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Pages 72-92

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From page 72... ... One aspect of the Outer Cape Capacity Study that was directly aimed at bringing environmental considerations into transportation planning early in the process was the use of an environmental sensitivity index. The intent of this index was to identify the amount and proximity of environmental resources to critical transportation facilities. Read the entire page →
From page 73... ... Environmental resource information is provided by the responsible environmental agencies. • Standardized Analyses -- Standardized analyses have been developed by environmental resource agencies and are automatically performed by the Environmental Screening Tool. Read the entire page →
From page 74... ... Figure 17 shows where the screening tool fits into both the planning process and the programming decision process. Typical planning summary reports include • Project description, • Purpose and Need Statement, • Agency comments, • GIS mapping, • Secondary and cumulative impacts evaluations, • Public involvement comments, and • Preliminary project concept based on agency and public input. Read the entire page →
From page 75... ... Using the FDOT Environmental Screening Tool. a Identifying the Wetlands Inventory Read the entire page →
From page 76... ... Using the FDOT Environmental Screening Tool. c Focusing on Wetlands at Particular Site b Identifying Wetlands by Type Read the entire page →
From page 77... ... Using the FDOT Environmental Screening Tool. Read the entire page →
From page 78... ... Using the FDOT Environmental Screening Tool. Read the entire page →
From page 79... ... • Archaeological Resource Protection -- Similar to cultural resources, the SHA employs professional archaeologists to ensure that archaeological resources are considered during the planning and deign process of proposed highway projects. Working in close coordination with architectural historians, SHA's archaeologists 79 perform assessments and field studies for several hundred projects each year ranging in size and scope from minor traffic management and control studies to large capacity improvement projects. Read the entire page →
From page 80... ... Some of the MTC's more innovative efforts include the following: • Addressing Equity in Transportation Planning and Service Provision -- Many of the programs in the regional transportation plan (RTP) focus on equitable access to transportation services for people with low incomes or who are elderly or disabled. Read the entire page →
From page 81... ... Resource analysis methodology for the Sonoran Desert Conservation Plan. Source: Pima County, 2000 (85) Read the entire page →
From page 82... ... The analyses performed by this system will also provide important information to regional transportation planners. MPO officials are expecting to incorporate this approach into their planning processes, especially those relating to the environmental assessment of regional plans as required by state law. Read the entire page →
From page 83... ... 83 Figure 20. Wisconsin's Systems-Plan Environmental Evaluation Screening Tool. Read the entire page →
From page 84... ... . Wisconsin's Systems-Plan Environmental Evaluation Screening Tool. Read the entire page →
From page 85... ... Fuel consumption under the recommended plan was slightly less than the base case. 85 Direct Land-Use Impacts • Sensitive land -- The types of sensitive land identified were agricultural land, habitat fragmentation, and endangered resources. Read the entire page →
From page 86... ... 86 highlighted. For example, this section made statements such as • "Recommended improvements are intended to enhance both mobility between Wisconsin communities and linkages to major destinations in neighboring states." • "The plan's recommended improvements to the Corridors 2020 system would better enable tourists traveling on those routes to experience a more enjoyable trip to and from Wisconsin tourism destination points than would improvements recommended in the base case." TABLE 13 Indirect land-use impacts described in Wisconsin State Highway Plan Source: Wisconsin Department of Transportation, 2000 (88) Read the entire page →
From page 87... ... The results of the literature review and case studies indicate that GIS is becoming a standard tool for environmental assessment in transportation planning. This tool is particularly useful for spatial analysis of equity issues. Read the entire page →
From page 88... ... Electronic field data collection technologies are portable computer devices (e.g., laptops, palmtops, or handheld devices) used to collect and compile electronic inventories of geographic feature data such as wildlife habitats, wetlands, land use, historic sites, and physical features. Read the entire page →
From page 89... ... Transportation Impact Modeling Tools/Technologies Transportation impact modeling tools/technologies refer to the numerous models used to evaluate potential environmental effects of transportation projects such as air quality, noise, water quality, and biological resources. Illustrative models include biological resource models such as Wetland Environmental Tools (WET) Read the entire page →
From page 90... ... The results of these research activities could provide important analysis capability to the consideration of environmental factors in transportation planning. Examples of these projects are discussed below. Read the entire page →
From page 91... ... Table 14 shows various methods used for such assessments. As indicated by the survey undertaken for this project, very few agencies considered inadequate analysis tools and 91 methods as a substantial constraint in their efforts to consider environmental factors in transportation planning. Read the entire page →
From page 92... ... Forums for sharing DOT and MPO experiences with the use of various methods and tools would also be useful in this regard. Category Tool Use Strengths Weaknesses Restoration/ replacement costs Assigns economic cost to environmental damages Estimates costs directly related to damaged resource Some resources irreplaceable; ignores loss of use before replacement Economic Measures Travel costs Assigns economic value to resource based on visitation Works well when distance to site is key for estimating benefits Trips often have multiple objectives; confuses payment with value Health Relates ecosystem quality to the performance of key indicators Provides useful summary measures to gauge impacts of changes over time Hard to link cause and effect in ecological relationships; choice of indicators may be controversial Integrity Focuses on synergistic and system relationships Recognizes systemwide characteristics of complex ecosystems Definitions can vary greatly across experts; human versus nonhuman factors problematic Resilience Assesses the long-term viability of a resource Captures threats to future environmental quality based on past events and ecosystem response Difficult to measure; translation into comparable policy terms can be controversial Ecological Relationships Carrying capacity Relates fundamental qualities of ecosystem value to productivity Tracks key threats to future resource use and availability Relation of productivity to value may be contested; choice of impact baseline difficult Attitudinal and opinion surveys Gathers information about ecological understanding and support for policies Viewed as egalitarian and democratic; can be closely targeted to issues or market Subject to strategic and motivational biases; may encourage superficial responses Constructed preferences Elicits values used in making decisions about environmental choices Attempts to reflect actual decision processes and the key tradeoffs of stakeholders Responses may be difficult to integrate into cost/benefit framework Image Assesses affective and psychological reactions to scenarios or events Incorporates perceptions and beliefs associated with a proposed action Stimulus-response characteristics tough to anticipate; high geographic variability in responses Narrative and effect Elicits concerns of stakeholders through dialogue and conversation Can yield compelling stories; methods grounded in familiar feelings and emotions Subject to bias via smallsample selection; coding of responses problematic Expressed Preference Surveys Referenda Asks individuals to vote for or against a specific proposed action Provides familiar method for gauging opinions of diverse stakeholders Knowledge level of participants can vary widely; responses sensitive to framing of questions Focus groups Elicits responses to proposed action through informal small group discussions Inexpensive; directly targets question of concern; uses insights from diverse populations Sessions can be dominated by one point of view; values remain implicit; and conflicts difficult to address Small-group Input Advisory committees Develops broad perspective on an issue; involves interested and knowledgeable representatives Allows for open discussion; can increase trust in agency and empower local citizens Objectives and powers of committee may be unclear; diversity of viewpoints easily suppressed TABLE 15 Tools for identifying environmental values Source: Adapted from DHV Environmental and Infrastructure BV, undated (96) Read the entire page →

From page 72...

... One aspect of the Outer Cape Capacity Study that was directly aimed at bringing environmental considerations into transportation planning early in the process was the use of an environmental sensitivity index. The intent of this index was to identify the amount and proximity of environmental resources to critical transportation facilities.