Introduction to the Newsletter - Sea

SEA & Transport Planning Issue 9 October 2006 Edited by: Paul Tomlinson, Head - Environmental Assessment & Policy, TRL Limited. CONTENTS  Introduction to the Newsletter     Who Subscribes? How to Navigate the Newsletter The Next Edition   SEA and EIA Materials                                  New Guidance on Environmental Assessment Scoping in Environmental Impact Assessment Environmental Assessment Methods and Conflict Impact Mitigation in EIA EMS Provides Tools for Delivering on EIA Commitments Scotland's National Transport Strategy: Environmental Report Strategic Environmental Assessment Tool Kit SEA as a Tool of Environmental Governance Causal Networks in EIA SEA-Directive and the SEA-Protocol Implementation of the SEA Directive Handbook on SEA for Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Application of the UNECE SEA Protocol A Decision Support Method for EIA Using a Fuzzy Logic Approach Synthesis of Data Needs for EA and EIS Documentation EIA & SEA Guidelines Adopted by the Biodiversity Convention Biodiversity in Strategic Environmental Assessment Principles for SEA to Promote Sustainable Use of Biodiversity Landscape Indicators for Strategic Environmental Assessment of LTPs Assessing Environmental Vulnerability in EIA Indirect and Cumulative Impact Analysis A Review of Strategic Environmental Assessment in 12 Selected Countries Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Integrated Assessment Merseytravel Environmental Sustainability Strategy Improvements to the National Environmental Policy Act Decision-Oriented Environmental Assessment Mobility 2030: Meeting the Challenges to Sustainability Relationship between EIA and SEA Directives Improving the Implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment Shortcomings in the Treatment of Impacts of Linear Infrastructures on Natural Habitat Indirect Effects to Include in SEAs of Transport Infrastructure Investments Practical Guidance on Institutional Arrangements for Integrated Policy and Decision-Making Guide to Project Evaluation: Distributional (Equity) Effects Guide to Project Evaluation - Part 7: Post-completion Evaluation Measuring the Effectiveness of Community Impact Assessment: Recommended Core Measures Clarification of Article 2(3) of the EIA Directive Other References Transport Planning in UK                               1 Intelligent Infrastructure Futures Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) Scotland’s Transport Future: Guidance on Regional Transport Strategies Scotland’s Transport Strategy: A Consultation Delivering Better Transport: Priorities for 2006-7 to 2008-09 Guidance on Modelling and Appraisal for Road Pricing Road Pricing in Great Britain: Winners and Losers Guidance on Rail Appraisal Draft Guidance on Transport Assessment Planning and the Strategic Road Network Beyond Transport Infrastructure Improving Local Transport Submission to the Eddington Transport Study Regions' Advice on Transport Regional Funding Allocations Regional Spatial Strategies: Guide to Producing Regional Transport Strategies CFIT Road Pricing World Review Experiences of Congestion and Attitudes to Road Pricing Impact of Transport Pricing on Quality of Life, Acceptability, and Intentions to Reduce Car Use Bus Quality Partnerships, Modal Shift and Traffic Decongestion Regional Planning Assessments for the Railway The Role of English PTEs in the Rail Franchising Process Inland Waterways Freight - Policy Update Foresight: Port Traffic Modelling Ports Policy Review Land for Transport Functions House of Commons Transport Committee Review of the Highways Agency Highways Agency Business Plan 2006-7 Manchester Airport Draft Masterplan Reducing Carbon Emissions from Transport Smarter Choices and Carbon Emissions             London Addresses Climate Change Review of Public Attitudes to Climate Change and Transport Behaviour Climate Change and Transport Climate Change: The UK Programme 2006 Biofuels and the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation Transport and Social Inclusion Transport Interventions Promoting Safe Cycling and Walking Getting to the Station Providing Transport for Social Inclusion within a Framework for Environmental Justice in the UK Personal Security at Public Transport Interchanges: A Good Practce Guide Other References            European Transport                              EU Energy and Transport in Figures Trends in the Transport Sector 1970-2004 European Commission Transport Policy Review Trans-European Motorway and Trans-European Railway Projects’ Master Plan Sustainable Transport in the European Union Rail Goods Transport 2003-2004 Inland Waterways Freight Transport in Europe Inland Waterways & Environmental Protection Improving Transport Accessibility for All: Guide to Good Practice Improving Access to Public Transport Guidelines for Transport Personnel Socio-Economic Benefits of Roads in Europe Equity Effects of Congestion Pricing: Quantitative Methodology and a Case Study for Stockholm Transportation Network Improvement and Tolling Strategies: The Issue of Intergeneration Equity Cost Effectiveness of CO2 Mitigation in Transport How Much Transport Can the Climate Stand? Reducing NOx Emissions on the Road Making Cars More Fuel Efficient Air Pollution at Street Level in European Cities Accuracy of Road Traffic Forecasts Inaccuracy in Traffic Forecasts Transport and Environment: Facing a Dilemma EU Carbon Emissions Consultation Option Value of Public Transport: Methodology for Measurement Intelligent Transportation Systems in Europe and Japan Time and Transport Short-Term Land Value Impacts of Urban Rail Transit ECMT Council of Ministers Meeting Mapping of National Road Research in Europe Other References                          North American Transport Planning        An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects Integrating Sustainability into Transportation Planning Highway Capacity and Quality of Service 2005 Innovative Techniques in the Planning and Financing of Public Transportation Projects Considering the Environment in Transportation Planning: Emerging Paradigms & Practice Integrating Land Use Considerations into Transportation Projects        2 Integrating Land Use Issues Into Transportation Planning: Scenario Planning Consideration of Environmental Factors in Transportation Systems Planning Using Road Tolls to Cut Congestion, Protect the Environment, and Boost Access for All Technologies to Improve Consideration of Environmental Concerns in Transportation Decisions Transportation Air Quality Predicting Air Quality Effects of Traffic-Flow Improvements Tyres and Passenger Vehicle Fuel Economy Demonstration and Evaluation of Hybrid Diesel-Electric Transit Buses Virtual Exclusive Busways Electric Drive Technologies The Hydrogen Bus Source Design-Build Environmental Compliance Process and Level of Detail Required Getting to Smart Growth Context-Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan Pedestrians: Research Problem Statements Characterising Neighbourhood Pedestrian Environments with Secondary Data Safeways to School - The Role in Multi-Modal Planning Agenda for Climate Actions Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2004 International Energy Outlook 2006 The Cost of Urban Congestion in Canada Car Sharing: Where and How it Succeeds and Boost Access for All First Mile: Car Sharing Newsletter Can Consumer Information Tighten The Transportation/ Land-Use Link? Understanding What Makes Housing Truly Affordable Strategic Policy Options for Sustainable Development Database Critical Issues in Transportation Monitoring, Analyzing, and Reporting on the Environmental Streamlining Pilot Projects Freight Carrier FLEET Performance Model Bikeways to Prosperity: Assessing the Economic Impact of Bicycle Facilities Guidelines for Analysis of Investments in Bicycle Facilities Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System Tools for Predicting Usage and Benefits of Urban Bicycle Network Improvements Integration of Bicycles and Transit The Bicycle and Pedestrian Toolbox Developing and Implementing Transportation Management Plans for Work Zones Assessing Long-Range Transportation Planning Initiatives for Climate and Energy Benefits Improving Transit Equity, Streamlining Operations Better Public Transportation for Everyone Safety Impacts and Other Implications of Raised Speed Limits on High-Speed Roads A Study of Alternative Land Use Forecasting Models Linking Transportation and Land Use: A Peer Exchange Toxicity of Available and Potential Substitute Aircraft De-icing and Anti-Icing Compounds Other References Transport Planning - Rest of the World  Climate Change Mitigation and Transport in Developing Nations  The Australian National Cycling Strategy 2005-2010  Growing In the Greenhouse  Rural Access Index: A Key Development Indicator  Bicycles and Pedestrians; Developing Countries 2005  Guidance and Techniques                                 New Guidance on Highway Drainage Early Mitigation for Net Environmental Benefit Environmentally Sensitive Channel and Bank Protection Measures Temporary Bridging to Avoid or Minimize Impacts to Waters and Wetlands During Highway Construction Compendium of Workshops on Integrating Air Quality and Transportation Traffic Management and Air Quality Research Programme Soil Indicators Used in Road EIAs Natural Environment Policy Evidence The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England. Improvement of Environmental and Social Impact Quantitative Assessment Habitats Directive Consultation Guidance for Competent Authorities when Dealing with SAC Freshwater Sites Accuracy of Noise Maps Prepared under the Environmental Noise Directive Highway Traffic Noise in the United States: Problem and Response Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Synthesis of Noise Effects on Wildlife Populations Biodiversity in Environmental Assessment - Current Practice and Tools for Prediction Creation of Compensatory Habitat Working with Wildlife – Site Guide The German Way to Greenways and Habitat Networks Landscape Character on the Road Including Landscape in Road Design, Construction and Mitigation Landscape Ecological Assessment Environmental Analysis in the Selection of Alternative Corridors Municipal Waste in Road Construction Other Publications     Wider Economic Impacts         Planning Inquiries into Major Infrastructure Projects Economic Impact Reports Proper Pricing for Transport Infrastructure and the Case of Urban Road Congestion Health Impact Assessment                     Environmental Valuation  Introducing Environmental Externalities into Transport Pricing: Measurement and Implications Valuation of Aircraft Noise by Time of Day Methodology to Calculate Social Values for Air Pollution Using Discrete Choice Models Contingent Valuation and Adding-up in EIA Estimating the Willingness-to-Pay for Road Safety Improvements Deriving Values for the Ecological Support Function of Wildlife: An Indirect Valuation Approach Valuation of Ecological Impacts — A Regional Approach Using the Ecological Footprint Concept Valuation of Ecosystem Goods and Services Valuing the Diversity of Biodiversity Uncertainty in Fairness Evaluations and Willingness to Pay Other References Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Environment: Recent Developments Valuation of Environment-Related Health Impacts Environment and Happiness: Valuation of Air Pollution Using Life Satisfaction Data Economic Evaluation Manual Valuation of Environmental Impacts on Children’s Health Economic Valuation of Environmental Health Risks to Children Valuing Our Natural Environment Cross Rail Health Impact Assessment Cross Rail Equality Impact Assessment Environmental Performance Reviews NICE Consultation on Physical Activity and the Environment Informing Healthier Choices: Information and Intelligence for Health Populations Informing Healthier Choices: Information and Intelligence for Healthy Populations Planning for Active Transportation and Health Promoting Public Health Through Smart Growth Department of Health: Sustainable Development Action Plan 2006 Healthier Planning Transport Related Health Impacts and their Costs and Benefits with Particular Focus on Children A Guide to Transportation's Role in Public Health Disasters The Material Basis for Health Obesity and the Built Environment A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Land Use Policy on Community Exposure to Air Toxics Moving Towards Better Health Environment and Health Young Adolescent Pedestrians’ & Cyclists’ Road Deaths EU Conference on Health in All Policies Other References Web-Sites     The PEP: Transport, Health and Environment PanEuropean Programme OECD and Health Nottingham Online Planning Website Context Sensitive Solutions – Pennsylvania Department of Transportation TRL Limited is the editor and publisher of this Newsletter. TRL is a provider of transport research and consultancy advice. ECMT is the European Conference of Ministers of Transport and has kindly provided support to the launch of this Newsletter. 3 INTRODUCTION TO THE NEWSLETTER IANs are periodically issued by the Highways Agency and contain specific guidance, which shall only be used in connection with works on motorways and trunk roads in England, subject to any specific implementation instructions contained within an IAN. This Newsletter is the seventh aimed at those involved with strategic environmental assessment and transportation planning in the UK, Europe and increasingly around the world. All copies of the Newsletter and other materials on SEA can be accessed via the TRL website www.trl.co.uk. From the main page select environment then publications from where the SEA Newsletter registration page can be found. Alternatively use the link contained on the SEA Information website: http://www.sea- One change introduced to the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Volume 11: Environmental Assessment is a revised Part 10: HA 216/06 Road Drainage and the Water Environment. info.net/Newsletters.htm http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/ians/index.htm http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/vol11/section3/11s3p1 0a.pdf The guidance can be found at: Who Subscribes? ***** Approximately 700 people have subscribed from across the world. The UK, unsurprisingly, dominates the audience with over 410 subscribers, with Germany and Italy being the next most frequent. There are over 557 subscribers from the European Union Member States, with a further 28 from central and eastern European states. Subscribers to the Newsletter also come from Africa, Korea, South East Asia and Nepal as well as the US and Canada. Scoping in Environmental Impact Assessment This paper by Snell and Cowell neatly highlights the issues surrounding EIA that the Highways Agency guidance reviewed above seeks to address. The paper published in the May 2006 Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26 (4), 359-376 presents the argument that the practice of scoping falls behind the conceptual approach. The authors claim that this weakness reflects dilemmas between two key rationales for scoping - environmental precaution and decisionmaking efficiency - and between technical and participatory conceptions of the decision-making process. The authors use qualitative research to understand how scoping practice in the UK reconciles these competing imperatives. In terms of the status of the subscribers, about 36% are within governmental organisations, a third from consultancy with the remainder being from research organisations and academia. How to Navigate the Newsletter The contents section contains hyperlinks to the sections and articles, with the heading for each of these then having a hyperlink back to the contents page. To activate the hyperlinks hold the mouse cursor over the text and then press CTRL + left mouse click to activate. The paper reports that practitioners mainly rationalise their approach in terms of decision-making efficiency, while justifying excluding the public from scoping on grounds of prematurity, delay and risks of causing confusion. The tendency to scope issues in rather than exclude them reflects a pervasive concern for legal challenge, rather than environmental precaution, but this reinforces standard lists of environmental considerations rather than the investigation of novel, cumulative or indirect risks. The Next Edition The next edition is programmed for Spring 2007 and hence the Editor welcomes short articles of around 500 words during January 2007. TRL reserves the right to edit articles in whatever manner. The paper can be found at: ***** http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.06.003 SEA AND EIA MATERIALS ***** New Guidance on Environmental Assessment Environmental Assessment Methods and Conflict The Highways Agency in May 2006, released new guidance for the environmental assessment of highways projects that originated in work undertaken by TRL. Most of the guidance is in the form of Interim Advice Notes and are only applicable to Highways Agency projects in England. An article by Persson “Theoretical Reflections on the Connection Between Environmental Assessment Methods and Conflict” to appear in the Environmental Impact Assessment Review explores the connection between conflicts, communication and rationality in assessment methods for plans, programmes and projects. It focuses on the form (rationality) and substance of 4 communication, i.e. what we should communicate about. The authors view is that environmental assessments should be based on value- and interestfocused thinking, following a teleological ethic, when goals, alternatives and compensations are to be developed and impacts evaluated. EMS Provides Tools for Delivering on EIA Commitments The author states in his paper published in Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 23(4) p325-331 that the link between EIA and EMS in most organisations remains weak. He then documents the procedural steps by which EIA documents can contribute towards the EMS. The suggestion is made that the EIA document should make it clear which statements are clearly commitments and which are providing descriptive but non-binding information. A register of such commitments can then be assembled and tracked. Such a suggestion is however not new as the Newsletter author adopted such as system on the A120 Stansted to Braintree ES published in 1990. The article can be seen at http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2006.04.005 ***** Impact Mitigation in EIA This paper by Tinker et al entitled “Impact Mitigation in Environmental Impact Assessment: Paper Promises or the Basis of Consent Conditions? highlights a continuing problem for EIA and I would expect SEA. That is the decision-making processes fail to incorporate the mitigation measures proposed in the ESs. See: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/beech/iapa/2005/00000023/ 00000004/art00007 ***** The paper, published in Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, 23(4) p265-280 bases its findings on research examining a selection of 40 ESs across a range of projects published in 1998-2003 in the East of England. The mitigation measures were identified and classified into the hierarchy of “avoid, reduce, repair, compensate and enhance. The application of mitigation measures within the development consent were grouped into:  Covered by conditions;  Covered by obligations;  Not covered by conditions or obligations;  Extra conditions not based on mitigation measures;  Extra obligations not based on mitigation measures. Scotland's National Transport Strategy: Environmental Report The Scottish Executive published in May 2006 their first Environmental Report on the national transport strategy. The purpose of the Environmental Report is to provide an account of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) on the National Transport Strategy (NTS) Consultation Paper. This Environmental Report documents the findings of the SEA for the National Transport Strategy Consultation Paper, and provides the consultation authorities (Historic Scotland, Scottish Natural Heritage and Scottish Environment Protection Agency), key stakeholders and the wider public with the opportunity to consider and comment on the assessment during the consultation period. The author’s describe how 42% of the total mitigation measures in the ESs were covered by planning conditions and 8% covered by planning obligations. Hence, 50% were not covered, but there were 638 extra conditions not deriving from mitigations proposed in the ES. Some 59% of planning obligations covered mitigation measures identified in the ESs, but 41% were not mentioned in the ESs. The results of the consultation on are to be reported in a SEA Post-Adoption Statement to be published alongside the finalised NTS later in 2006. The authors query why a large number of mitigation measures do not find their way into conditions or obligations. The authors propose the use of Environmental Management Plans or a schedule of mitigation commitments as a means to address these weaknesses supporting an Environmental Management System. See: In addition to the topics identified in the Act implementing SEA, noise and visual amenity were included n the assessment. This provided continuity with the environmental criteria included within the Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) published in 2003 to aid transport planners and policy makers in the development of transport plans, policies, programmes and projects. www.ingentaconnect.com/content/beech/iapa/2005/00000023/00000 004/art00002;jsessionid=14snx3zd83m7i.alice ***** A SEA post-adoption statement is to be published alongside the final National Transport Strategy later in 2006. This will include an update on the environmental information included within the final strategy and 5  outline how the Environmental Report and subsequent public consultation have influenced the final NTS.  Presenting human health issues in the Environmental Report; Data and advice on health issues. Details can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/116655/0028769.pdf One weakness observed thus far is in offering guidance on the distribution and equity issues associated with the likely effects being assessed. For example, considering the environmental and health effects upon not only different age groups, but also those with different types of ailment and also those who either live in urban areas without access to private transport or those residing in isolated rural communities. ***** Strategic Environmental Assessment Tool Kit The Scottish Executive SEA Tool Kit provides comprehensive coverage and supports the commitment made by the Scottish Ministers to provide guidance on the Act. The Tool Kit is designed to be comprehensive, but can only be considered as guidance and is not a substitute for the Act. Responsible Authorities who are in any doubt about compliance should refer to the Act or seek their own legal advice. The Tool Kit can be accessed via the Scottish Executive webpage (link below). http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/148434/0039453.pdf ***** SEA as a Tool of Environmental Governance Specific guidance has been developed for certain types of plans, programmes and strategies (PPS), to date land use1 and spatial planning and transport planning. Users should refer primarily to the relevant specific guidance when preparing those PPS. This article by Jackson and Illsley appearing in the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 49(3) 361-383, examines the extension of the SEA Directive in Scotland. The Tool Kit reflects commitments made by the Scottish Ministers to provide guidance on particular issues and aims to meet a variety of customer needs, ranging from the individual with a general interest to practitioners carrying out an SEA. In Scotland, the coverage of SEA has been extended to all public sector policies, plans and programmes subject to Scottish jurisdiction. Evaluation of the arguments advanced by the Scottish Executive for using environmental assessment as a tool for environmental governance requires an exploration of some of the contested interpretations of the function of environmental assessment at a strategic level. The Tool Kit includes a set of SEA templates for practitioners, which offers a guide on the structure of the SEA documentation. To meet practitioner needs, two sets of templates have been included – one set with guidance notes and the other without. The paper examines the implications of this extension in the context of current arrangements to fit environmental assessment into the UK tradition of integrated policy appraisal. It considers the methodological implications of using SEA explicitly for improving public sector decision making at all levels and across all activities. This enables environmental effects to be taken into account at an early stage in the formulation of government policy, through a transparent system of assessment that encourages public participation. A CD with the SEA templates is included with the Tool Kit and is attached to the inside of the front cover. The templates may also be downloaded from the SEA webpage. Each chapter of the Tool Kit is designed to stand-alone. The purpose of this modular approach is to allow the reader to focus quickly on the area that best meets their needs. The paper can be accessed via: http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/link.asp?id=gk774x2582228373 The Tool Kit comprises 15 chapters for the various stages of the SEA process, but specific attention is drawn to the chapter on Human Health. This is a welcomed step in contrast to the limited steps taken in England. The Tool Kit sets out the following:  Definition of health in the context of SEA;  Statutory provisions;  Establishing a suitable level of detail;  Assessment methods;  Health at the screening & scoping stages;  Health assessment for the Environmental Report;  How PPS can affect human health; ***** Causal Networks in EIA Causal networks have been used in Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but they appear to have a minimal use in modern practice. This is surprising given their utility in strategic environmental assessment. This article by Perdicoulis and Glasson published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(6) 553569 reviews the typology of causal networks in EIA as well as in other academic and professional fields,. It 6 verifies the contribution of causal networks to EIA against the principles and requirements of the process, and discusses alternative scenarios for their future in EIA. