 2010, ARB established these targets for 2020 and 2035 for each region covered by one of the State’s 
metropolitan planning 
organizations (MPO)
. ARB will periodically review and update the targets, as needed.
Each of California’s MPOs must prepare a “sustainable communities strategy” (SCS) as an integral part of its regional 
transportation plan (RTP). The SCS contains land use, housing, and transportation strategies that, if implemented, would 
allow the region to meet its GHG emission reduction targets. Once adopted by the MPO, the RTP/SCS guides the transportation 
policies and investments for the region. 
Figure 4: How long a stop takes based on speed (driving an average family car)
Source: https://www.qld.gov.au/transport/safety/road-safety/driving-safely/stopping-distances

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