The Road Less Traveled
The Road Less Traveled
Working with rural communities, we understand the need for cost-effective approaches to address transportation analysis requirements while complying with legal and technical expectations, such as the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Recent CEQA changes have expanded expectations for transportation analysis related to wildfire evacuation and vehicle miles of travel (VMT). These are challenging subjects to analyze for any agency, and even more so, for those without advanced data, the models needed, or the specialized expertise to apply them.
So, how can rural agencies close the gap between the new transportation planning expectations and their resource reality?
Fehr & Peers aims to remove the anxiety and complexity from the analysis, and instead offer simple, effective, and scalable solutions for practitioners working in rural communities. As such, we have prepared the following cost-effective web resources for rural planning.
Evacuation Analysis
Wildfire Evacuation Impact Checklist
| Description | Beginning with a straightforward checklist, this resource hones in on the most critical questions and evidence needed for an evacuation analysis. |
| Cost | Free |
| Set Up Time | Ready for immediate use |
| Agency Investment | Typically 2-4 hours of staff time |
VMT Analysis
VMTIndex
| Description | This ArcGIS map-based tool finds VMT for community or project scale impact screenings and assessments using big data from Fehr & Peers/StreetLight. |
| Cost | Free |
| Set Up Time | Ready for immediate use |
| Agency Investment | Typically 2-4 hours of staff time |
To get started, reach out to our experts below.
share this article
Contributors
Ian Barnes
Principal
PE
Email Me
Jason Pack
Principal
TE
Email Me
Ron Milam
Forecasting Practice Leader
AICP, PTP
Email Me
Chelsea Richer
Principal
AICP
Email Me
Explore More
MXD Gets Its Biggest Update Yet
Our Mixed-Use Development (MXD) tool just got its biggest update in more than a decade. Built on expanded national research and updated ITE trip rates, the 2026 release delivers more accurate, context-sensitive trip estimates for mixed-use places, including validation using post-COVID field counts.
A Design Win for Seattle Sidewalks
Micromobility is growing, but when scooters and bikes have nowhere obvious to park, sidewalks suffer. Seattle tackled this with quick-build corrals, using simple outlines to guide parking right away, then upgrading to durable markings and in-street designs. See how we helped screen sites, refine locations in the field, and scale for daily use and major events.
Jason Xu Joins Fehr & Peers as Principal
Meet Jason Xu and his approach to improving transportation operations, signal systems, and corridor coordination.