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2006.04.004 here. In the Netherlands, legislation transposing the SEA Directive had only been released in 2006. However, in spatial planning, SEAs were based on the national EIA Act. ***** Only five countries had no SEA guidelines, namely Greece, Luxembourg, Slovakia, Slovenia and Malta. In two countries, SEA guidance was reported to be released shortly, namely Latvia and Lithuania. Four countries had general or land use planning specific guidelines in place that mentioned SEA, namely Estonia, Italy, Cyprus and Portugal (the latter on strategic integrated assessment, rather than SEA). Furthermore, some had released guidelines that were only covering certain sectors or regions. SEA-Directive and the SEA-Protocol This article by Stoelehner and Wegerer appears in the August 2006 edition of Environmental Impact Assessment Review. While EU Member States are to apply SEA to their spatial plans, in future, the UNECE-Protocol on SEA will require changes when sixteen States ratify the Protocol. This article compares the SEA-Directive to the SEA-Protocol and shows which changes will be necessary in the EU-Member States due to the Protocol. A related article will also appear later in the journal of the Association (UVP Report). See http://www.uvp.de/aktuell.html. ***** Using an example of spatial planning in Austria, the authors estimate the expenses and benefits of the implementation of the SEA-Protocol in addition to the expected expenses and benefits of SEA according to the EU-Directive. From this survey, they conclude that SEA according to the EU-Directive can raise the transparency, traceability and quality of planning processes without causing major delays or expenses. They conclude that implementation of the SEA-Protocol will generate comparatively modest additional benefits that might be accompanied by quite high additional expenses. Handbook on SEA for Cohesion Policy 2007-2013 Under the Greening Regional Development Programme (GRDP) itself funded under the EU Interreg IIIC programme this report was issued in February 2006. Its aims are to:  Share best practice and experience, and improve knowledge of environmental integration within regional development programmes, such as the Cohesion Policy programmes;  Spread best practices in partner regions and beyond;  Develop and disseminate tools and guidance to help organisations involved in development programmes to consider the environment and integrate it in their work;  Develop a sustainable network of institutions throughout the EU devoted to integration of environment into regional development programmes over the long term. The article can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2006.04.002 ***** Implementation of the SEA Directive A July 2006 update of the transposition and implementation status of the SEA Directive in all 25 EU Members States has been published on the website of the German EA Association (UVP-Verein). The GRDP partnership is comprised of 17 “legal” partners and 18 “associate” partners. The partners represent a variety of public institutions, including national, regional and local authorities, national and regional environmental authorities, and research organisations. The partnership overall covers eight EU Member States. Only three countries were identified that had no SEA legislation in place, Portugal, Greece and Luxembourg. Two countries, Germany and Italy, had national SEA framework legislation in place. However, with Germany being a federal state and with Italy having strong regional powers in place, legislation still needed to be released for most of the 16 German states and the Italian 20 regions and 2 autonomous provinces. Austria is another federal state, which by mid-2006 had transposed partly, with national legislation in place for certain sectors and with all Länder having transposed the Directive, apart from Burgenland. The Handbook is meant to provide information, resources and procedural guidance to those who require it in order to carry out Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) for Cohesion Policy programming documents. The Handbook also illustrates the benefits that sound environmental assessment can provide to Cohesion Policy plans and programmes, and by extension to regional development overall. Its main message is that environmental assessment, specifically SEA, is a key tool for “greening” plans and According to the only publication available on practice in Slovenia, only draft legislation on SEA was available 7 programmes, and for improving their overall logic, consistency and chances for success within the overall Cohesion Policy objectives. Liverpool) and very many others, provided further advice. The draft manual is available on the Espoo Convention's website: http://www.unece.org/env/eia/seamanual.html The concept and framework for the Handbook were designed by a team of experts from the Environment Agency for England and Wales, the Spanish Environmental Authorities Network in co-operation with Terra, and the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC). ***** A Decision Support Method for EIA Using a Fuzzy Logic Approach Handbook aims to:  Recommend a practical procedure and methodology for undertaking SEA within the programming process for Cohesion Policy;  Clarify the purpose and process of SEA and explain its role within the Cohesion Policy programming process;  Enable authorities to understand SEA as a tool to strengthen the programming process and not as a burden or a complication;  Promote the use of public consultations to strengthen the evaluation and the programming process overall. This paper by Boclin and de Mello on a decision support method for EIA using a fuzzy logic computational approach appeared in Environmental Economics, 58(1) 170-181. The authors aim to offer stakeholders a way to operate fuzzy and crisp variables and make inferences from resultant values of the systemic indicator as well as environmental, cultural, social and economic thematic indicators. The method was tested in the Environmental Protection Area of Anhatomirim (Santa Catarina state, Brazil) forecasting alternative future scenarios for the adaptation of a highway route and paving project. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.06.007 The Handbook can be found at: ***** http://www.iema.net/readingroom/show/13260/c175 ***** Synthesis of Data Needs for EA and EIS Documentation Application of the UNECE SEA Protocol This report by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) published in January 2005 deals techniques for improving NEPA documentation. Chapter 2 includes a brief summary of salient comments gathered in interviews and concise profiles of ten NEPA documents that feature best practices in the amount of data, detail, or documentation needed to support EA or EIS documents. This Draft Resource Manual to Support Application of the UNECE SEA Protocol has been released for consultation by editorial group established by the Meeting of the Signatories to the Protocol. Comments should be submitted by 31st October 2006 to eia.conv@unece.org with clear references identifying: page number; section number (e.g. A4.2.2); paragraph, figure, table or box number; and 'bullet' number as appropriate. All submissions will be acknowledged and will be taken into consideration by the authors and the small editorial group. It is expected that the small editorial group will review the suggestions and advise on the amendment of the draft Manual accordingly. The revised draft Manual will be presented to the third meeting of the Signatories to the Protocol, the date of which has yet to be determined (probably either May or November 2007). Chapter 3, “Techniques for Improving NEPA Documents” offers a menu of techniques applicable to all document preparers for improving NEPA documents. The recommended techniques address:  Organization and format;  Visual aspects; and  Writing style. Chapter 4, “Blueprint for Better NEPA Document Content” draws together the lessons to offer a framework intended to improve NEPA documents. The Blueprint also is intended to stimulate interest and thinking among resource agencies and DOTs to find new and different ways to create clearer, more concise NEPA documents. It offers project sponsors a more coherent approach that “tells the story” through improved organization and content. The Blueprint includes three core components – Summary, Main Body, The authors (Jiri Dusik, Barry Sadler, Ausra Jurkeviciute and Nick Bonvoisin were supported by an editorial group comprising Ursula Platzer-Schneider (Austria), Mari van Dreumel (Netherlands), Roger Gebbels and Roger Smithson (United Kingdom), David Aspinwall (European Commission) and Henrieta Martonakova (United Nations Development Programme). Marco Martuzzi (World Health Organization), Thomas Fischer (University of 8 and Appendices/Technical Reports. The report comprises six chapters:  Purpose and need;  Alternatives;  Environmental resources, impacts, and mitigation;  Public comments and agency coordination;  Section 4(f) chapter (if needed);  Comparison and selection of alternatives. Biodiversity in Strategic Environmental Assessment In December 2005 the European Environmental Bureau (EEB) issued its report provides a first look at the quality of transposition and application of the SEA Directive across Europe at the end of 2005. By looking at a range of European countries, the report highlights good practice with a special emphasis on biodiversity and climate change. Furthermore, member states where SEA implementation needs to be improved, as well as the key problems of implementation, are identified. Chapter 5, “Legal Sufficiency Considerations” gives a brief overview of the legal sufficiency issues that must be taken into account when considering ways to improve the content of NEPA documents. Finally, Chapter 6, summarises the research findings and recommendations. With 20 participants from 18 countries involved in the survey supporting the report, the authors draw some general conclusions that can be used to formulate recommendations to EU institutions, national governments and other relevant authorities, as well as to environmental NGOs themselves, to improve the implementation of the SEA Directive. The report can be seen at: http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/reference/boilerplate/Attachments/$fi le/25-25(1)_FR.pdf ***** The authors report the following findings:  Although some improvements in planning practices can be discerned, the SEA Directive is still far from delivering its full potential, especially in comparison to environmental impact assessment (EIA), with in some cases countries simply carrying out SEA based on EIA legislation.  Urgent improvements are needed, transposition in those countries where SEA is still lacking and filling possible legal gaps, but mostly in terms of application, such as by developing a methodology for stakeholder processes and preparing environmental reports – and the timing of the assessment and the proper integration of the results in the planning process.  There is a risk of NGOs losing interest if the stakeholder process fails to become an integrated part of the decision-making process.  The lack of information on biodiversity and climate change suggests that increased awareness of the issue is badly needed, as well as increased efforts on the part of NGOs to become more active. The proposed decision by the 8th Conference of the Parties under the CBD for guidelines to integrate Biodiversity in SEA should, when adopted in spring 2006, be instrumental in further raising awareness. EIA & SEA Guidelines Adopted by the Biodiversity Convention Voluntary guidance on biodiversity-inclusive EIA and SEA was endorsed at the 8th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, held in Curitiba, Brazil in 2006. The guidance was developed by the Netherlands Commission for Environmental Assessment in close collaboration with the Biodiversity and SEA sections of IAIA and IAIA’s CBBIA programme. I AIA members contributed SEA case studies and participated in the review process. A background document containing the formal CBD decision and information documents not included in the final decision text can be downloaded from www.eia.nl, or www.sevs.nl (under publications), or provided by e-mail from the authors. Parties have requested the CBD Secretariat to compile information on practitioner’s experiences with the guidelines and IAIA members are invited to adapt the generic guidelines to their regional and/or sectoral contexts and to share their experiences either through IAIA’s biodiversity section or with their national CBD focal points. The authors provided the following recommendations:  Both the Commission and national authorities – as well as NGOs – should give the highest political priority to the application of the requirements of this directive, taking into account the recommendations identified in this report.  The Commission should assess the quality of the transposition of legislation.  Governments should ensure that no plans or programmes are unduly exempted and NGOs should carefully monitor the screening process.  The application of SEAs to the Sectoral Operational Programmes for 2007-2013 will be a test case. The CBD voluntary guidelines (and case study summaries) (document number 44) are available in 6 languages from: http://www.biodiv.org/doc/meeting.asp?lg=0&mtg=cop-08). Available at http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/crosscutting/impact/search.aspx Roel Slootweg, sevs@sevs.nl; Arend Kolhoff, akolhoff@eia.nl; Robert Höft, Robert.hoft@biodiv.org ***** 9    Given the often still poor quality of application, the Commission should give extra attention to the quality of the SEA when evaluating the programmes and strategies submitted. Authorities responsible for plans and programmes should set up a systematic feedback mechanism in stakeholder consultation and, where necessary, provide NGOs with support to take part in the processes, in line with the requirements of the Aarhus convention. Nevertheless, NGOs should also prioritise and opt for strategic cases that will help create precedents. Authorities should carry out consultations in good enough time to ensure that new information emerging from this consultation can still influence the planning process. NGOs should raise awareness of the need to address thoroughly the issue of biodiversity and climate change when carrying out SEAs and highlight the benefits that such a proactive response to climate change and biodiversity protection can provide. Although the directive does not provide a methodology on how to organise consultations and write the environmental report, best practice should be promoted national authorities. The paper can be found at: http://www.worldscinet.com/cgibin/jform.cgi?/jeapm/07/0702/S1464333205002043.html ***** Landscape Indicators for Strategic Environmental Assessment of LTPs This 2005 report published by the Countryside Agency discusses the development and application of landscape indicators in SEAs of Local Transport Plans (LTPs). It begins by summarising the underlying requirements and then considers baseline information that is likely to be available to most local authorities. The practical difficulties of quantifying the nature and magnitude of landscape changes are acknowledged and the most promising areas of investigation are highlighted. The note stresses that for most authorities it will be necessary to develop individual and locally relevant indicators in the absence of national standards that are under development. The report can be found at: http://landscapecharacter.org.uk/pdfs/CA_Landscape_Indicators_for _SEAs_of_LTPs.pdf#search=%22%20%20%22Landscape%20Indic ators%20for%20Strategic%20Environmental%20Assessment%22%2 2 The report can be seen at; http://www.eeb.org/activities/biodiversity/Final-SEA-report271205.pdf ***** ***** Assessing Environmental Vulnerability in EIA Principles for SEA to Promote Sustainable Use of Biodiversity In the traditional EIA procedure, environmental vulnerability is only considered to a minor extent in the early stages when project alternatives are explored. This is the view presented in a paper by Kvaerner, Swensen and Erikstad that appeared in Environmental Impact Assessment Review. Strategic environmental assessment (SEA) has been identified as an important tool for helping to ensure that development is planned and implemented for the benefit of biodiversity by the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Ramsar Convention and the Convention for Migratory Species. SEA is seen as a way to overcome many limitations of project-level EIA by allowing consideration of biodiversity at higher tiers of decision-making and planning. The authors describe an alternative approach to EIA practiced in Norway. An integrated vulnerability model (IVM), emphasising environmental vulnerability and alternatives development in the early stages of EIA, has been tried out in a few pilot cases. This paper examines the content and use of the vulnerability concept in the IVM approach, and in the context of EIA. This paper by Treweek. Therivel, Thompson and Slater identifies some important principles that should be taken into account to ensure that biodiversity considerations are appropriately addressed in SEA, so that the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity are pursued as fundamental objectives of strategic decisionmaking. The paper also sets out key considerations to take into account at different stages in the SEA process. The principles explored in this paper should be applicable in any country where SEA is practiced, even though legislation, methodologies and procedures vary widely. The vulnerability concept is best suited to overview analyses and large scale spatial considerations. The concept is reported to be particularly useful in the early stages of EIA when alternatives are designed and screened. By introducing analyses of environmental vulnerability at the start of the EIA process, the environment can be a more decisive issue for the creation of project alternatives as well as improving the basis for scoping. Vulnerability and value aspects, the author’s argue should be considered as separate dimensions. There is a need to operate with a specification between general and 10 specific vulnerability. The concept of environmental vulnerability has proven useful in a wide range of disciplines. Different disciplines have different lengths of experience regarding vulnerability. In disciplines such as landscape planning and hydrogeology, we find elements suitable as cornerstones in the further development of an interdisciplinary methodology. Further development of vulnerability criteria in different disciplines and increased public involvement in the early stages of EIA are recommended. See: See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2004.09.010 ***** Bridging the Gap Between Theory and Practice in Integrated Assessment One of the last papers from Normal Lee who was so influential in shaping EIA and SEA focuses upon the use of integrated assessments (IAs)/ sustainability impact assessments (SIAs), at different government levels and geographic scales of policy-making and planning, both nationally and internationally. However, delivering good quality IAs/SIAs, in the near future, could be challenging. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2006.01.003 ***** Indirect and Cumulative Impact Analysis This January 2006 report brings together definitions and requirements under NEPA and other environmental laws for indirect and cumulative impacts analysis and mitigation for transport projects. It also recommends an approach to satisfying Federal agency expectations. This paper, which appears in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, mainly focuses upon one area of concern, differences between research and other technical contributions intended to strengthen assessment methodologies and the types of assessment methods considered usable by practitioners. To help in addressing this concern, Norman proposes a common assessment framework based on a shared, practitioner– researcher–stakeholder understanding of what constitutes a satisfactory integrated/ sustainability impact assessment. The report comprises the following sections:  State of the practice;  Components of an indirect and cumulative impacts analysis;  Adequate analysis and mitigation requirements;  Recommendations for a compatible approach. The paper outlines a possible structure for this framework, which contains three interconnected elements—the planning context in which the assessment is to be carried out; the process by which the assessment is to be undertaken and its findings used; and the methods, technical and consultative, by which impacts are to be assessed. It concludes with suggested ‘next steps’, addressed to researchers, practitioners and other stakeholders, by which the assessment framework might be tested and improved, and its subsequent use supported. The report can be obtained from: http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/reference/boilerplate/Attachments/$fi le/25-25(11)_FR.pdf ***** A Review of Strategic Environmental Assessment in 12 Selected Countries The increased application of SEA in countries worldwide, the introduction of SEA procedures in planning and decision-making processes of international aid and cooperation organisations, as well as the recent endorsement of two relevant legal documents in the international arena only serve to emphasise the acclaimed significance of the process. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.01.001 ***** Merseytravel Environmental Sustainability Strategy In light of the scarcity of literature exploring the practical implementation of SEA, this paper by Chaker et al that appeared in Environmental Impact Assessment Review provides a comparative overview of SEA systems in 12 countries from their legal, institutional and procedural perspectives. The objectives of the authors is to unveil potential implementation pitfalls, obstacles and lessons learnt as well as uncertainties and lack of data for future research, replication and customisation elsewhere or refining of existing systems. Merseytravel produced its first Environmental Strategy in 1996 and were the first PTE/A to do this. The strategy was borne from the Local Agenda 21 debate. The third Environmental Sustainability Strategy has now been published which covers the period 2006-2011. This strategy takes a two-pronged approach to demonstrate how in-house policies are creating positive environmental change on a local, national and global scale and how the external corporate policies are providing benefits in the community, the environment and the economy. 11 Merseytravel’s approach has very much been to lead by example to broaden our impact by influencing the performance of key stakeholders and partners such as transport operators.  Record of Decision, and has dedicated sufficient resources to implement the mitigation. To make certain that speculative actions are not “reasonable” within the context of cumulative impacts. See: www.merseytravel.gov.uk/pdf/EnvironmentalStrategy.pdf The report can be found at: http://resourcescommittee.house.gov/nepataskforce/report/nepa_final _taskforce_report.pdf ***** Improvements to the National Environmental Policy Act ***** Decision-Oriented Environmental Assessment The U.S. House of Representatives Task Force on Updating the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) has released a report in July 2006 provides twenty proposed changes to NEPA. This empirical study of decision-orientated environmental assessment theory and methods by Pischke and Cashmore’s appeared in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(7) 643-662. The report's proposals are grouped into nine categories that include addressing delays in the process; enhancing public participation; better involvement for state, local, and tribal stakeholders; addressing litigation issues; clarifying alternative analysis under NEPA; better federal agency coordination; additional authority for the Council on Environmental Quality; clarifying the meaning of "cumulative impacts"; and studies. The final recommendations within these categories include legislative as well as administrative actions. The potential advantages of a decision-oriented theory of environmental assessment have only in recent years received concerted attention. This examined the strategic theoretical and methodological issues associated with the practical application of decisionoriented theory by critically analysing the decisionoriented Environmental Impact Assessment system of the German Development Cooperation (a bilateral development assistance agency). This is a modified version of a recent conceptual and methodological development, Analytical Strategic Environmental Assessment. In examining mitigation, the report noted, “promises’ are being made but not kept. This is not to say, however, that Federal agencies are intentionally disregarding their mitigation proposals. Comments noted there is a need to build in criteria that will hold agencies responsible for the mitigation proposals they themselves present to the public. A situation that also occurs in the UK. The results indicate that some aspects of decisionoriented theory offer considerable potential for environmental assessment process management. Yet uncertainty remains about whether certain core concepts, notably the detailed a priori description of decision processes, can be achieved in practice. The analysis also indicates that there is considerably more common ground in many contemporary debates about environmental assessment than the literature, which has tended towards polarisation suggests. See: Among the recommendations are the following:  A limit of 18 months in which to completing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS);  An EIS shall normally be less than 150 pages with a maximum of 300 pages for complex projects, applying only to a) the purpose and need; b) alternatives; c) affected environment and d) environmental consequences;  “Reasonable alternatives” are to be supported by feasibility and engineering studies, and be capable of being implemented after taking into account: a) cost, b) existing technologies, and (c) socioeconomic consequences (e.g., loss of jobs and overall impact on a community).  Require agencies to include with any mitigation proposal a binding commitment to proceed with the mitigation. This mitigation guarantee would have to include the following features: a) the mitigation is made an integral part of the proposed action, b) it is described in sufficient detail to permit reasonable assessment of future effectiveness, and c) the agency formally commits to its implementation in the http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6V 9G-4KJ74NS1&_coverDate=10%2F31%2F2006&_alid=436420662&_rdoc=1&_f mt=&_orig=search&_qd=1&_cdi=5898&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C 000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=872fda 16fedea34c1c804d108ebb24c7 ***** Mobility 2030: Meeting the Challenges to Sustainability Mobility 2030 is the final report of the WBCSD's Sustainable Mobility project published in July 2004. The report provides a vision of global road transportation covering the mobility of people, goods and services. It identifies seven sustainable mobility goals and establishes a set of indicators to help measure the effectiveness of the various options. Twelve 12 international companies – eight automobile, two oil and two large suppliers – are behind the initiative. appropriate to create clear differential responsibility for different aspects at different levels. The report can be found at: Focusing upon medium term needs the report highlights the following:  The Commission, in undertaking the review processes for the EIA and SEA Directives, should consider the scope for clarification, in either or both Directives, of the definitions of project, programme and plan.  Guidance should be provided by the Commission and/or Member States on the content of EISs and ERs to encourage a consistent hierarchical relationship between the two processes ('tiering').  The Commission and/or Member States should, after Member States have had more experience of operating both systems together, commission further research in this area, including focused research on the application of EIA and SEA to specific sectors, e.g. urban development projects, and the transport and energy sectors.  Member States should consider reviewing their EIA and SEA implementing legislation after more experience of operating both together, to see whether there is scope to create a more consistent or consolidated approach where possible. http://www.wbcsd.org/web/publications/mobility/mobility-full.pdf ***** Relationship between EIA and SEA Directives This August 2005 report by Imperial College London Consultants Ltd identifies and explores the potential overlap between the EIA and SEA Directives among the EU 15 Member States. The key areas identified as likely to give rise to potential overlaps between the Directives were:  Where large projects are made up of sub-projects, or are of such a scale as to have more than local significance;  Project proposals that require the amendment of land use plans (which will require SEA) before a developer can apply for development consent and undertake EIA;  Plans and programmes (PPs) which, when adopted, or modified, set binding criteria for the subsequent consent for projects, i.e. if a developer subsequently makes an application which complies with the criteria then the consent has to be given;  Hierarchical inking between SEA and EIA ('tiering'). For the long term, the authors recommended that the Commission should consider whether the consolidation of the two Directives might achieve greater consistency and efficiency in environmental assessment across Member States. To be legally compliant, the authors recommend that Member States ensure that the requirements of both Directives are met where both Directives apply. Applying either EIA or SEA is unlikely to be legally sufficient in such cases. See: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/pdf/final_report_0508.pdf ***** Improving the Implementation of Environmental Impact Assessment Among the recommendations for short term actions are:  Member States should consider whether coordinated - parallel or joint - EIA/SEA procedures are possible and/or appropriate.  Where Member States might be faced with either i) replacing EIA with SEA, or ii) applying EIA to plans/programmes they should consider carefully how the requirements of both Directives shall be met if the object of assessment meets the screening criteria for both Directives.  Member States should examine possible gaps between the EIA and SEA Directives and consider whether and how to address plans/programmes and projects that fall between these Directives (or where neither Directive applies), in order to ensure that likely significant effects on the environment are considered at the most appropriate level of assessment.  Where EIA and SEA might both apply, Member States should determine how best to co-ordinate the content of the assessments and the decision-making processes, and should consider whether it is Under the EU 6th Framework a study a study called (IMP)3 – “IMProving the IMPlementation of Environmental IMPact As-sessment” to improve the application of EIA in Europe, was launched. The study concentrated on three core themes, each addressing one main objective:  Human health: a better incorporation of human health aspects into EIA.  Risk assessment: a better integration and more consistency of risk assessments in EIA, regarding various sources of risks (natural hazards, accidents, sabotage).  Projects Subject to EIA: a survey of project types subject to EIA particularly focusing on various screening methods, different sets of project types and threshold values/criteria applied. The three sectoral reports (Health Aspects in EIA, Risk Assessment, Projects Subject to EIA) com-prise all empirical data and all relevant information about the 13 results within each core theme of (IMP)3 (Human health, Risk assessment, Projects Subject to EIA) and can be read independently of the other reports. The report on health aspects considers the legislative framework for EIA in several member states noting the extent to which health impacts are addressed. It also considers the national guidance within EU countries as well as across some non-EU countries. The research involved interviews with about 50 different EIA-experts in Europe, USA and Canada and the opinion of European 183 EIA-stakeholders was collected via a questionnaire. The IMP3 reports can be found with the following links: Health Aspects in EIA: http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/umweltthemen/ UVP_SUP_EMAS/IMP/IMP3-Health_Aspects_in_EIA.pdf The options suggested are diverse and comprise the whole range of potential measures that could be taken at the European level, including both “soft” and legislative courses of action. Therefore, they are designed to operate mainly along three major axes:  Guidance;  Supportive measures;  Regulatory or legislative measures  Policy Options: http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/umweltthemen/ UVP_SUP_EMAS/IMP/IMP3-Policy_Options.pdf  Risk Assessment: http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/umweltthemen/ UVP_SUP_EMAS/IMP/IMP3-Risk_Assessment.pdf  Projects Subject to EIA: http://www.umweltbundesamt.at/fileadmin/site/umweltthemen/ UVP_SUP_EMAS/IMP/IMP3-Project_subject_to_EIA.pdf For each core theme, a bundle of 6 to 7 policy options was elaborated. These including the “zero option – do nothing” on the one hand, and extensive changes to the actual legislative situation on the other hand: a new “HIA Directive” in the field of “Human health“, “Major amendment to the EIA Directive plus new technical guidance package plus support for implementation” concerning “Risk assessment” and “Radical amendment to the EIA directive plus supportive measures” concerning “Projects subject to EIA” ***** Shortcomings in the Treatment of Impacts of Linear Infrastructures on Natural Habitat This paper by Geneletti appearing in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(3) 257-267 discusses some of the main shortcomings that affect the assessment of impacts on biodiversity in current EIA practice. The paper highlights several limitations, affecting the baseline study, as well as the impact prediction and the impact assessment stages. Among the most critical shortcomings are the delimitation of the study area on a non-ecological basis, the lack of measurable indicators and quantitative predictions, and the fact that the assessment of the impact relevance, if carried out at all, is unclear and poorly structured. The author concludes by calling for further research in the field of biodiversity and ecological impact assessment. Concerning “Human health”, the analysis of the pre-sent situation has shown that in general human health is referenced in EIA, but understood in a narrow way. The definition of “human health” varies and is generally vague and unspecific. Additionally, in some countries a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) has been developed The main discussion about improving health issues in EIA is about the advantages and disadvantages of integrating health aspects into EIA versus undertaking separate and autonomous HIAs. The article can be seen at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.10.003 The analysis of the “Projects subject to EIA” has shown that the system of project types, thresholds and criteria for the screening process is felt to be satisfactory by most EIA stakeholders in the Member States (MS). However, there exist differences among the MSs in the set of thresholds/criteria and project descriptions that lead to a variety of EIA applications. ***** Indirect Effects to Include in Strategic Environmental Assessments of Transport Infrastructure Investments Indirect effects are important considerations when making consequence analyses in general and in strategic environmental assessments in particular of potential transport solutions and infrastructure plans. The primary objective of this paper by Jonsson and Johansson appearing in Transport Reviews 26(2) 151-166 is to emphasize the need for a deeper understanding of the long-term system effects of investments in transport infrastructure. The objective is to provide a focus on the structuring effects that roads and railways have on society, e.g. altered transport patterns, altered settlement structures and changes in use of the built environment. The authors suggest attention is given to the following One problem lies in the lack of accurate interpretation of screening criteria and a need for a closer linkage of thresholds/criteria with the actual impacts. Reflecting on this situation, the policy options in this field include soft measures, such as training, in order to achieve a common understanding about details of EIA application throughout the European EIA applicants, as well as a radical amendment to the EIA directive. 14 potential indirect effects: increased total transport volume, increased share of private motorists and truck transport, increased urban sprawl, and increased energy use in buildings. The conditions that determine the power of the effects are discussed and a number of key factors to be considered in transport infrastructure planning, especially in strategic environmental assessments, are suggested. Since many indirect effects emerge over time, an extended time perspective is of essence. Therefore, scenario techniques may be useful when analysing indirect effects in transport planning processes. There is a charge to download this guide. See: http://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/script/Details.asp?D ocN=AS446140875747 ***** Guide to Project Evaluation - Part 7: Post-completion Evaluation Part 7 of the Austroads project evaluation guide provides guidelines for carrying out evaluation of completed transport projects to assess actual performance against stated objectives. A postcompletion evaluation is the final step in project evaluation. This step provides feedback on evaluation methodologies, efficiency of implementation and how effectively the project meets its objectives. It closes the guidelines body of the guide to project evaluation (before the examples and applications are presented in Part 8) thus making the Austroads Guide to Project Evaluation a dynamic system of evaluation methods. The paper can be found at: http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/link.asp?id=g450327431g0w054 ***** Practical Guidance on Institutional Arrangements for Integrated Policy and Decision-Making This paper by Stead and de Jong was presented at the High-Level Meeting on Transport, Environment and Health at Geneva in April 2006. It presents the state-ofthe-art knowledge on supportive institutional conditions for the integration of transport, environment and health issues in policy-making. This state of the art was established on the basis of a synthesis of academic and policy literature, information from national and local administrations in UNECE and WHO-Europe member countries (collected by means of an online survey), and additional information from a stakeholder workshop held in Berlin on 23-24 January 2006. The document also provides practical guidance regarding the implementation and “transferability” of the institutional structures and practises identified. Finally, it offers suggestions for further work. See: http://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/script/Details.asp?D ocN=AS084609728726 ***** Measuring the Effectiveness of Community Impact Assessment: Recommended Core Measures Transport agencies have increasingly sought to involve communities when considering transport measures in order to assess the social impacts of the proposed actions. These efforts have included greater public involvement, training, and other guidance for transport professionals, and the compilation of several techniques commonly identified as community impact assessment. The enactment of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21 Century (TEA-21) mandated a more streamlined approach to considering environmental impacts while assuring inclusion of the public, particularly traditionally underserved sub-groups of the population, in the decision-making process. The report can be seen at: http://www.thepep.org/documents/2006/ece/ac_21/ECE-AC.212006-7-institutional%20integration.pdf ***** Guide to Project Evaluation: Distributional (Equity) Effects The Florida Department of Transportation issued in October 2005 a report examining performance measures or measures of effectiveness for community impact assessment. Methods for evaluating community impact assessment are provided and recommendations made on how it may be incorporated into environmental streamlining. Eight qualities of effectiveness are reported, these were:  Did the action create a safe facility or service?  Did the action meet the goals and objectives identified in the statement of purpose and need?  Did the affected communities find the action harmonious?  Does the action sustain and preserve cultural, historic and other valued resources?  Were resources used efficiently and effectively? Part 6 of this Australian Roads (Austroads) guide to project evaluation helps the practitioner to evaluate the distributional (equity) impacts of transport projects. That is how impacts can be traded with efficiency gains. The procedures/ processes provided help the decision-maker to consider distributional effects of projects as part of the project evaluation process by comparing sets of efficiency outcomes of projects with desired social (equity) outcomes. An Equity Explorerä software tool is provided as an integral component of Part 6 to demonstrate some of the principles of equity analysis and their application. 15 Did the action exceed stakeholders’ expectations? How were impacts avoided, minimised or mitigated? Was there minimal disruption? What environmental or transport enhancements were provided? What lasting value did the action provide? Other References  Impacts of Region-Wide Urban Development on Biodiversity in Strategic Environmental Assessment, Balfors B., et al. 2005: Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 7(2) 229-246. The report also assesses actual impacts after a transportation action and identifies methods for collecting feedback to inform future actions. http://researchprojects.kth.se/index.php/kb_7831/io_9343/io.htm l     The report can be accessed at: http://www.dot.state.fl.us/researchcenter/Completed_Proj/Summary_PTO/FDOT_BC353_28_rpt.pdf Landscape Ecological Assessment: A Tool for Integrating Biodiversity Issues in Strategic Environmental Assessment and Planning, Mortberg, Balfors and Knol, 2006: Journal of Environmental Management, doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.01.005  ***** Clarification of Article 2(3) of the EIA Directive The EC has published a report seeking to clarify the application of article 2(3) that allows for Member States to, in exceptional cases, exempt specific projects in whole, or in part, from the provisions of the Directive. The Directive, however, provides no indication of how the term “exceptional cases” is to be interpreted. Thus this report advises Member States on this situation. Strategic Environmental Assessment and Biological Diversity Conservation in the Korean High-Speed Railway Project, Lee, S.D., 2005: Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 7(2) 287-298. http://www.worldscinet.com/cgibin/jform.cgi?/jeapm/07/0702/S1464333205002018.html  Strategic Environmental Assessment - Great Potential for Biodiversity, Byron, H., Treweek, J.. 2005: Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 7(2) v-xiii. http://www.worldscinet.com/cgibin/jform.cgi?/jeapm/07/0702/S1464333205002080.html For a case to be considered as exceptional and qualify for the exemption the report notes that all the following criteria would normally need to be met:  An urgent and substantial need for the project;  Inability to undertake the project earlier;  Inability to meet the full requirements of the Directive.  The Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive in the UK: 1 Year Onwards, Therivel, R., Walsh,F., 2006: Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(7), 662-675. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2006.03.001  SEA Protocol: Initial Capacity Development in Selected Countries of the former Soviet Union, http://www.unece.org/env/eia/documents/SEA%20CBNA/UND P-RECUNECE_SEA%20Bulletin%20no.2.pdf#search=%22SEA%20P rotocol%20Initial%20Capacity%22 The main points are that:  The term "exceptional cases" is likely to be interpreted narrowly;  An important criterion for justifying use of Article 2(3) is that full compliance with the Directive is not possible, and not just that the case is exceptional;  The exemption might normally be used in a civil emergency, though not all civil emergencies qualify for the exemption;  There would need to be a pressing reason to justify the exemption, e.g. serious threat to life, health or human welfare; to the environment; to political, administrative or economic stability; or to security;  The exemption is unlikely to be justified if it is intended to meet a situation that could be both anticipated and prevented;  When considering the use of Article 2(3), consideration should be given to providing a partial or other form of assessment;  Member States need to act quickly (before consent is granted) to provide the Commission with reasons justifying the exemption.    The Water Framework Directive and the Strategic Environmental Assessment Directive: Exploring the Linkages, Carterm J., and Howe, J., 2006: Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(3) 287-300. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.05.001 Reconstruction and Systemization of the Methodologies for Strategic Environmental Assessment in Taiwan, Ming-Lone et al, 2006: Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(2) 170-184. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.08.003 Time for a New Approach to Public Participation In EA: Promoting Cooperation and Consensus for Sustainability, Doelle and Sinclair, 2006: Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(2) 185-205. doi:10.1016/j.eiar.2005.07.013 ***** The report can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/eia/pdf/eia_art2_3.pdf ***** 16  TRANSPORT PLANNING IN UK Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/role_of _information.pdf Intelligent Infrastructure Futures This January 2006 report by the Government’s think tank, Foresight examines what the future of UK transport might look like over the next 50 years. Intelligent Infrastructure Futures predicts how science and technology could deliver transport solutions in a safe and sustainable way.    Towards Sustainable Transport www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/Transp ort_and_the_environment.pdf  How to Design a Sustainable and Fair Built Environment www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/Transp ort_communications.pdf  Economics and the Future of Transport www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent%20Infrastructure%20Systems /Reports%20and%20Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Fut ures/Reviews/Economic_Factors.pdf  The main report can be found at: www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Project_Overview.pd f  A supporting report describes the four scenarios and related 'systems maps' that were developed to investigate how science and technology might be applied to infrastructure over the next 50 years. Policy Issues for Intelligent Infrastructure www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/Policy_ issues.pdf Next Steps http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Next_Steps.pdf ***** Welsh Transport Planning and Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG) See: http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/the_scenarios_2055.p df The Welsh Assembly Government (the Assembly) has commissioned Steer Davies Gleave to develop its guidance for the appraisal of transport proposals in Wales. This will be known as the Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance (WelTAG). The Assembly will require promoters to use WelTAG on all transport proposals it funds and recommends that promoters of other transport schemes in Wales also use it. Other reports include:  Technology Forward Look - Towards a Cyber Urban Ecology http://www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Technology_For ward_Look.pdf Social Factors in Travel The Assembly is keen to take account of the views and aspirations of potential WelTAG users and any other interested parties. Therefore, the Assembly is consulting on the draft guidance. www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/Social_ factors.pdf The Social Impacts of Intelligent Infrastructure on Transport www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent The Welsh Assembly Government is particularly interested in your views on the relationship between transport appraisal and planning objectives, and the process by which these might be reconciled. There are also some outstanding issues with regard to the application of the guidance to plans and strategies (i.e. Wales Transport Strategy and Regional Transport Plans), which we intend to resolve as part of the Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/Intersec tion_of_Technology_Society.pdf  Environmental Factors in Transport www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/Enviro nmental_Factors.pdf The report explores how existing and anticipated technologies could help create a more efficient and sustainable future. It analyses economic ideas, the impact on the environment, and energy use. The impacts of change in urban design and intelligent IT upon social patterns of movement are examined.  Public Perception of Risk www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Public Perception of Risk/long_paper.pdf The scenarios examined include an end to unwanted commuting routines, a world where all vehicles are part of the transport infrastructure and a time when the information age has transformed into the “intelligence age”. In this future choice would be supported by infrastructure and the decisions would be economically and environmentally sustainable.  The Role of Information in Decision Making for Transport www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure The Psychology of Travel www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent Infrastructure Systems/Reports and Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Reviews/Moving _around.pdf 17 consultation process. Worked examples are still being developed and will form part of the final document. objectives and principles behind the vision for transport in Scotland. Contributions can be made by sending your comments; and/or attending one of the four half-day workshops in:  South Wales: 6th September 10:30-15:00 at Plas Glyndwr, Kingsway, Cardiff, CF10 3AH  South Wales: Thursday 7th September 10:30-15:00 at the Welsh Assembly Government Regional Office, Llys-y-Ddraig, Penllergaer Business Park, Swansea, SA4 1HL  Mid Wales: Thursday 14th September 10:30-15:00 at the Welsh Assembly Regional Office, Ladywell House, Newtown, Powys, SY16 1JB  North Wales: Wednesday 13th September 10:3015:00 at the Welsh Assembly Government Regional Office, Colwyn Bay, Conwy, LL29 8PL Chapter 3 provides a review of the numerous actions to be taken that spread over 54 pages. The final chapter then details how the measures are to be implemented and monitored. Between 1990 and 2003, transport related carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions increased by 4%1 and by 2003 transport (excluding aviation) accounted for 19% of all Scottish CO2 emissions. This contrasted with a decline in emissions achieved in most other sectors in Scotland. Projected increases in road transport and aviation suggest that CO2 emissions from the transport sector will continue to increase. Despite a steady increase in road traffic, there has been an ongoing decline in the number of road accidents and casualty numbers. Scotland has fewer road deaths (65 per million population in 2003) than the overall EU average (103 per million population in 2003). The number of children killed has shown a particular decrease in recent years. However, there is still a significant number of people (18,400 in 2004) injured in road accidents in Scotland. The cost of road accidents in Scotland was estimated at £1,399 million for 20043. For registering attendance at the workshops, please contact renee.martin@wales.gsi.gov.uk A consultation draft of WelTAG is available at the address below but is not yet intended to be used in the appraisal of transport schemes. The consultation process will close on 29th September 2006. ***** Scotland’s Transport Future: Guidance on Regional Transport Strategies Scotland has an ageing population, and the change in age structure has very significant implications for the future of Scotland’s economy, for family life and for the planning and delivery of services. In 2004, 44% of the adult population was aged 50 or over, 11% 75 or over and 1% over 90. By 2024, these percentages are projected to be 54%, 14% and 2% respectively. The Transport (Scotland) Act 20051 placed a duty on the Scottish Ministers to create regional transport partnerships (RTPs) covering the whole of Scotland. An order to create seven RTPs was made by the Scottish Ministers on 30 November 2005 following approval by the Scottish Parliament. The Act places a statutory duty on the regional transport partnerships to draw up regional transport strategies (RTS). The consultation document can be seen at: http://www.rics.org/NR/rdonlyres/B6CFEB5D-5E00-4343-A4C1C2D12BDB5674/0/04bNational_Trasport_Strategypdf.pdf ***** This March 2006 report sets out guidance is to help RTPs to draw up regional transport strategies that enjoy broad public support and will lead to improved transport provision in the region for those who need it. Among doing other tasks, the guidance explains the links with Scottish Transport Appraisal Guidance (STAG) and Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Delivering Better Transport: Priorities for 2006-7 to 2008-09 This Business Plan aims to give everyone in the Department a clear picture of the Department's principal objectives and purpose and to provide the Departmental Board with a mechanism to track and review progress. It also provides managers at all levels with a framework and context in which they can set their own more detailed plans. The Plan sets out how the long-term strategy outlined in the 2004 Future of Transport White Paper, the 2003 Future of Air Transport White Paper and 2004 Future of Rail White Paper will continue to be taken forward by the Department over the next three years. It also sets out the resource allocations for these years. The guidance can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Resource/Doc/95492/0023112.pdf#searc h=%220023112.pdf%22 ***** Scotland’s Transport Strategy: A Consultation This May 2006 consultation document commences with a review of the current transportation situation before Chapter 2 provides the vision of what are the aims, 18 Part I of the Plan covers the Department's key delivery priorities - that is, what the Department is aiming to achieve and by when. Part II covers changes in how the Department expects to go about delivering its objectives, especially in relation to developing Departmental capabilities in areas such as strategy, leadership and delivery. The aim of the guidance is to highlight the social and distributional issues that may be particularly relevant for road pricing schemes and to provide technical advice on how to gather sufficiently robust evidence. The Unit suggests the use of social research techniques that can help to complement more conventional appraisal methods in three key ways:  By providing information that can help to better understand and predict the second order social impacts of road pricing which are not traditionally picked up using conventional appraisal methods – for example increasing or decreasing access to key services and/or employment opportunities.  By obtaining information that can be used to predict the way in which social impacts will be distributed across different groups in society.  By providing additional detail to explain the causal processes of impacts. As above, this is important for scheme design and deciding appropriate complementary measures. See: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/pdf/dft_a bout_pdf_611419.pdf ***** Guidance on Modelling and Appraisal for Road Pricing The Department for Transport has released for consultation draft new guidance on modelling and appraisal for road pricing. Unit 2.12 provides an overview of the modelling and appraisal issues, including scheme design and social and distributional issues, arising in the analysis of road pricing schemes. It also provides an outline of the approaches required to address those issues. Guidance for analysts is provided in Units 3.12.1, 3.12.2, 3.12.3 and 3.12.4:  Designing Effective Road Pricing Schemes (Unit 3.12.1) discusses approaches to the design of effective road pricing schemes;  Modelling for Road Pricing (Unit 3.12.2) provides advice on the modelling of road pricing schemes;  Guidance on the issues arising when appraising road pricing schemes is provided in Appraisal of Road Pricing Schemes (Unit 3.12.3); and  Measuring the Social and Distributional Impacts of Road Pricing Schemes (Unit 3.12.4) offers guidance on the use of social research methods to assess the social and distributional impacts of road pricing. Public perception of equity is just as important in determining public acceptability as the actual equity or distribution of impacts. Gathering robust evidence on the social and distributional impacts is important in areas where levels of deprivation and/or numbers of people in at-risk groups are not high, because it is likely to be important in gaining public acceptability. In order to appraise options effectively, it is necessary to demonstrate an evidence-based understanding of the following:  Whether negative and positive impacts are likely to disproportionately affect groups who may already be vulnerable to social exclusion;  How many of these people there are in and around the proposed scheme options;  Where they live in relation to the proposed options,;  Where they currently travel to;  What their other transport options are and/or might potentially be. The unit measuring social and distribution impacts provides the DfT’s first unit in this area, despite the long-standing omission in dealing with the fourth Appraisal strand – the supporting analysis that also deals with social and distribution impacts for other projects. A core requirement is that proposers demonstrate that they have considered the impacts of schemes on the above groups and any other vulnerable groups identified by addressing the research questions outlined in the unit. The unit commences with a definition of ‘Social’ impacts stating that these relate to the impacts on people, whether they be first order effects, such as trip suppression or modal shift, or second order effects, such as reducing access to employment or improvements in air quality. There are points of overlap between social, economic and environmental impacts. These Units may be found in the ‘consultation’ section of the Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance website, www.webtag.org.uk. They are currently in draft and do not represent formal guidance. ***** 'Distributional' impacts relate to the extent to which there are differences in the way these social impacts affect different groups in society, such as rich and poor, young and old, men and women, people from different ethnic groups, people living in urban and rural areas, etc. 19 National Transport Model and other external costs from the methods developed in Surface Transport Costs and Charges. The Department anticipate releasing for consultation during September a unit explaining the derivation of these values. Road Pricing in Great Britain: Winners and Losers A key question surrounding the introduction of a road charging scheme is how would it affect the population: who would stand to win or lose? It is, however, difficult to generalise about whether road user taxation is regressive or progressive per se because so much depends on the limits and design of any one particular system and on the specific context within which it is implemented. This unit will be followed by a Guidance on Rail Appraisal unit. This will bring rail appraisal into line with the Department's wider appraisal methodology (Unit 3.13.1). Unit 3.13.2 may be found in the ‘consultation’ section of the Department’s Transport Analysis Guidance website, www.webtag.org.uk. It is currently in draft and does not represent formal guidance. The authors developed a model to study the potential implications of various systems of national road user charging. For small areas of England, they estimate the effects of different pricing scenarios on traffic volumes, user charges and fares, subsidies, environmental costs, benefits to consumers, government revenue, and overall net benefits. ***** Draft Guidance on Transport Assessment In this paper, the authors extend and update the model to explore the distributional consequences of national road user charging in Britain. In contrast to previous studies, the analysis is mainly based on spatial units, not on individuals or households. Planning Policy Guidance Note 13 (PPG13): Transport states that, where a new development is likely to have significant transport implications, a Transport Assessment (TA) should be submitted with a planning application for the development. TAs are normally produced by developers and are used by decision makers in the planning process, to determine whether the development proposals are acceptable in transport terms. The authors consider traffic, price, speed, and cost changes from charging scenarios in relation to the spatial distribution of measures of deprivation for small areas of Britain. In effect, using deprivation measures as a proxy for spatial variance in relative poverty and affluence. A TA is a comprehensive and systematic process that sets out transport issues relating to a proposed development. It identifies what measures will be taken to deal with the anticipated transport impacts of the scheme and improve accessibility and safety for all modes of travel, particularly for alternatives to the car such as walking, cycling and public transport. An important consequence of using spatial units rather than individuals or households is that the authors cannot offer conclusions about whether any pricing scheme is truly regressive or progressive. Nevertheless, what they do show how road users living in different areas of the country, experiencing different levels of deprivation, are likely to fare under national pricing schemes. This draft DCLG/DfT guidance published in August 2006 provides guidance on the content and preparation of TAs and TSs. It will assist stakeholders to determine whether an assessment may be required and, if so, what the level and scope of assessment should be. The guidance is not a statement of Government policy and only applies to England, The authors make a preliminary exploration of the implications of the fact that households which are not private car users will be differently affected. The report is available at: http://trg1.civil.soton.ac.uk/itc/rpgb_main.pdf#search=%22rpgb_mai n.pdf%22 The draft guidance can be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/page/dft_ roads_612257.pdf ***** ***** Guidance on Rail Appraisal Planning and the Strategic Road Network The Department for Transport has released for consultation draft guidance on estimating external costs of car use in appraisal of rail schemes. This draft Circular describes how the Highways Agency (the Agency), on behalf of the Secretary of State, will participate in all stages of the planning process with Government Offices, regional and local planning authorities, local highway/transport authorities, public transport providers and developers to ensure national Unit 3.13.2 introduces a new method for estimating the external costs of car use, for general use in rail scheme appraisals. Estimates of the marginal congestion costs of car use have been derived from the Department's 20 and regional aims and objectives can be aligned and met. It:  Sets out how the Agency will take part in the development of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSSs) and Local Development Frameworks (LDFs) from the earliest stages;  Encourages the Agency and Regional Planning Bodies (RPBs) and Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to work together to ensure effective participation in the preparation of regional and local sustainable development policy;  Sets out how the Agency will deal with planning applications. road improvements, and many of the reports currently remain unpublished. Data from local authorities is even harder to come by. The report notes that analysis of the data shows that the POPE studies should have a higher profile, for there are important lessons to learn. Traffic flows in all three case studies were near or higher than those predicted for the road in 2010. Re-distributional effects of traffic caused by the construction of bypasses were undermined by overall increases in traffic. The authors conclude that damage to landscapes can be ‘severe’ and lasting, while new roads can help generate development pressures which are often not anticipated in spatial plans. Highway construction works and development traffic may be assessed as likely to cause an impact on the environment in breach of statutory limits set by UK law or European Union directives for air quality and noise. When such a breach is thought likely to occur on the strategic road network, it is the Secretary of State's responsibility to avoid breaching statutory limits. Thus, in appropriate circumstances the Secretary of State may direct that planning permission be not granted. The following recommendations are presented in the report:  The Government should accord a higher importance to the outcomes of road evaluations.  DfT should commission a strategic study of the traffic generation resulting from all road schemes completed in the last ten years and should enable an evaluation of the additional CO2 generated because of the roads programme.  The appraisal process should be improved to include a more detailed assessment of accessibility and integration impacts, and the likely CO2 impacts of a scheme.  Greater weight should be given to landscape and environmental impacts in the decision-making process for road schemes.  There should be a presumption against schemes that are likely to stimulate unsustainable, car-dependent development patterns and increased car use. There should also be a presumption against road schemes that increase net road capacity (whether through increases in road space or through drivers’ time savings).  More attention should be paid to the development of alternative solutions in areas where traffic congestion is a problem. The appraisal process should be changed to require that road scheme promoters show that they have considered whether a smart choice transport programme, coupled with small-scale capital investment, might obviate the need for the road scheme altogether. Promoters of development which would create additional traffic on the strategic road network and so result in a predicted breach of environmental standards (or in the predicted worsening of an existing breach of standards), must develop proposals to mitigate the environmental impact of the development. Where the predicted breach occurs outside the highway boundary (for example noise levels at new housing located near to a trunk road), the mitigation measures are likely to be located outside the highway boundary. The Agency is under no obligation to allow developers' mitigation measures to be constructed within the highway boundary. The draft circular can be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/pdf/dft_r oads_pdf_612259.pdf ***** Beyond Transport Infrastructure This March 2006 report prepared for the Council for the Protection of Rural England and the Countryside Agency considers the lessons from recent road projects. In particular, it focuses upon the A27 Polegate Bypass, the A34 Newbury Bypass and the M65 Blackburn southern bypass. It also considers ten Post Opening Project Evaluations (POPE) that have been undertaken one year after the scheme opened. The report can be found at: http://www.countryside.gov.uk/LAR/Landscape/PP/planning/Recent _Transport_Research_C.asp ***** Improving Local Transport This policy discussion paper issued by the Local Government Association in May 2006 and prepared by Tony Travers and Stephen Glaiser proposes ways in which the governance and funding of transport could be reformed. It does this in the context of recent debates The first conclusion identified by the authors is the lack of resources and priority that is given to post project evaluation. In 2004/05, the total cost of evaluation by the Highways Agency is 0.1% of the £507m spent on 21 about the future of local government, transport, city regions and funding. The purpose is to suggest approaches that allow the greatest amount of reform with the minimum of reorganisation and upheaval. It is intended to be organic rather than revolutionary. distribution of future provision for new housing, the priorities for economic development, long-term environmental and social considerations and the implications for transport needs and priorities within the overall framework of sustainable development. Planning Policy Statement 11 (PPS11) outlines the scope of a RSS and the requirements for the RTS. The paper can be found at: http://www.lga.gov.uk/Documents/Publication/improvinglocaltransp ort.pdf#search=%22Improvinglocaltransport.pdf%22 The RTS also provides a strategic framework for Local Development Documents (LDDs) and Local Transport Plans (LTPs). By addressing the planning policy levers to assist in developing more sustainable travel patterns, the RTS should guide the LDD policies. The RTS' role is to focus on policy priorities at the sub-regional level including those that cross LTP area boundaries and on identifying transport measures of regional significance. ***** Submission to the Eddington Transport Study This January 2006 document from the Sustainable Development Commission offers their view on how transport should be made more sustainable. This document focuses upon the relationship of transport to economic growth; priorities for transport; how the role of transport might change and what are the challenges that might inhibit transport’s contribution to the economy over the next 30 years. The final section deals with the social and environmental impacts of transport decisions. The July 2006 guide replaces the "Guide to Producing Regional Transport Strategies" published in April 2003 and seeks to improve the quality of RTS and strengthen the linkages between transport and spatial and economic planning at the regional level. The guide offers advice on the main issues and considerations in the preparation of a draft RTS by RPBs. The submission can be seen at: The guide is structured as follows:  Chapter 2 outlines the strategic context for the RTS and advises on improving the linkages between the RTS and RSS and achieving better joined-up regional strategies.  Chapter 3 provides advice on the preparation of the draft RTS, from the use of evidence-based analysis to identify problems, opportunities and issues for the region through to the setting of objectives and development of policies.  Chapter 4 considers the content of the RTS.  Chapter 5 deals with management and investment priorities; considers alternative options for achieving objectives; outlines a potential framework for determining the relative priority of transport proposals; and advises on setting out an implementation plan. http://www.sdcommission.org.uk/publications/downloads/Eddington-TransportStudy.pdf ***** Regions' Advice on Transport Regional Funding Allocations This report was prepared to inform the development of advice on Regional Funding Allocations by reviewing and comparing the processes used to prepare the transport advice submitted by each region. Specifically, the report:  Identifies and compares the prioritisation methodologies adopted by each region;  Identifies and compares the structures and consultation mechanisms used by each region to prepare transport advice;  Identifies effective practice and learning points from regions' various approaches. The guide can be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/pdf/d ft_localtrans_pdf_612196.pdf ***** The report can be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/pdf/d ft_localtrans_pdf_612147.pdf CFIT Road Pricing World Review ***** The Commission for Integrated Transport (CfIT) has released a report in June 2006 that reviews road pricing across the world, looking at 22 schemes to identify lessons for policy makers. Regional Spatial Strategies: Guide to Producing Regional Transport Strategies Regional Transport Strategies (RTS) are component of Regional Spatial Strategies (RSS), which set out a broad development strategy for each region for at least 15 years ahead. The RSS should identify the scale and See: www.cfit.gov.uk/docs/2006/wrrp1/index.htm ***** 22 Experiences of Congestion and Attitudes to Road Pricing Impact of Transport Pricing on Quality of Life, Acceptability, and Intentions to Reduce Car Use The Department for Transport has released a report that summarises people's experiences of road congestion and their attitudes towards alternative ways of charging for road use. This paper by Groot and Steg appearing in Journal of Transport Geography considers the extent to which car use may be affected by transport pricing policy. Based on a sample of 490 respondents an internet survey showed that a stringent measure, i.e., doubling costs of car use, hardly affects people’s general QoL. The report relies on surveys commissioned by the Department to understand public attitudes towards alternative road use charging programmes. The article covers the following:  The type of journeys people make most frequently and the extent to which road congestion is experienced on these journeys;  Whether people consider road congestion to be a serious problem that the Government should tackle;  Levels of support for the principle of road pricing and the acceptability of road pricing under different conditions;  Perceptions of the likely effectiveness, fairness and accuracy of a road pricing system;  Views on how the data necessary to enforce any road pricing scheme should be collected and held;  The impact road pricing is likely to have on individual behaviour. Respondents were unsure whether they would accept the policy and whether they intend to change their car use if the policy was implemented. Those from The Netherlands and Sweden were more pessimistic about the QoL consequences of the policy, think the policy is less acceptable and were less inclined to reduce car use than respondents did from the Czech Republic, Italy and, to a lesser degree, Austria. The authors discuss the implications and recommendations for developing, adjusting or supplementing QoL measurement instruments and policies. The article can be seen at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2006.02.011 ***** The article reports that:  People are more likely to consider congestion in towns and cities to be a serious problem to them personally (18% said this was a very serious problem; 33% a serious problem) than motorway congestion (13% and 20% respectively).  A higher proportion (87%) of respondents thought road congestion to be a serious problem in the country as a whole, than who reported frequently experiencing congestion themselves, (23% said they experienced congestion all or most of the time).  Thirty percent of respondents felt that road pricing would be effective in reducing congestion, 50% did not believe it would be effective. The main reason given for the perceived ineffectiveness of road pricing was that people would not change their behaviour, either because they were unable to or did not wish to.  Thirty-Two percent felt that road pricing would be fair, 50% thought it would be unfair. The main reason given for perceived unfairness was the inability of people to change their behaviour, the lack of adequate alternatives, cost and potential for disproportionate impact on people on lower incomes. Bus Quality Partnerships, Modal Shift and Traffic Decongestion Despite more than 40 years of declining use, buses are still the main form of local public transport outside central London. Government policy focuses upon Bus Quality Partnerships - agreements between highway authorities and bus operators to give bus priority access and invest in better quality buses - to reverse this decline and attract car drivers to change modes and ease urban traffic congestion. This paper by Davison and Knowles appearing in Journal of Transport Geography, 14(3) 177-194 assesses the potential for Quality Partnerships to provide a more attractive bus service with the ability to achieve modal shift using a Greater Manchester case study. Preliminary results are presented from a comparative study of two Quality Bus Corridors (QBCs), one arterial route into Manchester’s Central Business District and one transverse from Leigh to Bolton. The research uses bus-user interview surveys and in-depth interviews, which focus upon non-bus users. Results of this research show that Bus Quality Partnerships when introduced as a stand-alone policy struggle to achieve significant modal shift and traffic decongestion. Most bus passengers and car users remain unaware of Bus Quality Partnerships. The report can be seen at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/pdf/d ft_transstats_pdf_611869.pdf ***** 23  The article can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2005.06.008  ***** Regional Planning Assessments for the Railway Statutory right to be consulted on rail franchises in their area. Role in proposing amendments to the franchise specification in their area. See: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/pdf/df t_railways_pdf_612157.pdf This February 2006 report has the objective to develop an understanding of the challenges and options for development of the railway in each region over the next twenty years, in the wider context of forecast change in population, the economy and travel behaviour, and associated regional spatial planning policy and strategy. ***** Inland Waterways Freight - Policy Update The Department for Transport has released an update of its inland waterways freight policy. The Regional Planning Assessment (RPA) sets out the Government’s views on how the railway might be developed to allow wider objectives to be met, and identifies the initial priorities for further work. RPAs also provide a background for future Network Rail Route Utilisation Strategies and to the work of key stakeholders on their own transport priorities. In November 2000, the Government set up a Freight Study Group to examine the scope for increasing freight traffic on the inland waterways of England and Wales. That group produced a report, “Freight on Water”, in 2002. Also in that year, in the Government's response to the group's recommendations, the Government made a series of commitments. The Eastern RPA covers the East of England planning region, Milton Keynes and 16 boroughs of north, east and central London. It can be seen at: This report summarises the progress made against those commitments, and restate policy on the movement of freight by inland waterways. See: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/downl oadable/dft_railways_611208.pdf www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_freight/documents/pdf/dft_freigh t_pdf_612204.pdf The West Midlands RPA includes Birmingham and the rest of the West Midlands conurbation, four shire counties and three unitary authorities outside the conurbation. It can be seen at: ***** Foresight: Port Traffic Modelling http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/ dft_railways_612134.pdf This theoretical study issued in January 2006 looked at an idealised redistribution of port traffic to investigate the potential impact on road freight as part of the Foresight project on the future of transport. The North East RPA focusing upon the conurbation of Tyne and Wear and the Tees-Valley can be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/ dft_railways_611452.pdf The study used four scenarios to explore the potential for transfer.  The impact on UK traffic volumes if all freight were delivered to the closest ports.  The impact of redistributing 1% of GB port traffic from selected major ports to Liverpool. The ports being considered are: Felixstowe, Southampton, London (including Tilbury), and the Medway (including Thamesport).  As above (2), but with a 3% diversion to Liverpool.  As above (2), but with a 5% diversion to Liverpool. ***** The Role of English PTEs in the Rail Franchising Process The Future of Rail White Paper and the Railways Act 2005 set out a new role for the Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) in England in relation to rail. The new arrangements give PTEs greater flexibility to make choice about the balance between rail and other modes in order to deliver better transport for the metropolitan areas. It also provides greater clarity about their role within the franchise specification, letting and management process. Using the GB Freight Model only international traffic flows affecting the road network were considered, i.e. import and export flows, moving inland by road. The main exclusions are therefore:  Domestic GB freight;  Port traffic that is not moved inland, e.g. bulk cargo arriving by sea and departing by sea;  Port traffic moved inland by rail. This July 2006 guidance note sets out in detail how PTEs will be involved in the rail franchising process and how local decision-making will work in practice. This includes the PTEs':  Involvement in the long-term planning of the rail network. 24 London)’ draft supplementary planning guidance. The draft SPG provides guidance on the policies in the London Plan with respect to the provision of land for transport functions. The key aim of this guidance is to ensure that efficient and effective use of land for transport purposes is delivered in order to meet broader sustainability objectives. For further details see: The study found that re-routing all traffic to the nearest ports caused a reduction in traffic by just over 75%, a net reduction of 3,130 million vehicle Kms. The ports gaining the most traffic tend to be those close to the main cities or the main motorway network, including London, Runcorn, and Sharpness. The impact on the road links ranges from a 55% reduction for links within 10Km of a port, to approximately 90% for links over 90Km from a port. The average length of haul falls from 210.47 Kms to 47.03 Kms. http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/strategies/sds/spg-transportland.jsp. ***** This study establishes a theoretical potential since many other factors could be expected to make such redistribution unrealistic. For example, no account is taken of existing capacity. Nevertheless, if container traffic were sorted according to GB destination in transhipment centre and then shipped to the nearest port with capacity, significant reductions in traffic could be achieved. House of Commons Transport Committee Review of the Highways Agency This July 2006 report examined the performance of the Highways Agency. In the report the Transport Committee reported that a commentator had described the Highways Agency as “an elitist organisation which is … lumbering and risk averse’. To that, the Committee added its concerns. These were that the Agency has no grip on the costs of its major road projects; is managing a property portfolio it should not possess from expensive offices it should not be using; has only a limited idea what some of its staff are actually doing; and has failed to build a constructive dialogue with local communities over road planning. The report can be accessed at: www.foresight.gov.uk/Intelligent%20Infrastructure%20Systems/Rep orts%20and%20Publications/Intelligent_Infrastructure_Futures/Ports _traffic_modelling.pdf ***** Ports Policy Review Figures provided to the Committee show that final scheme costs for completed major road project schemes are, on average, 5.6 per cent above the original planned cost. The Committee were disturbed by the predicted 19.4 per cent cost overrun on uncompleted schemes that entered the TPI before April 2003 Some 66% of the total cost increase coming construction activities. Assuming this continues then a further £823 million will be incurred on these schemes leading to an eventual cost overrun of at least 50 per cent. The Committee noted the 280% cost increase in the M6 Carlisle to Gardsmill extension. The Department for Transport issued its consultation on a Ports Policy Review. It focuses on the Government’s relationship with the ports industry in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. (Ports policy for Scotland is being examined in a separate consultation on the National Transport and Freight Strategies being developed by the Scottish Executive.) The key issues examined in this document include:  The likely future demand for port capacity;  How to ensure that the market response to that demand reflects the objectives of sustainable development;  How far the Government should reflect regional development objectives in encouraging the future provision of ports capacity;  How the Government can help smaller ports, which in many cases are owned by trusts or local authorities, to realize their potential as businesses and for the benefit of their wider communities. The Committee noted that such an increase would be an irresponsible and unacceptable waste of public money. They stated, “This is a very serious matter, and Mr Robertson, as Agency Chief Executive, must take personal responsibility for ensuring that an increase of this magnitude does not occur.” Of the schemes entering the TPI after April 2003, currently cost overruns of less than 1% are predicted. Only one of these schemes has begun construction however, and it is predicted to overrun by 20%. The Committee noted that this does not bode well for the other 38 schemes. The consultation document can be downloaded at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_shipping/documents/divisi onhomepage/611692.hcsp. ***** The “Water preferred” policy was announced in June 2002 and stems from the Government’s desire to see more freight travel by water. It recognised that as well as general freight there were certain niche markets, like Land for Transport Functions GLA SPG Consultation: The Greater London Authority is consulting on the ‘Land for Transport Functions - The London Plan (Spatial Development Strategy for Greater 25 abnormal loads, which could make greater use of the waterways.  The ‘water preferred’ policy does not appear to be encouraging more freight onto the inland waterways as intended. Since the Highways Agency assumed responsibility for the policy in 2003, they have not published a single significant piece of research or guidance on it. The Committee noted that little real effort has been made to divert freight off the roads and onto the water, particularly ‘abnormal indivisible loads’. Indeed, we have received evidence that the Agency’s own policies are working in the other direction.        The Committee provided comment upon the use of Article 14 directions under which the Highways Agency has the power to direct refusal for planning applications that will add to existing traffic pressures on the trunk roads new compliance problem or make an existing forecast compliance problem worse. Priority will be given to smaller schemes if they deliver improvements to air quality. Extensions to the air quality monitoring network. Deliver the programme of noise reduction. Improvements in the understanding of long term noise performance of quiet road surfaces. Examination of our priority outfalls programme. Implementation of the research on habitat fragmentation. Trials to address road safety issues with deer. Development of a Sustainable Development Action Plan and the Agency’s approach to Corporate, Social Responsibility. The business plan is available at: http://www.highways.gov.uk/aboutus/documents/ha_business_plan0 607.pdf ***** The Committee noted that Agency does not appear to have a clear picture of the administrative work it carries out. The Agency was directed by the Committee to develop a system to allow it to do so. See: Manchester Airport Draft Masterplan Manchester Airport has published details of its development plans for the next 25 years. The draft Masterplan describes how Manchester Airport will deliver its long-term role, set by the Government in the 2003 Aviation White Paper. Included in the draft Masterplan are details of the challenges and opportunities for Manchester Airport during the next 25 years, the links between the Airport and the wider region, its physical development and how the positive and negative effects of the Airport’s growth will be managed. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmtra n/907/907.pdf ***** Highways Agency Business Plan 2006-7 Apart form placing a emphasis upon the role of technology in exploiting the space on highways, the Chief Executive’s statement at the commencement of this business plan states that “Environmental Needs are an important element n our programme. We have reviewed our own environmental targets and will deliver a programme that includes actions to address recycling, accessibility, biodiversity and air quality as well as continuing our delivery of Government’s policy on noise reduction and energy efficiency.” Consultation on the Masterplan is underway and ends on 29th September. See: http://www.manchesterairport.co.uk/web.nsf/Content/StrategyDocu mentsLiterature ***** Devoting two pages to “Respecting the Environment”, the Business Plan states that the Agency:  Strive to achieve operating the strategic road network alongside responsibilities to neighbouring communities and the wider environment by integrating environmental considerations into all our work.  Pilot an Environmental Management System;  A target for the environmental quality of new investments in the trunk road network.  Revisions to the environmental assessment advice;  Of the 78 declared Air Quality Management Areas on the network, 28 may face a compliance problem with the EU Directive limit value for Nitrogen Dioxide in 2010.  The Agency has made a commitment not to progress a new scheme over £5m, which would produce a Reducing Carbon Emissions from Transport This House of Commons Environment Committee Report published in July 2006 note that the Department should actively encourage modal shift towards lower carbon modes of transport, and discourage marginal car and plane journeys. As part of this, the Government should take much more decisive action to shift the balance of affordability more in favour of trains, buses, and lower carbon cars and lorries. The Committee also observed that the Department seems to have a fatalistic attitude that sees carbonintensive activities and economic growth as going hand in hand. Transport is the only sector of the UK economy in which carbon emissions were higher in 2004 than the baseline year of 1990, and the only sector 26 in which emissions are projected to be higher in 2020 than in 1990. savings currently expected from a combination of all the 10 Year Plan policies and the EU Voluntary Agreement on cleaner cars. The Committee suggested that the Government should establish a sector-specific target for carbon emissions from transport. The report identifies four the following policy changes that could help to achieve the outcomes:  More flexibility for local authorities to use Local Transport Plan funds for revenue type measures;  Incentives and encouragement for local authorities to adopt large scale smarter choice programmes;  Grants for staff in local authorities to develop large scale smart choice programmes;  Changing the guidance for the Transport Innovation Fund to put more emphasis on developing ‘harder edged measures’ in parallel with a smarter choice programme, to maximise the benefits of both. The Committee considered it vital that a road charging scheme is designed to reduce carbon emissions, not just congestion. The Secretary of State must clarify his position on this, and make an unequivocal commitment to using road charging markedly to reduce CO2 emissions. Failure to do so would undermine any claims DfT has to take climate change seriously. Estimates of CO2 emissions arising from road proposals should be subject to independent audit. Furthermore, given that, by its own admission, more road space leads to more traffic and emissions. The Committee called on the Department to apply stringent criteria to appraisals of proposals for the construction of new roads relative to lower carbon alternatives. See:http://www.hmtreasury.gov.uk/media/E83/A3/climate_change__trans.pdf#search=% 22Smarter%20Choices%20and%20Carbon%20Emissions%22 ***** London Addresses Climate Change The Department should implement demand management measures straightaway; but to develop its use of such policies, it should commission and publish research on demand management policies that would generate predictable levels of passenger numbers and emissions outcomes. The Government has consulted on revised powers for the Mayor of London and come to a position forming the basis of revised legislation. This may have implications for other regions of England and for the devolved administrations. The report can be seen at: The Government proposes a new statutory duty on the Greater London Authority to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to its unavoidable impacts. The Mayor will publish a Climate Change and Energy Strategy setting out his plans for minimising emissions of carbon dioxide caused by the use of energy in the capital, helping eradicate fuel poverty and harnessing the economic opportunities for London from investment and innovation in energy technologies and energy efficiency. He will also publish a Climate Change Adaptation Strategy setting out how the capital should adapt to the effects of climate change. See: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmselect/cmen vaud/981/981i.pdf#search=%22The%20%E2%80%98Reducing%20Carbon%20E missions%20%20from%20Transport%E2%80%99%20Inquiry%22 ***** Smarter Choices and Carbon Emissions The findings from this September 2005 DfT study entitled ‘Smarter Choices and Carbon Emissions’ are now available on the HM Treasury website. The research examined the potential to reduce carbon emissions from car traffic via a range of local transport initiatives, known as ‘smarter choices’. www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/cm060713/ wmstext/60713m0134.htm The Mayor recently launched Adapting to Climate Change: Lessons for London. This report by acclimatise provides examples of adaptations to climate change from across the world relevant not just to large cities green roofs, sustainable drainage, rainwater harvesting, public information schemes, etc. See: The study suggests that greater investment in a more intensive programme of smarter choice measures could deliver a significant reduction in carbon emissions, in a relatively cost-effective way. www.london.gov.uk/climatechangepartnership/adapting-jul06.jsp Smarter choice measures are packages of locally specific, small scale initiatives aimed at promoting and enabling travel behaviour change. Under favourable policy conditions, they could save the equivalent of up to 2.5 million tonnes of carbon (MtC) per annum in 2015, and a cumulative total of 14.2 MtC by that date. By 2010, the potential savings would represent a 16% contribution to the DfT’s PSA target to reduce carbon emissions, and would equal 31% of the emissions The London Energy Partnership has launched a report titled, Towards Zero Carbon Development: Supportive Information for Boroughs. The document addresses the objective of at least one zero carbon development in every Borough by 2010, which is one of the targets in the Mayor's Energy Strategy. 27 See: www.london.gov.uk/view_press_release.jsp?releaseid=8746 Climate Change and Transport ***** This March 2006 note provides information on Government targets and policies on climate change as well as links to sites with advice on how people individually can reduce the environmental impacts of their transport choices. See: Review of Public Attitudes to Climate Change and Transport Behaviour This 200+ page July 2006 report “An Evidence Base Review of Public Attitudes to Climate Change and Transport Behaviour” for the Department for Transport is the product of a study to improve the evidence base for policy decisions concerning:  How climate change knowledge and awareness relates to transport decision-making, attitudes and behaviours amongst the public;  The nature and impact of interventions aimed at altering attitudes and behaviours in relation to climate change issues;  The identification of research methods (including measures and data sources) pertinent to these issues.  The identification of evidence gaps worthy of further research. http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_susttravel/documents/pdf/d ft_susttravel_pdf_611384.pdf ***** Climate Change: The UK Programme 2006 This March 2006 Command Report CM6764 states that in 2004, the transport sector was responsible for around 27 per cent of total UK carbon dioxide emissions. Emissions had risen to about 10 per cent above 1990 levels by 2004. Transport accounted for about 21 per cent of UK greenhouse gas emissions in 2004. The report notes that Government appraises all its road schemes for their environmental impacts, including carbon dioxide emissions. However, it has yet to set any targets that new transport schemes should aim for. Nor is they any evidence of any road scheme being redefined to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless the Government estimate that the road improvements this decade will only have a small impact – offsetting just 10% of the net carbon savings expected from the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation in 2010. The main findings for each of the three objectives were as follows:  There is only a weak link between knowledge and awareness of climate change and travel behaviour at the individual level.  Transport policies can set out to change attitudes directly as a route to behaviour change, or they can be indirect in that they aim to change behaviour first without necessarily changing attitudes. The authors conclude that a both measures are needed and any travel behaviour change strategy will be more effective if it targets change at the community level.  There is a need to engage the public in issues of transport and climate change using deliberative methodologies to deviate from traditional ‘top down’ methods of information provision.  Nine areas for further research were identified as follows: Understanding how to engage with the public Understanding the demand for air travel Understanding how the media influences public opinion Understanding the barriers to travel behaviour change Understanding identity Segmenting the market for travel Testing community based social marketing Trade-offs and policy acceptance Understanding mobility in the context of sustainable lifestyles. The report states that in the transport sector the Government will:  Introduce the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation from 2008 to increase the uptake of biofuels and ensure a long term framework which promotes additional investment;  Continue to use fiscal instruments such as Vehicle Excise Duty and Company Car Tax to give incentives to purchase less polluting vehicles;  Maintain momentum in the EU to secure agreement to the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme from 2008 or as soon as possible thereafter;  Work strongly to achieve further commitments from vehicle manufacturers to improve fuel efficiency; and  Continue to promote carbon offsetting and lead by example to offset emissions arising from central Government air travel. The Government will also conduct a feasibility study into the potential carbon emission reductions, and other environmental benefits, of an accreditation scheme for UK companies that implement best practice and show improvements in the environmental performance of their transport operations. Such a scheme could cover a wide range of issues, from the efficiency of HGVs and/or The report can be found at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_susttravel/documents/page/ dft_susttravel_612225.pdf ***** 28 company cars to the travel modes used by employees when commuting and travelling for work. Social Inclusion: Transport Aspects This Imperial College, Mott MacDonald and University of Leeds report identifies ways in which social inclusion (and related concepts) might be better integrated into the Department for Transport’s current transport modelling and appraisal techniques, with a particular focus on potential modifications to the NATA framework. The project involves four inter-related streams of work:  A review of the conceptual issues associated with the relationship between transport and social inclusion.  An appraisal of the extent that transport modelling techniques enable the representation of social impacts.  A review of the NATA appraisal framework leading to recommendations concerning how it might be extended to better accommodate considerations of social inclusion.  An application study, based in the West Midlands, to illustrate the practical issues involved in extending existing modelling techniques. The report can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/ENVIRONMENT/climatechange/uk/ukccp/ pdf/ukccp06-all.pdf#search=%22Ukccp06%22 ***** Biofuels and the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation This June 2006 report examines the role of biofuels in contributing to reductions in UK carbon emissions from road transport and the implications for sustainable development, using the Government’s five principles as agreed in “Securing the Future the UK’s Sustainable Development Strategy”. The report provides a series of recommendations that can be found at: http://www.sd-commission.org.uk/publications.php?id=392 ***** The report can be seen at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_localtrans/documents/page /dft_localtrans_611345.pdf Transport and Social Inclusion Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) have been at the forefront of exploring innovative new ways of overcoming the lack of availability or accessibility of transport. ***** Transport Interventions Promoting Safe Cycling and Walking This 2005 guide details the activities of PTEs to deliver practical transport solutions aimed at addressing exclusion. Projects are grouped under five headings, reflecting the key barriers highlighted by the Social Exclusion Unit:  The availability and physical accessibility of transport;  Cost of transport;  Services and activities located in inaccessible places;  Safety and security;  Travel horizons. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published in April 2005 this report that collates and reviews research on cycling and walking. The report deals with two elated questions; what transport interventions are effective in increasing active travel, specifically walking and cycling and what transport interventions are effective in increasing the safety of walking and cycling? There is review-level evidence that variables in urban form influence levels of walking and cycling. However, there is unconvincing evidence about which specific characteristics of the built environment are most strongly associated with physical activity. There are important confounding factors:  The relative importance of attitudes and characteristics of the built environment in explaining active travel is unclear and contradictory, e.g. individuals who are highly motivated to walk may choose to do so regardless of whether the area is attractive for walking;  Car ownership is a mediating variable in the relationship between the built environment and physical activity – individuals without access to a car for personal use are more likely to walk. Project descriptions are not exhaustive. The information is meant to give a feel for the projects, as well as drawing out opportunities, outcomes and some of the key challenges and lessons learnt along the way. A named contact and contact details are given for each project, so further information can be sought if required. The Good Practice Guidance can be seen at: http://www.eu-target.net/NR/rdonlyres/7110110D-CFCA-4F2A877799707BDE122C/0/TransportandSocialInclusionGoodPracticeGuide2 005.pdf ***** 29 There is review-level evidence on the relationship between environmental attributes at the neighbourhood level and walking. This indicates that:  There may be positive associations between certain neighbourhood environmental attributes (both perceived and objectively measured) and walking behaviour, non-walking physical activity, and overall physical activity.  Neighbourhood environmental attributes associated with walking may vary according to the reason for walking.  The availability, accessibility and convenience of destinations and facilities, as well as the general functionality of the neighbourhood and its aesthetics, are positively associated with various levels of physical activity. programmes in light of its Climate Change Agenda and the identified need to reduce significantly traffic levels on UK roads. She identifies the potential synergy between these two policy ambitions, but argues that currently there is a serious policy conflict between these agendas within the UK policy framework. In the light of this conclusion, the paper offers some recommendations on the best way forward, which it recommends must be based on the synergistic and integrated delivery of policies for social and environmental equity within the transport sector. Finally, the author identifies the key challenges this implies for applied research in this area. The paper can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2005.12.005 The report concludes that there is insufficient evidence for some of our transport policy decisions and recommends more focused research. See: ***** Personal Security at Public Transport Interchanges: A Good Practice Guide http://www.nice.org.uk/download.aspx?o=346196. ***** The seven Passenger Transport Executives come together to form PTEG. PTEG aims to influence the national public transport agenda by raising the profile of public transport with the government and others by further contributing to the national debate on how best to improve services. Getting to the Station London Travel Watch (the statutory passenger watchdog for London) has issued in April 2006 a discussion paper seeking to clarify and enhance the London TravelWatch’s policies and thinking around access to rail stations within our area, but particularly focusing on availability and pricing of parking space at or near rail stations. The paper presents recommendations on the following:  Secure car parking;  Travel planning;  Alternative land use;  Development planning;  Enforcement and ticketing standard. The purpose of this guide is to document and share good practice in building security for passengers and staff into the design and operation of public transport interchanges. The guide is not intended as a comprehensive manual covering every aspect of security at interchanges. Instead, it draws together practical examples of the experience of individual PTEs. The authors hope the guide will prove useful to staff working for PTEs who are involved in the design and operation of interchanges. However, the contents should also prove useful to a wider audience of planners, designers and operators of interchange facilities outside PTEs. The discussion paper can be found at: http://www.londontravelwatch.org.uk/get_document.php?id=2319 ***** Providing Transport for Social Inclusion within a Framework for Environmental Justice in the UK The good practice guide can be sourced at: http://www.pteg.net/NR/rdonlyres/266B21DE-ED8E-4B1F-9425C6B9A0FC6F83/0/personal_security.pdf This paper by Lucas appearing in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 40(10) 8010809, examines emerging trends in transport policy in the UK. These trends were identified from the 2004 Transport White Paper and the supporting policy guidance to local transport authorities for addressing social exclusion through local transport provision; accessibility planning. ***** Other References  Local Transport Today Online: LTT has launched an online research library and archive at the end of June as a subscription-based service. Details at: http://www.lttonline.co.uk/lttxtraarticle.php?uid=3080 The paper then identifies potential barriers to delivery at the local level and more fundamental challenges, risks and policy tensions. In this context, the author analyzes UK policies to deliver social equity through transport 30  protection and planning restrictions. Road congestion has increased and is costing the EU about 1% of GDP. At the Crossroads: Transport and Social Inclusion in the North East, Palmer R., and Adams, J., 2005: Institute for Public Policy Research. While harmful emissions from road transport have declined significantly, the introduction of catalysts, particle filters and other vehicle-mounted technologies has helped to reduce emissions of NOx and particulates by between 30 and 40% over the last 15 years despite rising traffic volumes. However the thematic strategy on air pollution10 has demonstrated the need to go further as regards road vehicles, notably by means of introducing Euro 5 standards for light vehicles (to be later followed by Euro 6 likewise Euro VI for heavyduty vehicles). Modelling shows that this trend will continue, on the other hand, CO2 emissions and noise will worsen. http://www.ippr.org.uk/ecomm/files/at_crossroads.pdf  Transport Innovation Fund: Guidance, DfT 2006. http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_about/documents/pdf/ dft_about_pdf_611056.pdf ***** EUROPEAN TRANSPORT EU Energy and Transport in Figures The European Union (EU) has released its 2005 annual overview of energy and transport statistics for the EU and its member states. Part 3 of the report covers all modes of transport and provides general statistics, as well as measurements on the performance of freight and passenger transport and a summary of infrastructure assets. See: In the review, it is announced that the Commission will launch a Green Paper on Urban Transport in 2007. The Annex to the report provides the main actions to be taken by the Commission through to 2009. The report can be seen at: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/energy_transport/figures/pocketbook/2005_e n.htm http://www.eukn.org/eukn/news/2006/06/urban-transportreview_1037.html ***** ***** Trends in the Transport Sector 1970-2004 Trans-European Motorway and Trans-European Railway Projects’ Master Plan This report ECMT report published in January 2006 provides the reader with first-hand figures on key transport trends. It analyses the transport situation in the western and eastern European countries, as well as the Baltic States and the CIS. The report can be ordered from: http://www.cemt.org/events/JustPub/justTrends.htm This January 2006 United Nations report presents the results of a first attempt of the TEM and TER Projects to elaborate a consistent and realistic short-, medium- and long-term investment strategy on the road, rail and combined transport Backbone Networks in the wider TEM and TER region. As a result, 491 projects were evaluated and prioritized, with an aggregate estimated cost of 102,114 billion Euros. These results have taken into account alternative scenarios of growth, methodological aspects and assumptions, bottlenecks and missing links as well as problems posed for the funding of transport infrastructure and border crossings. ***** European Commission Transport Policy Review The European Commission has published in May 2006 a mid-term review of its 2001 Transport White Paper. In its mid-term review, “Keep Europe moving: a transport policy for sustainable mobility”, the Commission seeks to balance transport and environmental needs. The report contains the TEM and TER master plan maps, along with socio-economic and transport statistics. The report can be obtained at: Two significant changes can be identified in relation to the 2001 White Paper: the mid-term review no longer seeks to break the link between transport growth and economic growth, and the so-called ‘modal shift’ is no longer an objective. http://www.unece.org/trans/main/temtermp/docs/MP_REPORT%20FINAL.pdf#search=%22MP_REPORT-%20FINAL.pdf%22 ***** Sustainable Transport in the European Union Although a major contributor to growth, transport also involves a cost to society. Its environmental cost is estimated at 1.1% of GDP. The efforts to achieve the goals of meeting growing mobility needs and strict environmental standards are beginning to show signs of friction. For example, air quality standards are not being met in many cities, and infrastructure development needs to be designed with due respect for nature This paper by Janic appearing in Transport Reviews (261), 81-104 provides a review of the past research over the last 15 years and identifies gaps and prospective future ideas. 31 See: Accessibility has been considered as a transport concern only for individuals with particular mobility difficulties. Now it is recognised as an integral part of high quality, sustainable transport systems, with benefits accruing to all clients. http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/(y2ofuqyb1cqyyg45escn1g55)/app/h ome/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,5,6;journal,5,37; browsepublicationsresults,1267,1309; ***** One of the key factors in progress has been the indispensable exchange of experience - both good and less successful - among countries having committed to working towards better accessibility. The ECMT has prepared this Guide to Good Practice to facilitate such an exchange of experience. It addresses both countries where improvements to accessibility are under way, and those that are just now making that commitment. Rail Goods Transport 2003-2004 Between 2003 and 2004, the total volume of goods transported by rail at the level of the EU increased by 4.3% mainly in Germany and in the UK. Statistics in Focus provides an array of rail transport statistics across Europe. See: http://bookshop.eu.int/eubookshop/FileCache/PUBPDF/KSNZ06003 ENC/KSNZ06003ENC_002.pdf With examples from recent experience in a wide range of countries, this Guide updates the ECMT's 1999 Guide, pointing to areas where progress has been made as well as to those where challenges persist. See: ***** Inland Waterways Freight Transport in Europe http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?TAG=X47JL8XX4 X5938X6X3ITMN&CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&ST1=5L9VCJB VG0D1#More Eurostat has issued the latest data on the use of inland waterways for freight transport. It is available at: http://bookshop.eu.int/eubookshop/FileCache/PUBPDF/KSNZ06001 ENC/KSNZ06001ENC_002.pdf ***** Improving Access to Public Transport Guidelines for Transport Personnel ***** Inland Waterways & Environmental Protection Accessible, user-friendly transport means that disabled and older people can use the transport system without hindrance to participate in society on an equal basis without losing their independence. This report published in August 2006 reviews experience in mitigating the environmental impacts of inland waterway development. It examines effective consultation and planning procedures across Europe. In particular, it assesses the ways in which the EU Water Framework Directive affects the planning environment for international waterways and sets a new agenda for improving the ecological value of waterways. Whilst much progress has been made in all modes of transport to make travel easier and more pleasant for all passengers, it is the attitude and skill of the driver, captain, pilot, etc. that can make the difference between a pleasant and safe journey for a disabled or older person and one that is fraught with worry, frustration or confusion. The report makes recommendations on good practice and identifies the Danube river basin as the critical area for improvement. This is where the efforts of international governmental organisations and NGOs could most usefully be combined to develop a basinwide environmental protection and waterway development strategy. These OECD guidelines issued in June 2006 are designed to encourage understanding of the specific problems experienced by disabled and older passengers when using the transport system, and to provide guidance on how best to respond to their needs. The report can be ordered at: The report can be purchased at: http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?tag=XHDCS8XX49 XX799X6GT6CQ&lang=EN&sf1=identifiers&st1=752006141p1 http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?TAG=X47JL8XX4 X5938X6X3ITMN&CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&ST1=5L9VKHL CNQ27#OtherLanguages ***** ***** Improving Transport Accessibility for All: Guide to Good Practice Socio-Economic Benefits of Roads in Europe Making transport vehicles and infrastructure more accessible to everyone continues to be both an important objective and a major challenge for transport authorities, operators and service providers worldwide. The issue of accessibility is examined in Transport, 2006(8) 1-161. The European Road Federal has released a report in March 2006 that examines potential benefits derived by citizens, companies, and European member states from the continuous growth in road transport demand. The report also explores how road infrastructure investments 32 affect European economies and competitiveness. In addition, the report highlights how technological trends may contribute to achieving safe, efficient, and affordable mobility for European citizens. See: The paper can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2005.11.002 ***** http://www.erf.be/files/2808_ERF_SEBS_030306_Final.pdf Transportation Network Improvement and Tolling Strategies: The Issue of Intergeneration Equity ***** This paper by Szeto and Lo appearing in existing transportation network design studies focus on optimizing the network for a certain future time but without explicitly defining the time dimension within the formulation. The paper extends the consideration by formulating the time-dependent network design problem. With this extension, planning for the optimal infrastructure improvement timetable, the associated financial arrangement, and tolling scheme over the planning horizon can be undertaken. In addition, the authors claim this extension enables the pursuit of important considerations that are otherwise difficult, if possible, with the traditional timeless approach. Equity Effects of Congestion Pricing: Quantitative Methodology and a Case Study for Stockholm It is widely recognised that congestion pricing could be an effective measure to solve environmental and congestion problems in urban areas - a reform that normally also would generate a net welfare surplus. Despite this, the implementation of congestion pricing has been very slow. One reason for a low public and political acceptance could be that equity impacts have not been given enough concern. This paper by Eliasson and Mattsson in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 40(7) 602-620 explores these issues. The authors note that in studies of distributional impacts of congestion pricing it has often been claimed that the reform is regressive rather than progressive even if there are studies claiming the opposite. Through the time-dependent framework, this paper examines the issue of intergeneration equity according to the user and social perspectives. Should the present generation build the full-blown network, or should users at the time pay for future incremental upgrades? Using a gap function to measure the degree of intergeneration equity achieved, the paper illustrates that there are tradeoffs between societal and individual perspectives. Nevertheless, the authors suggest ways whereby the planner can trade the level of equity to be attained with the overall network performance. In this way, some gradual measures can be introduced to the network design to compromise between these two perspectives. The authors Eliasson and Mattsson develop a method for detailed, quantitative assessment of equity effects of road pricing and apply it to a real-world example, namely a proposed congestion-charging scheme for Stockholm. The method simultaneously takes into account differences in travel behaviour, in preferences (such as values of time) and in supply of travel possibilities (car ownership, public transport level-ofservice etc.). The paper can be obtained from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2005.06.004 The authors conclude that the two most important factors determining the net impact of congestion pricing are the initial travel patterns and how the revenues are used. Differences in these respects dwarf differences in other factors such as values of time. This is accentuated by the fact that the total collected charges are more than three times as large as the net benefits. With respect to different groups, we find that men, high-income groups and residents in the central parts of the city will be affected the most. If revenues are used for improving public transport, this will benefit women and lowincome groups the most. If revenues are used for tax cuts, the net benefits will be about equal for men and women on the average, while it naturally will benefit high-income groups. ***** Cost Effectiveness of CO2 Mitigation in Transport The European Conference of Ministers of Transport has released a report in April 2006 that analyses the cost effectiveness of carbon dioxide (CO2) mitigation options in the transport sector and compares these with similar options in other sectors. The report notes that in the EU 25, the share of the transport sector in total CO2 emissions has increased over the past years, from 21% in 1990 to 26% in 2000. In addition, absolute emissions are increasing, from 795 Mt in 1990 to 968 Mt in 2002. Scenario studies for CO2 emission reductions in the next decades predict that these emissions will continue to rise, even if more stringent climate policies are implemented. Road transport currently has the largest share in these emissions, and this will remain in the future. This sub Given that it is likely that the revenues will be used to some extent to improve the public transport system, the authors conclude that the proposed congestion-charging scheme for Stockholm is progressive rather than regressive. 33 sector is expected to be responsible for more than 80% of transport final energy consumption in 2030. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.enpol.2005.02.009 ***** Several ex-ante and ex-post studies conclude that efficiency measures in the transport sector can be more cost effective than some measures in other sectors, if measures altering behaviour of consumers are taken into account. Fuel savings typically compensate part of, or even all, additional costs. There exists a range of cheap technological options to increase fuel efficiency, but these options are limited in scope and their costs tend to increase sharply beyond a certain threshold. Reducing NOx Emissions on the Road The European Conference of Ministers of Transport has released a report that examines the gap between tested nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions and actual emissions on the road and makes recommendations on improved test cycles to close the gap. The authors suggest that more research into the factors affecting emissions would be useful. However, they note that the fundamental reason for the gap between regulatory standards and air quality is in the design of NOx emissions regulations and in particular in the failure of vehicle type-approval tests to cover the range of engine operating conditions most frequently encountered in real world driving conditions. This applies especially to the conditions prevalent in urban areas, where air quality is most critical and the costs of air pollution highest. A recent EEA study concludes that if CO2 prices were implemented throughout the economy, the power sector would be the most promising and cost-effective way to achieve emission reductions, When comparing the use of biofuels in the transport sector with its use in power stations, the report notes that the latter is more favourable from a cost effectiveness point of view. This is especially valid for most of the current, 1st generation biofuels, even at the higher oil prices. The report recommends adoption of approved tests in conjunction with further tightening of limit values under exhaust emissions standards. See: The report can be found at: http://www.cemt.org/topics/env/CO2mitigation.pdf http://www.cemt.org/pub/pubpdf/NOx%202006E.pdf ***** ***** How Much Transport Can the Climate Stand? Making Cars More Fuel Efficient This paper by Akerman and Hojer examines whether Sweden is on a sustainable path in 2050. Appearing in Energy Policy, volume 34(14), p1944-1957, the authors outline an image of a sustainable transport system for Sweden in 2050. This 2005 report provides an analysis of why vehicles perform better in fuel economy test procedures than they do on the road. It examines how the gap between test and “on-road” emission can be closed using a variety of technologies that could improve fuel economy and reduce CO2 by over 10%. The information within this report is designed to assist policy makers in identifying technologies and other strategies to promote fuel efficiency and to provide incentives for the new technologies. The emissions per capita in this image may be generalized to a global population of 9 billions, and still be consistent with a stabilization of the carbon dioxide concentration at 450 ppm (parts per million). Swedish transport energy use per capita is 4.6 MWh in the image, compared to 12.5 MWh at present. The report can be found at: http://213.253.134.29/oecd/pdfs/browseit/7505061E.PDF The aim of the paper is to widen the perspective of sustainable transport futures and to provide a basis for decisions in areas characterized by a high inertia, e.g. regarding infrastructure and the built-up environment. ***** Air Pollution at Street Level in European Cities The reduction of energy use in the image is primarily achieved by an introduction of energy efficient vehicles and a conscious combination of IT-services and urban planning. The latter aims at increasing functional accessibility while reducing commuting. Given the setup target, it may be concluded that the need for new arterial road capacity in cities often is negligible, even with a considerable population increase. Traffic-related air pollution is s one of the most pressing problems in urban areas. This European Environment Agency report notes that evidence of the adverse health effects of fine particulate matter is continuously emerging and it is alarming that most of the trafficrelated emissions are in the fine particulates range (< PM2.5). 34 This report studies the air pollution levels at traffic hotspot areas in 20 European cities compared to the urban background concentrations for NO2, NOX, PM10 and PM2.5. See: For 50% of road projects, the difference between actual and forecasted traffic is more than ±20%; for 25% of road projects, the difference is larger than ±40%. Forecasts for roads are more accurate and more balanced than for rail, with no significant difference between the frequency of inflated versus deflated forecasts. http://reports.eea.eu.int/technical_report_2006_1/en/tab_abstract_RL R ***** The causes of inaccuracy in forecasts are different for rail and road projects, with political causes playing a larger role for rail than for road. Highly inaccurate traffic forecasts combined with large standard deviations translate into large financial and economic risks. The authors note that such risks are typically ignored or downplayed by planners and decision-makers, to the detriment of social and economic welfare. The paper also presents the data and approach with which planners may begin valid and reliable risk assessment. Accuracy of Road Traffic Forecasts This paper by Naess et al appearing in Transport Reviews, 26(5) 537-555 investigates the hypothesis that traffic forecasts for road links in Europe are geographically biased with under-estimated traffic volumes in metropolitan areas and over-estimated traffic volumes in remote regions. Based on a review of available data from a database on large‐scale transport infrastructure projects, the present data do not support this hypothesis. Since previous studies have shown a strong tendency to over-estimated forecasts of the number of passengers on new rail projects, it could be speculated that road planners are more skilful and/or honest than rail planners. However, during the period when the investigated projects were planned (up to the late 1980s), there was an absence of strong incentives for road planners to make biased forecasts to place their projects in a more flattering light. See:http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/(s5qayujtoqlqzo55pa3gunjx)/a pp/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,1,6;journal, 5,37;searchpublicationsresults,1,1;homemain,1,1; ***** Transport and Environment: Facing a Dilemma This report represents a summary of 10 selected issues from the EEA's TERM (transport and environment reporting mechanism) set of transport and environment integration indicators. The objective is to indicate some of the main challenges to reducing the environmental impacts of transport, and to make suggestions for improving the environmental performance of the transport system as a whole. Future research might uncover whether the change from the ‘predict and provide’ paradigm to ‘predict and prevent’ occurring in some European countries in the 1990s has influenced the accuracy of road traffic forecasts in metropolitan areas. As with previous TERM reports, this report evaluates the indicator trends in terms of progress towards existing objectives and targets. This is carried out using EU policy documents and various transport and environmental directives. The article can be seen at: http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/(an3th4j3f2qnqz45f2j4pweq)/app/ho me/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,2,8;journal,1,37;l inkingpublicationresults,1:102494,1 ***** The report notes that road freight continues to rise moving further from the EU objective of stabilising at its 1998 levels with no signs of decoupling from economic growth. Most vehicle emissions have declined while greenhouse gases have increased. Inaccuracy in Traffic Forecasts This paper by Flyvbjerg et al, appearing in Transport Reviews, 26(1) 1-24 sets out the results of a study of traffic forecasts in 210 transportation infrastructure projects across 14 countries. The report can be seen at: http://reports.eea.eu.int/eea_report_2006_3/en/term_2005.pdf The study shows with very high statistical significance that forecasters generally do a poor job of estimating the demand for transportation infrastructure projects. The result is substantial downside financial and economic risk. Forecasts have not become more accurate over the 30-year period studied. EU Carbon Emissions Consultation For nine out of ten rail projects, passenger forecasts are over-estimated by an average of 106%. The authors also found that for 72% of rail projects, over-estimates of more than 66% occur. http://ec.europa.eu/environment/co2/co2_home.htm#review ***** The European Union is reviewing how to tackle carbon emissions from cars; and is currently conducting a public consultation into the policy measures necessary to reduce the car's impact on climate change. See: ***** 35 Option Value of Public Transport: Methodology for Measurement international freight transport, given the trend towards globalisation. Transport option values can be interpreted in terms of a risk premium that individuals with uncertain demand are willing to pay over and above their expected user benefit for the continued availability of a transport facility. These values represent a benefit category not included in conventional transport appraisal. In particular, urban planners are concerned that an overvaluation of passenger time could give rise to excessive urban infrastructure investment that would induce low-density development of cities and urban sprawl. Transport policy measures that increase the speed and reliability of freight transport not only reduce its direct costs but also have strong effects on inventory policies, logistics and even the location of firms. As recent empirical studies show, variations in time requirements for international transport, and increasingly short product and fashion cycles, have an influence on the pattern of foreign direct investment and international trade flows. Rational transport policy decision making has to take account of these indirect effects. This paper by Geurs et al appearing in Transport Reviews, 26(5) 613-634 examines a methodology and case study applied to regional rail links in the Netherlands. From an Internet-based survey examining the value of regional rail services to residents, option values were concluded by the authors to be a potentially relevant benefit category in public transport policy appraisal. This survey included three different stated choice experiments to separate the willingness-to-pay for use, option use and non-use. The authors concluded that significant option values could be obtained from the stated choice experiments for both regional railway links. The report can be obtained from: http://www.oecdbookshop.org/oecd/display.asp?TAG=X0O8E8XX4 X98192X64XJ2C&CID=&LANG=EN&SF1=DI&ST1=5LGL82BR 2X7F#TableOfContents ***** See: http://www.journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/openurl.asp?genre=article&id =doi:10.1080/01441640600655763 Short-Term Land Value Impacts of Urban Rail Transit Due to the high cost of rail transit systems, capturing the land value is a possible means to fund public transport infrastructure. To evaluate this potential, the impact of public transport on land values needs examination prior to exploring land value capture. This paper by Du and Mulley in Land Use Policy explores the how the introduction of a rail transit system can lead to land value changes using the extension to Sunderland of the Tyne and Wear Metro (UK) as a case study. ***** Intelligent Transportation Systems in Europe and Japan The U.S. Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has released a report in January 2006 that summarises the findings and recommendations of a scanning study of intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications deployed in France, Germany, and Japan that are designed to mitigate traffic safety problems. The paper can be obtained from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.landusepol.2005.12.003 The objective of the study was to find existing intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications deployed in other countries that could be effective in mitigating safety problems in the United States. Of particular interest were applications that decrease traffic accidents and their severity. Specific examples sought included collision avoidance, infrastructure cooperative systems, automated warning and enforcement strategies, speed management, severe weather condition and hazard warning systems, and other technology deployments. See: http://www.international.fhwa.dot.gov/ipsafety/ipsafety.pdf ***** ECMT Council of Ministers Meeting The May 2006 meeting of the Council of Ministers held in Dublin decided to transform the organisation into an International Transport Forum dealing with global issues and open to participation by non-European countries as well as major economic actors. At the meeting, Ministers also discussed the sustainable development of transport. This topic provided Ministers with the opportunity to exchange views on several issues presented in specific papers, namely: sustainable urban transport policies, CO2 and NOx emissions in the transport sector, achieving the target of 50% fewer deaths on the roads by 2012, and improved accessibility for all. The Council adopted a series of recommendations regarding actions to be taken in this respect. ***** Time and Transport This ECMT Round Table revisits the extended literature on the valuation of passenger time and discusses the under-researched topic of the value of time in freight transport. It assesses the increased value of time in 36 Other topics of discussion on the agenda for the Dublin Session included inland waterways and environmental protection, the allocation of the basic ECMT multilateral quota for international road haulage licences from 2007 onwards, and the activities of the Joint OECD/ECMT Transport Research Centre. The Council of Ministers took several important decisions in these areas. on a lesser scale, are also encountered with cars and other light vehicles. Ministers signalled their intention to expedite the discussions currently in progress on improved testing and vehicle certification. In addition, they also agreed to ensure that regulatory measures are swiftly introduced to guarantee heavy duty vehicles employing NOx emissions control systems reling on injection of (ammonia-based) additive that can only be used when the additive injection system is working properly. This position is taken as vehicles which have been fitted with such systems, and which fail to use the necessary additive, can produce higher emissions than older vehicles. The aim of the new Forum will be to help both policy makers and the general public gain a deeper understanding of the essential role played by transport. Another aim will be to facilitate the integration of transport and logistics into general policymaking while taking account of major considerations with more farreaching implications such as the economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainable development. The Ministers also considered accessibility issues as over the next 20 years, the population aged 65 years and over will increase by 40% and the number of those aged over 80 years will double. Over half of the population aged over 75 years suffers from some form of handicap. Access to transport is therefore a major challenge for the sustainable development of mobility, particularly in view of the fact that people who have difficulty travelling for all kinds of reason (handicap, age, accompanying children, luggage) account for 25% of the population. The yearly Forum will provide Ministers of Transport with an opportunity to discuss a single topic of global strategic importance, relating to all modes of transport, with leading figures in civil society. The founding members of the new International Transport Forum will initially consist of ECMT Member countries and nonEuropean Associate Member countries. It is subsequently planned to open up participation in the Forum to other countries to make this event an essential annual international meeting for key actors in the transport sector. Given this economic and social imperative, a Guide was submitted to Ministers that specifies which areas of transport accessibility should be targeted for priority action by governments. Attention was drawn, in particular, to the effective introduction of door-to-door transport services, the potential role of taxis and the training of transport personnel, especially drivers. In considering, reducing CO2 emissions a report was submitted that showed that the most effective measures are those that are aimed directly at reducing the fuel consumption of vehicles. Ministers stated their willingness to give priority to a series of what, in many cases, are relatively inexpensive measures in this area, in contrast with the emphasis that government programmes often place on highly costly options whose impact on CO2 emissions is limited. For example, although the goal of energy independence can justify giving priority to bio-fuels, it is also a fact that this expensive solution is undoubtedly not the most effective way to reduce CO2 emissions. Other issues addressed included:  Inland waterways and environmental protection;  International road haulage licences;  OECD/ECMT Transport Research Centre. The press release of the meeting can be found at: http://www.cemt.org/events/PressReleases/06after.pdf The paper on CO2 abatement policies can be found at: Among the measures that Ministers chose to prioritise were differentiated vehicle taxes by CO2 output, the introduction of regulations on the energy efficiency of tyres and other vehicle components, training in ecodriving and, possibly, the installation of on-board driver self-assessment systems, the reorganisation of goods distribution systems and improved vehicle fleet management, taxes on fuels and carbon, etc. http://www.cemt.org/online/council/2006/CM200604Fe.pdf The paper on cost effectiveness of CO2 Mitigation in Transport can be found at: http://www.cemt.org/topics/env/CO2mitigation.pdf The paper on NOx emissions can be found at: http://www.cemt.org/online/council/2006/CM200605Fe.pdf In considering NOx emissions, Ministers were informed that emissions are higher than they should be given the introduction of increasingly stringent exhaust emission standards. The reason lies in the approval tests to which new HGVs are subjected. These tests fail to reflect accurately driving conditions in built-up areas, where emissions levels are highest. Similar problems, although ***** Mapping of National Road Research in Europe This March 2006 report from ERTRAC provides an overview of national road transport research activities 37 across seventeen European countries. For each country description, the following is provided:  Country description and transport infrastructure;  Transport industry;  Transport policy related general goals;  Mapping of the country specific transport research funding system;  National RTD programmes for road transport from the last 5 years. The report recommends an eight-step, non-prescriptive process that can serve as a starting point from which ecosystem-based mitigation decisions can be considered and made. See: http://environment.fhwa.dot.gov/ecological/eco_toc.asp ***** Integrating Sustainability into Transportation Planning The ERTRAC report can be found at: A Transportation Research Board report issued in 2005 explores how sustainability objectives can be introduced into the planning process for surface transport facilities and operations. The report provides a review of a conference held in Maryland in July 2004. http://www.ertrac.org/publications.htm ***** Other References  Infrastructure to 2030: Telecom, Land Transport, Water and Electricity, OECD, 2006: The report includes the following papers:  Presentations on transportation sustainability indicators;  What are the challenges;  Potential solutions;  Sustainable transport – definitions and responses;  How can transport systems become more sustainable? http://www.oecd.org/document/60/0,2340,en_2649_36240452_ 36964924_1_1_1_1,00.html  Improving Transport Accessibility for All: Guide to Good Practice, ECMT, 2006: http://www.oecd.org/document/8/0,2340,en_2649_37433_3693 8056_1_1_1_37433,00.html   Strengthening Inland Waterways Transport: Pan-European Co-operation for Progress, ECMT, 2006: http://www.cemt.org/events/JustPub/justWatPan.htm An Integrated Transportation Decision Support System for Transportation Policy Decisions: The Case of Turkey, Ülengin et al, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 41(1), 80-97. See: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/conf/CP37.pdf ***** Highway Capacity and Quality of Service 2005 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2006.05.010 TRB’s Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1920, addresses improved methods for analysing the capacity and service of interchange ramp terminals, the influence of nonmotorized road users on motor vehicles at junctions without traffic signals, a calibration and validation process for the Highway Capacity Manual model for control delay at signalized intersection approaches, and other elements. ***** NORTH AMERICAN TRANSPORT PLANNING An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects The U.S. Federal Highway Administration and several other Federal agencies have released a report in April 2006 that encourages federal, state, tribal, and local partners involved in infrastructure planning, design, review, and construction to use flexibility in regulatory processes. See: http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5915 ***** Innovative Techniques in the Planning and Financing of Public Transportation Projects Eco-Logical is guide to making infrastructure more sensitive to wildlife and ecosystems through greater interagency cooperative conservation. It describes ways for streamlining the processes that advance approvals for infrastructure projects – in compliance with applicable laws – while maintaining safety, environmental health, and effective public involvement. As a way to accomplish this, the guide outlines an approach for the comprehensive management of land, water, and biotic and abiotic resources that equitably promotes conservation and sustainable use. Key components of the approach include integrated planning, the exploration of a variety of mitigation options, and performance measurement. TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Research Results Digest 77: “Innovative Techniques in the Planning and Financing of Public Transportation Projects” reports on innovative techniques in the planning and financing of public transportation projects in Spain, Denmark, the People’s Republic of China, and Japan. See: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_rrd_77.pdf ***** 38 Considering the Environment in Transportation Planning: Emerging Paradigms & Practice entered the state of the practice in land usetransportation planning. The article by Amekudzi and Meyer “Considering the Environment in Transportation Planning: Review of Emerging Paradigms and Practice in the United States” appeared in the Journal of Urban Planning and Development, 132(1), 42-52. It examines the current practice with special emphasis on best-case examples. The report investigates the breadth of land usetransportation scenario planning and some of the themes that are emerging by reviewing 80 scenario-planning projects from more than 50 metropolitan areas in the United States. A summary report can be found at: The article was based on a literature review, a survey of state DOTs and MPOs, and the identification of bestcase examples. The findings indicate the emergence, both in the literature and in practice, of more formal recognition of the need to consider environmental factors earlier in the planning process. http://faculty.arch.utah.edu/bartholomew/SP_SummaryRpt_Web.pdf State DOTs and MPOs agree that air quality, land use, socio-economic, environmental justice, and community cohesion impacts are of greatest concern and will continue to be so in 10 years. This NCHRP Report 541 issued in 2005 describes the transportation planning process and discusses where and how environmental factors can be addressed effectively at the state and metropolitan levels. The article can be found at: This March 2005 AASHTO report “Handbook on Integrating Land Use Considerations into Transportation Projects to Address Induced Growth, provides assistance in assessing whether a project is likely to produce new development (including dispersed development), and, if the use or its impacts are deemed inconsistent with goals1, how to mitigate them. Transportation systems plans provide the basis for selecting and developing transportation projects. However, because of their long periods and broad scope, systems plans often are developed without detailed consideration of how plan implementation will affect the built and natural environment. This situation creates problems environmental consequences making some projects difficult to implement are not identified or considered during the planning process. Furthermore, insufficient consideration of environmental factors in transportation systems planning may cause decisionmakers to miss opportunities to adopt plans that are fully consistent with statewide and regional environmental goals and to implement larger scale environmental mitigation and enhancements. Similar critiques can be made of how SEA has been applied to English Local Transport Plans. The handbook presents in Chapter 2 advice on how to engage with land use planning processes, while chapter 3 deals with methods for analysing land use changes. The final chapter considers the strategies to avoid undesirable land use impacts. The objective of the research presented in the report was to identify, develop, and describe a process, procedures, and methods for integrating environmental factors in transportation systems planning and decision making at the statewide, regional, and metropolitan levels. The report can be found at: The benefits of considering environmental factors in transportation systems planning were reported to include:  Agencies can avoid or at least reduce environmental impacts as they relate to network investment decisions;  Projects that jointly meet both transportation purposes and enhancement of environmental quality can be identified more easily when environmental factors are considered;  Identifying sensitive environmental areas or regions can provide an important context for much broader community development planning; ***** Consideration of Environmental Factors in Transportation Systems Planning http://ascelibrary.aip.org/getabs/servlet/GetabsServlet?prog=normal &id=JUPDDM000132000001000042000001&idtype=cvips&gifs=Y es ***** Integrating Land Use Considerations into Transportation Projects http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/reference/boilerplate/Attachments/$fi le/25-25(3)_FR.pdf ***** Integrating Land Use Issues Into Transportation Planning: Scenario Planning The College of Architecture and Planning at the University of Utah has released a report in 2005 that views the antecedents to current land usetransportation scenario planning, examines trends emerging from the recent examples, and explores whether the technique has 39     Environmental sensitivities as they relate to project characteristics can be carried through all steps of planning, thus resulting in better projects, or at least better mitigation strategies; Needs and purpose justification required in project development can be provided earlier in the process when environmental factors are considered; When combined with interagency partnerships, considering environmental factors in system planning can expedite environmental resource agency reviews in project planning; and Although considering environmental factors often means spending more staff time in the early stages of planning, this is more than offset with staff-time savings later in project development. Current and emerging advancements in technology provide an opportunity to improve such decision making. However, advanced analysis, communication, and presentation tools are generally not used to enhance the inclusion of environmental considerations in the planning, design, construction, operations, and maintenance activities of state transportation agencies. These tools include multimedia communications, computer modeling, remote sensing, spatial information systems, and Internet applications. Failure to use these tools is caused by inadequate knowledge of the capability, applicability, affordability, compatibility, availability, and functionality of these technologies. NCHRP Project 25-22, completed in 2001, identified, critiqued, and showcased current and emerging technologies that support the integration of environmental considerations into transportation planning, design, construction, maintenance, and operations. Included in the NCHRP 25-22 report is a fictional case study used to demonstrate 26 technology applications that were identified as promising for improving consideration of environmental concerns in transportation planning and project development processes. The final report for NCHRP 25- 22 was published as a CD-ROM titled: CRP-CD-14 and is available for purchase through the TRB Bookstore at http://trb.org/trb/bookstore (search for "CRPD14"). The report provides the following chapters:  Introduction and Research Approach;  Context and Current State of the Practice;  Incorporating Environmental Concerns into Transportation Planning and Project Development;  Tools and Methods for Considering Environmental Factors;  Incorporating Environmental Stewardship into Transportation Planning and Project Development. See: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_541.pdf ***** Using findings from the project's first phase, this study sought to identify, profile, and demonstrate existing technological applications of technology that could usefully be adopted by other agencies. In cooperation with State DOTs and other agencies, potentially useful applications were surveyed and evaluated for their compatibility, universal applicability, ease of implementation, and potential usefulness to other public agencies. An initial screening yielded 20 applications that were then assessed in greater detail to select eight very promising technology applications. These applications are described in Research Digest 304 published in June 2006. The applications include:  Interactive regional scenario analysis;  Integrated aerial data collection;  Road and rail alignment optimisation;  Web-based environmental screening;  NEPA document preparation and review expert system;  Restricted activity zone mapping;  Electronic asset management system;  Life cycle engineering. Using Road Tolls to Cut Congestion, Protect the Environment, and Boost Access for All Environmental Defense has released a report that explores how toll roads and public-private partnership contracts and legislation could promote environmental stewardship and equity. According to Environmental Defense, if public-private partnership road projects apply tolls only to new lanes and use toll revenues only to build more roads, they will tend to exacerbate environmental and equity problems. Where tolls are used to manage both new and existing lanes for higher performance and to fund public transit and impact mitigation, equity and the environment can benefit greatly. See: http://www.environmentaldefense.org/documents/5257_TollingRepo rt0506.pdf ***** Technologies to Improve Consideration of Environmental Concerns in Transportation Decisions The digest is organised into four sections and two appendixes. The introduction describes the scope and limitations of the research project. The second section gives brief descriptions of the technologies and their applications, as well as factors leading to their developments. The third section discusses issues involved with implementing these technologies in other applications. The last section summarises the research Successful transport decision-making requires an integration of environmental, engineering, social, and economic information. Informed decisions conserve environmental resources, avoid litigation, reduce project delays and costs, and increase public understanding and trust. 40 team’s recommendations on how to achieve broader adoption of these technologies. The report can be seen at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_535.pdf ***** Road and rail alignment optimisation uses advanced computational algorithms quickly generate and screen very large numbers of alignment alternatives, computing cut-and-fill estimates to find optimal alternatives. It thus enables rapid testing of alignment variations and greatly reduces the time to develop and screen alignment options. This capability in turn creates a more transparent project development process. The technology represents a major advance in the robustness and efficiency of route-location studies. Tyres and Passenger Vehicle Fuel Economy This Transportation Research Board Special Report 286 published in 2006 reports that about 200 million replacement passenger tyres are purchased in the United States annually. Each time they replace their tyres; motorists spend several hundred dollars and must choose among tires varying in price, style, and many aspects of performance. The tyres they do buy will affect not only the handling, traction, ride comfort, and appearance of their vehicles but also fuel economy. Web-based environmental screening entails database software that supports web-based presentation of project information and management of the environmental analysis and review process. Tools provide links to base documents and prompt reviewers to provide commentary, thereby encouraging earlier engagement of stakeholders and identification of issues to be resolved in project development decision-making. The collective outcomes of the choices consumers make when they buy tyres are matters of public interest. The 220 million passenger cars and light trucks in the United States consume about 130 billion gallons of motor fuel annually. Finding ways to reduce this energy consumption is a national goal for reasons ranging from ensuring economic and national security to improving local air quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Maximizing the wear life of tyres is also important from the public standpoint of controlling the population of scrap tyres that can burden landfills and recycling programs. While the handling, traction, and other operating characteristics of tyres are of particular interest to tyre buyers, they are also matters of broader public interest inasmuch as they may influence the safety performance of vehicles. See: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rrd_304.pdf ***** Transportation Air Quality The U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Natural and Human Environment have released a brochure that provides an overview of facts regarding the linkages between transportation and air quality. The brochure is focuses on transportation-related emissions trends, policies, technologies, and standards that affect on-road mobile sources, including automobiles, lightduty trucks, and heavy-duty trucks. See: The report authors concluded that:  Reducing the average rolling resistance of replacement tyres by a magnitude of 10 percent is technically and economically feasible.  Consumers now have little, if any, practical way of assessing how tyre choices can affect vehicle economy.  Tyres and their rolling resistance characteristics can have a meaningful effect on vehicle fuel economy and consumption.  The effects of reductions in rolling resistance on tyre wear life and scrap tires are difficult to estimate because of the various ways by which rolling resistance can be reduced.  Although traction may be affected by modifying a tyre’s tread to reduce rolling resistance, the safety consequences are probably undetectable.  Reducing the average rolling resistance of replacement tyres promises fuel savings to consumers that exceed associated tire purchase costs, as long as tire wear life is not shortened. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/aqfactbk/index.htm ***** Predicting Air Quality Effects of Traffic-Flow Improvements NCHRP Report 535 issued in 2005 contains a user’s guide and case studies, providing a recommended methodology to predict the long- and short-term mobile source emission impacts of traffic-flow improvement projects. Guidance is provided to evaluate the magnitude, scale, and duration of such impacts for a variety of representative urbanized areas. The analysis of the effects of traffic-flow improvements on mobile source emissions focuses on four areas: operational improvements, travel time-savings impacting traveller behaviour, travel time savings increasing total demand for travel, and travel time savings stimulating growth and new development in specific areas within the metropolitan region. The report can be seen at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/sr/sr286.pdf ***** 41 Demonstration and Evaluation of Hybrid DieselElectric Transit Buses Electric Drive Technologies This Federal Transit Administration August 2005 report provides an overview of the current status of electric drive technologies for transit applications, covering battery-electric, hybrid-electric and fuel cell buses. Based on input from the transit and electric drive industries, the report examines the state of electric drive technology for transit buses, including a list of current deployments; the benefits of major market penetration of electric drive buses to both transit and the broader community; the barriers that remain to achieving this goal; and potential steps the transit industry believes the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) could take to alleviate some of these barriers. The report focuses on hybrid-electric technology as the most commercially viable technology for full-size transit buses today. There is a review of technical aspects of hybrid systems; emissions and fuel economy results to date; capital and operating costs; reliability, performance and durability issues; and regulatory status. The Connecticut Department of Transportation has released in October 2005 its final report on the life-cycle cost analysis, emissions information, mileage, fuel economy and repair costs for hybrid buses. The report identifies the next generation of transit vehicles for future fleet replacement that are cost effective, reliable, produce fewer emissions, and have improved fuel economy compared to the standard heavy-duty dieselpowered bus. See: http://www.ct.gov/dot/LIB/dot/documents/dresearch/CT-170-1884F-05-10.pdf ***** Virtual Exclusive Busways This September 2005 report by the Reason Foundation suggests that bus rapid transit can deliver much higherquality service if operated on exclusive busways where there is no congestion. Only a handful of such busways exist in America today, but the growing system of carpool lanes began as “transitways,” intended for buses and vanpools. Only when it was found that most such transitways had lots of unused capacity were they gradually opened up to four-person, then three-person, and eventually two-person carpools, becoming highoccupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. The report can be found at: http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/Electric_Drive_Bus_Analysis.pdf ***** The Hydrogen Bus Source WestStart-CALSTART has released an issue of its quarterly newsletter that reports on fuel cell and hydrogen technology in transit bus applications. Articles in the November 2005 issue include:  The Next Generation Hydrogen Fuel Cell HybridElectric Bus Unveiled by AC Transit;  A Lightweight Hydrogen Storage System by Quantum;  HCNG on Hydrogen Economy Transition Path. This strong public policy favouring carpools has led to unintended consequences. It has encouraged these expensive new lanes to fill up with “fampools”—two or more family members who would be riding together anyway. Fampools constitute between one-third and two-thirds of HOV lane users, depending on the facility. Also, by allowing even two-person carpools into specialized lanes, public policy has devastated the vanpool sector, which is the most cost-effective and energy-efficient form of transit. In addition, filling up the most important HOV lanes with two-person carpools destroys their effectiveness as transit guideways, which is especially crucial for bus rapid transit (BRT). The quarterly newsletters can be found at: http://www.calstart.org/programs/FuelCell/Hydrogen_Bus_Source.p hp ***** The report notes that it is time to rethink America’s over-emphasis on carpooling and revisit the advantages of busways. Instead of filling up the empty space on a busway with fampools, they could be charged for access thus creating a value-priced busway. The first Virtual Exclusive Busway (VEB) in the US is under construction in Houston. Design-Build Environmental Compliance Process and Level of Detail Required State transportation agencies are under increasing pressure to improve the delivery and performance of their transportation programs and projects. One of the methods being considered and employed more frequently in this regard is the use of Design-Build contracts. This report considers the evolution of bus lanes, car pool lanes through to the virtual exclusive busway concept and it can be found at: http://www.reason.org/ps337.pdf There are two environmentally related components for which an understanding of their relationship to the Design-Build process can influence the success of Design-Build contracting. The first is an understanding of the level of environmental permitting and ***** 42 identification of environmental mitigation commitments needed to be completed prior to initiating the services of a Design-Build Contractor. The second is an understanding of the appropriate level of conceptual or preliminary design detail to be prepared prior to retaining a Design-Build Contractor, especially as it relates to environmental impacts identification and permits compliance. An understanding of both of these components also enhances the ability of a given project to be more streamlined in terms of reducing agency review time, schedule delays, contractor design changes/claims, and risks to mitigation commitments. Context-Sensitive Solutions in Designing Major Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities The Institute of Transportation Engineers has released a report that explores the use of context-sensitive solutions (CSS) in the planning and design of major urban thoroughfares for walkable communities. The report addresses how CSS concepts and principles may be applied in highway improvement projects that respect their physical settings. The principles, concepts and design criteria presented in this report are applicable to transport planning as well as to thoroughfare design, and to construction and maintenance. This report provides advice on a series of common successful practices in Design-Build schemes. See: http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/reference/boilerplate/Attachments/$fi le/25-25(12)_FR.pdf Presented in three parts: introduction; planning and design, there are the following eleven chapters:  Introduction;  Planning and Developing Context Sensitive Urban Thoroughfares;  Network and Corridor Planning;  A Framework for Urban Thoroughfare Design;  Thoroughfare Design Process;  Thoroughfare Design for Urban Areas;  Design Controls;  Roadside Design Guidelines;  Travelled Way Design Guidelines;  Intersection Design Guidelines;  Thoroughfares in Single Land Use or Vehicle Mobility Priority Areas. ***** Getting to Smart Growth This report from the Smart Growth Network in the USA shows that a wide variety of smart growth tools, policies, and approaches are available to create more liveable communities. Each community has its own unique set of challenges, and smart growth demands a flexible response. The report offers a menu of options that can be mixed and matched to fit local circumstances, local visions, and local values. It discusses individual programmes (occasionally specific applications of broader ideas presented in the previous work) and emphasizes case studies to show where the various policies, programs, and projects have been successfully implemented. Chapter 6 provides general design parameters and example designs for major urban thoroughfares with speeds up to 35 mph, in areas with high levels of pedestrian, bicycle and transit activity. Chapter 11 provides general design parameters for thoroughfares intended to operate at 40 to 45 mph in areas of lower multi-modal activity. Design guidelines in Chapters 8 through 10 focus on the design of lower speed thoroughfares but much of this guidance is also applicable to the higher speed facilities addressed in Chapter 11. See: http://www.ite.org/bookstore/RP036.pdf The report addresses the following activities:  Mix Land Uses;  Take Advantage of Compact Building Design;  Create a Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices;  Create Walkable Communities;  Foster Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place;  Preserve Open Space, Farmland, Natural Beauty, and Critical Environmental Areas;  Strengthen and Direct Development Toward Existing Communities;  Provide a Variety of Transportation Options;  Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair, and Cost Effective;  Encourage Community and Stakeholder Collaboration in Development Decisions. ***** How to Develop a Pedestrian Safety Action Plan The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center (PBIC) has in February 2006 released a framework for state and local agencies to develop and implement pedestrian safety action plans. The guide is designed to help agencies enhance their existing pedestrian safety programmes and activities, including identifying safety problems, analysing information, and selecting optimal solutions. It also contains information on how to involve stakeholders, potential sources of funding for implementing projects, and how to evaluate projects. See: http://www.smartgrowth.org/pdf/gettosg2.pdf ***** 43 This guide is primarily a reference for improving pedestrian safety through street redesign and the use of engineering countermeasures as well as other safetyrelated treatments and programs that involve the whole community. Engineers, planners, traffic safety and enforcement professionals can use this guide, public health and injury prevention professionals, and decisionmakers who have the responsibility of improving pedestrian safety at the state or local level. See: for proposed neighbourhoods and still correlate well with accepted subjective measures. See: http://www.walkinginfo.org/pp/howtoguide2006.pdf The Florida Department of Transportation has released a report in May 2006 that examines the relationship between multi-modal transportation planning, school siting, and Florida’s Safe Ways to School Programme. doi:10.1016/j.trd.2006.04.003 ***** Safeways to School - The Role in Multi-Modal Planning ***** Pedestrians: Research Problem Statements The report explores various aspects of school transportation as they relate to the safe movement of children to school and the establishment of multi-modal transportation districts. The report offers guidance for legislative and policy development in Florida, based upon best practices within Florida and throughout the country. Pedestrian research involves a wide range of topics, from designing individual crosswalks and intersections to accommodate all pedestrians, to installing continuous sidewalks throughout neighbourhoods and roadway corridors, to altering roadway design to slow traffic, to providing pedestrian access to buildings and transit stops. Research on signal timing, intelligent transportation systems (ITS) applications, the design of sidewalks and crossings, driver yielding behaviour, and pedestrian detection should consider impacts on different groups of pedestrians, including children, the elderly, and people with all types of physical disabilities, including those in human-powered and motorized wheelchairs See: http://www.dot.state.fl.us/researchcenter/Completed_Proj/Summary_PL/FDOT_BD545_32_rpt.pdf ***** Agenda for Climate Actions The Pew Center on Global Climate Change has released a plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States in February 2006. The plan identifies both broad and specific policies, combining recommendations on economy-wide mandatory emissions cuts, technology development, scientific research, energy supply, and adaptation with critical steps that can be taken in key sectors. See: http://www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-in- This December 2005 report presents the top 16 pedestrian Research Problem Statements, prioritised from a list of approximately 80 Research Problem Statements by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Committee on Pedestrians (ANF10). The topics are grouped into nine categories that suggest the broad agenda of pedestrian research:  Demand management and forecasting;  Crash and risk analysis;  Design and engineering (standards and guidelines);  Pedestrian facility evaluation;  Policy and planning;  Land use and urban design;  Enforcement and education;  Health and physical activity, and  Pedestrians with disabilities. depth/all_reports/agenda_for_climate_action/index.cfm ***** Emissions of Greenhouse Gases in the United States 2004 This December 2005 report is the thirteenth annual report and is the Energy Information Administration’s latest estimates of emissions for carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and other greenhouse gases. These estimates are based on activity data and applied emissions factors and not on measured or metered emissions. The document can be found at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec084.pdf ***** The report records that U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases in 2004 totalled 7,122.1 million metric tonnes (MMT) carbon dioxide equivalent, 2.0% more than in 2003. Characterising Neighbourhood Pedestrian Environments with Secondary Data Commonly used measures of the pedestrian environment rely on field data collection and subjective judgments. This paper in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment develops objective measures of the pedestrian environment that use secondary data or plans Carbon dioxide emissions from the transportation sector are the largest source of energy-related carbon dioxide emissions. At 1,933.7 million metric tonnes, the 44 transportation sector accounted for 33 percent of total U.S. energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2004. Transportation sector emissions increased by 3.1 percent in 2004 relative to the 2003 level of 1,875.7 MMT. See: in congestion. The remainder represents the value of fuel consumed (around 7 percent) and GHG’s emitted under congestion conditions (around 3 percent). The study estimates an increase of 1.2 to 1.4 mega tonnes of GHG due to congestion every year. ftp://ftp.eia.doe.gov/pub/oiaf/1605/cdrom/pdf/ggrpt/057304.pdf ***** The report can be seen at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/programs/Environment/EconomicAnalysis/docs/ summary.pdf International Energy Outlook 2006 ***** The U.S. Department of Energy has released a report that provides an assessment of international energy markets with projections of worldwide energy production and consumption by fuel type and region to the year 2030. Chapter 1 deals with World Energy and Economic Outlook; Chapter 2 with Energy Consumption by End-Use Sector; Chapter 3 – World Oil Markets; Chapters 4-6 deal with Natural Gas, Coal and Electricity, while Chapter 7 examines Energy Related Carbon Dioxide Emissions. See: Car-Sharing: Where and How It Succeeds TRB’s Transit Cooperative Research Program (TCRP) Report 108: Car-Sharing-- Where and How It Succeeds examines development and implementation of carsharing services. Issues addressed in the report include the roles of car- sharing in enhancing mobility as part of the transportation system; the characteristics of carsharing members and neighbourhoods where car-sharing has been established; and the environmental, economic, and social impacts of car-sharing. The report also focuses on car-sharing promotional efforts, barriers to car-sharing and ways to mitigate these barriers, and procurement methods and evaluation techniques for achieving car-sharing goals. http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/ieo/index.html ***** The Cost of Urban Congestion in Canada Transport Canada has released a report in March 2006 that examines the cost of urban traffic congestion for Canada’s nine largest urban areas. The report explores data and situations where congestion occurs daily because demand exceeds the cities’ capacity to move people and goods. The report also estimates costs due to travel delay, additional fuel consumed, and additional greenhouse gases produced. The report can be bought from http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5634 ***** First Mile: Car Sharing Newsletter First Mile is the leading source of news on car sharing, station cars and other transit-linked mobility services in the US. It provides regular updates on the latest developments, success stories and trends in innovative mobility services. By providing more accurate and relevant information on this emerging industry, First Mile will help increase awareness of a wide array of mobility options that have the potential to increase personal mobility, reduce traffic and parking congestion, increase energy efficiency, make public transit more viable, improve air quality, and create jobs. An engineering approach was used in the aforementioned study to define and to develop the congestion indicators and to estimate the social costs of congestion associated with extra time wasted due to congestion and the cost associated with greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This focuses on the direct and physical characteristics of congestion based on engineering principles that link vehicle flow/traffic speed to road capacity (measured as vehicles per hour). This approach differs from estimating the cost of congestion as the “deadweight loss” or loss to society associated with excessive road use – due to the absence of proper pricing of the road infrastructure use that reflects the social cost of congestion, including the environmental and external costs of congestion. The economic approach recognises that there is an “optimal” amount of delay (i.e. economically efficient level of congestion) caused by impeding users, and that some congestion is already internalized for some users. See: http://www.calstart.org/programs/cm/cm_mobilityconnection.php ***** Can Consumer Information Tighten the Transportation/Land-Use Link? The Norman Y. Mineta International Institute for Surface Transportation Policy Studies at the San José State University College of Business has released a report in March 2006 that examines how the dissemination of integrated accessibility and housing information influences individuals’ residential location The study estimates that the total annual cost of congestion (in 2002 dollars) ranges from $2.3 billion to $3.7 billion for the major urban areas in Canada. More than 90 percent of this cost represents the value of the time lost to auto travellers (drivers and their passengers) 45 choices. The report explores the use of information as a policy intervention to allow householders to self-select into areas that facilitate walking, cycling, transit use, and shorter trips generally. See:   http://www.transweb.sjsu.edu/mtiportal/research/publications/summa ry/0503.html http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/general/CriticalIssues06.pdf Institutions; and Safety. See: ***** ***** Monitoring, Analyzing, and Reporting on the Environmental Streamlining Pilot Projects Understanding What Makes Housing Truly Affordable A Housing and Transportation Affordability Index: Understanding What Makes Housing Truly Affordable," has been developed by the Center for Transit-Oriented Development and the Center for Neighborhood Technology and the Brookings Institute. This November 2005 NCHRP report documents the results of the monitoring and assessment of ten environmental streamlining pilot projects. The objective of the research project was to use these experiences to identify effective ways to improve efficiency and reduce the time within the project development process while ensuring environmental protection and to judge their applicability beyond the pilot project settings. The Index quantifies the trade-offs that households make between housing and transportation costs and the savings that derive from more accessible housing locations. It shows that total housing and transportation costs are often lowest in urban communities and highest in sprawled location due to differences in automobile transportation costs. The tool uses data sets available in most urban areas. See: The study showed that the most effective streamlining approaches stressed promoting early consultation between Federal, State, and local government entities; used concurrent, rather than sequential, review of plans and projects; fostered stakeholder participation; and worked to provide adequate levels of information, funding, and staff for environmental review. Analysis of the results or outcomes of the pilot projects also showed that streamlining is hard work, time consuming, labour-intensive, and expensive. http://www.brookings.edu/metro/umi/pubs/20060127_affindex.htm ***** Strategic Policy Options for Sustainable Development Database Benefits of the improved relationships included becoming educated on environmental and planning issues beyond agency jurisdictional boundaries and greater responsiveness between agencies. These benefits were expected to improve the transportation planning, project development and environmental permitting processes on other projects in the future. Research on Innovative and Strategic Policy Options (RISPO) by the Institute for Global Environmental Studies provides information, recommended best practices and case studies on a wide range of sustainable policies and strategies. The site provides policy options around three strategies:  Reducing transport demand;  Increasing the share of public transportation;  Reducing emissions from vehicles. Moving environmental considerations into the transportation planning process, for example, contributes to better transportation decisions, but also requires intensive time commitments from all stakeholders. See: http://www.iges.or.jp/cgibin/rispo/index_spo.cgi?mode=pa_select&id_pa=PA0004 The report can be seen at: ***** http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_w79.pdf Critical Issues in Transportation ***** TRB’s Executive Committee periodically identifies a set of critical issues in transportation to focus attention on the most significant transportation issue facing the country and on the areas most in need of innovation. This edition deals with:  Congestion;  Emergencies;  Energy and environment;  Equity;  Finance;  Human and intellectual capital;  Infrastructure; Freight Carrier FLEET Performance Model The Freight Logistics Environmental and Energy Tracking Performance Model (FLEET Performance Model) allows a company to quantify the environmental performance of their fleet operations. Users input the number of trucks in the fleet, gallons of fuel consumed, and mileage accumulated into the model and it expresses the company's environmental performance for CO2, NOx, and PM emissions in terms of:  Total tons emissions; 46     Tons of emissions/truck; Grams of emissions/mile ; Grams of emissions/ton-mile; Custom metrics defined by the company. Guidelines for Analysis of Investments in Bicycle Facilities TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 552: Guidelines for Analysis of Investments in Bicycle Facilities includes methodologies and tools to estimate the cost of various bicycle facilities and for evaluating their potential value and benefits. The report is designed to help transport planners integrate bicycle facilities into their overall transport plans and on a project-by-project basis. Additionally, the FLEET Performance Model evaluates the effectiveness of innovative fuel saving and emission reduction strategies that companies have integrated into their fleet operations. This feature quantifies the amounts of fuel saved and CO2, NOx, and PM emissions that have already been eliminated, which provides companies a sense of how efficient their fleet operations are. Companies can also use this feature to project the effectiveness of adding innovative strategies into their fleets in the future. Accompanying the report are web-based guidelines, available at http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/bikecost/, that provide a step-by-step worksheet for estimating costs, demands, and benefits associated with specific facilities The FLEET Performance Model can be found at: http://www.epa.gov/smartway/calculator/loancalc.htm The report can be seen at: http://www.trb.org/publications/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_552.pdf ***** ***** Bikeways to Prosperity: Assessing the Economic Impact of Bicycle Facilities Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System (Bikesafe) The North Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT) and local governments have invested $6.7 million in public funds to construct an extensive network of bicycle facilities that consists of 55 miles of wide paved shoulders and multiuse pathways. North Carolina DOT commissioned a study to determine if the benefits gained from the bicycle facilities would justify investment in additional facilities throughout the state. The Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center has released a new interactive tool designed to help transportation planners and engineers in their efforts to enhance the safety of bicyclists on roadways. The Bicycle Countermeasure Selection System (BIKESAFE) enables users to choose from resources and tools to learn, plan, and create solutions to improve the completeness of their streets. The study found that visitors who bicycle in the northern Outer Banks have a significant economic impact on the area. Moreover, the study provides evidence that the expenditure of public funds on bicycle facilities in an area with a substantial amount of tourism can be a worthwhile investment, yielding an economic return approximately nine times the initial expenditure. The study suggests that public investment in a network of bicycle facilities in other coastal and resort areas could return similar benefits, whether the area attracts tourists primarily for bicycling or for other reasons. BIKESAFE was designed to enable practitioners to select engineering, education, or enforcement treatments to help mitigate a known crash problem and/or to help achieve a specific performance objective. While the majority of the specific treatments are engineering countermeasures, many of the case studies include supplemental enforcement activities (e.g., a course that teaches police about enforcing bicycle safety) and/or educational approaches (e.g., educating people about riding on shared roadways or on roads with bicycle facilities). Because of the findings, North Carolina DOT plans to study more bicycle and pedestrian facilities for the economic impact on local economies to allocate direct public funding most effectively. BIKESAFE uses known characteristics of the environment and permits the user to either view all countermeasures associated with a given objective or crash type or to view only those that are applicable to a defined set (as input by the user) of geometric and operating conditions. The objectives of the product are as follows:  Provide information about bicycle crash types, statistics and other background resources;  Provide user with information on what countermeasures are available to prevent specific categories of bicycle crashes or to achieve certain performance objectives;  Outline considerations to be addressed in the selection of a countermeasure; The report can be seen at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/trnews/trnews242rpo.pdf ***** 47   Provide a decision process to eliminate countermeasures from the list of possibilities; Provide case studies of countermeasures introduced in communities throughout the United States. The report is available at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/tcrp/tcrp_syn_62.pdf ***** The Bicycle and Pedestrian Toolbox The site and its resources can be found at: http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/bikesafe/ The Bicycle and Pedestrian Toolbox published in January 2006 is the result of a research implementation grant from Mn/DOT’s Research Section. It provides transportation planners, engineers and citizens with information on how to plan and design a bicycle and pedestrian network for a community. Based on existing research and policy the toolbox provides transportation practitioners with a quick reference of basic guidance and public involvement tools. It was created to assist in the development of bicycle and pedestrian networks at the community level. This toolbox summarizes each stage involved in the process of designing an active transportation network with a focus on how land use affects transportation planning. ***** Tools for Predicting Usage and Benefits of Urban Bicycle Network Improvements This research reported in December 2005 was funded by the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the National Cooperative Highway Research Programme and a variety of other sources and was part of a larger body of bicycling- related research that is ongoing at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. This report gives a brief overview of four related small research projects. The full papers resulting from the projects are included as appendices. The four reports are:  Effect of trails on cycling;  Value of bicycle facilities to commuters;  Effect of facilities on commute mode share;  Cycling behaviour near facilities. The planning is a recurring six-stage process as follows:  community values are assessed;  Existing features are evaluated;  Desire lines are identified;  Phasing of development is defined;  Design treatments are selected;  The network is evaluated based on performance criteria. The results support the notion that people generally value bicycle facilities, in that they are willing to incur additional time costs to use higher quality facilities. The presence of facilities also appears to be associated with higher amounts of riding, although the precise nature of the impact is still unclear. From this research, it appears that a facility can increase the amount of riding in an area even up to one and a half miles from the ends of the facility, but it is not clear whether the effect is larger for residents that are closer than this. For more information visit The information found in the toolbox can be used alone, even though it was designed to complement the Mn/DOT Modal Plan, the Mn/DOT Bicycle Facility Design Manual and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Safety Initiative. All of these projects are intended to work together to ensure a safe, encouraging and accommodating environment for all modes of transportation. This toolbox is an evolving document that is designed to be updated over time. For more information on The Bicycle and Pedestrian go to: http://www.lrrb.org/pdf/200550.pdf http://www.lrrb.org/pdf/200602.pdf ***** ***** Integration of Bicycles and Transit Developing and Implementing Transportation Management Plans for Work Zones This TCRP Synthesis 62 report was published in 2005 and is a synthesis of the additional knowledge gained by transit agencies in the past 10 years about integrating bicycles and transit. It documents many different types of transit agencies in the United States and Canada. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration released a guide in December 2005 designed to help transportation agencies develop and implement transport management plans (TMP) for employment areas. The report addresses the following topics:  Existing bicycle and transit integration programmes;  Integration of bicycles with bus transit services;  Integration of bicycles with rail transit services;  Integration of bicycles with other public transit services;  Integration of bicycle parking and transit. A TMP lays out a set of coordinated transport management strategies and describes how they are used to manage the work zone impacts of a road project. The guide provides an overview of why developing, implementing, and assessing TMPs is important; it describes how and where a TMP fits into project-level processes and procedures; lists the components that 48 could be considered for inclusion in TMPs; describes various work zone management strategies; provides a number of examples and practices describing how agencies are currently using TMPs; and more. Amonth the lessons learnt that are key to the Long Range Transportation Planning process are:  Cross-agency leadership needs to be supplemented by specific performance requirements, milestones for their achievement, and implementing protocols to effectively implement the Long Range Transportation Plans.  Each state should consider developing an energy and climate “process map” outlining the various points in the long range planning cycle where opportunities exist to better coordinate transportation planning for these outcomes. In addition, state DOTs should consider establishing internal capacity to plan for energy efficiency in system development and management across divisions.  The Most Effective Policy to Meet Energy and Climate Outcomes in LRTPs is to Include Them as Criteria in Project Decisions. State DOTs should consider developing protocols to more directly assess the climate and energy outcomes of project construction and operation in future project decisions. In addition, the energy intensity and resulting impact on GHG emissions of all project alternatives should be assessed, as well as long term effects on transportation system energy use and GHG emissions.  Data used to inform the long range planning process as well as policymaking is not well developed. Where data is collected to inform agency action, it tends to be concentrated on system condition, not system performance. See: http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/resources/publications/trans_mgmt _plans/trans_mgmt_plans.pdf ***** Assessing Long-Range Transportation Planning Initiatives for Climate and Energy Benefits In December 2005, the Department of Transportation’s Center for Climate Change and Environmental Forecasting released a report examining the long- range transportation planning process being undertaken by state departments of transportation. Oil is the source of more than 97 percent of total transportation energy in the U.S. and the transportation sector now represents over 70 percent of total domestic oil consumption. It is also responsible for more than 30 percent of total domestic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and is the fastest growing source of such emissions. With this background, the report evaluates how well energy and climate change issues are addressed in long range transportation planning. The report identified beset practice as including:  Linkage of the long range planning process with broad societal goals of reducing criteria air pollutants, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and impacts on land.  Linkage to these societal goals through process requirements that engage sister agencies and the public and DOT itself in plan scoping, development, implementation, evaluation, and updates.  Adoption of policy direction with the expressed intent to improve transportation system energy efficiency and/or reduce transportation-related GHG emissions.  Development and refinement of data collection and modeling techniques to go beyond trend analysis to provide policy-sensitive data on transportation energy efficiency and GHG emissions so that performance can be tracked, ideally at the project level. The report can be found at: http://climate.volpe.dot.gov/docs/final-bbg.pdf ***** Improving Transit Equity, Streamlining Operations The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office has released a brochure that highlights the use of ITS technologies in coordinating and improving human services transportation. The brochure focuses on the benefits of these ITS technologies to agencies that provide human services transportation such as higher quality service, flexibility to adapt to changing conditions, improved safety and security, and increased ridership. See: http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/jpodocs/brochure/14139_files/1413 9.pdf Barriers to best practice in these states include institutional obstacles (i.e., lack of coordination between transportation and land use, weak policy framework), poor data collection and analysis (i.e., reliance on estimates), financial barriers (i.e., cost of data collection, reduced revenues from increased system efficiency), and cultural barriers (i.e., agency resistance to shaping as well as serving travel demand). ***** Better Public Transportation for Everyone The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office has released a brochure that highlights the use of ITS technologies in coordinating and improving human 49 services transportation. The brochure focuses on the benefits of ITS technologies to transit passengers and explores how technologies that benefit human services transportation users can also improve operations for all passengers. See: exchange that took place July 12-13, 2005, in Boston, Massachusetts. The peer exchange was designed to facilitate an open exchange of information on land use experiences, successes, new activities, issues and concerns, and topics that need further research. The report includes descriptions of ongoing land use activities, the types of land use activities in which agencies have been successful, new activities that agencies may be interested in pursuing in the near future and obstacles to the successful coordination of land use and transportation activities. The report also presents the results of both the discussion and written responses of participants in the peer exchange and can be seen at: http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/jpodocs/brochure/14139_files/1413 9.pdf ***** Safety Impacts and Other Implications of Raised Speed Limits on High-Speed Roads His April 2006 TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Research Results Digest 303 explores the effects of raised speed limits from 55 miles per hour or greater on freeways and non-freeways in rural and urban settings. The effects considered included impacts on safety and operations, as well as socioeconomic and environmental effects. The full report is available at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/circulars/ec100.pdf ***** Toxicity of Available and Potential Substitute Aircraft De-icing and Anti-Icing Compounds http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rrd_303.pdf Discharge of spent aircraft and airfield deicing/anti-icing fluids (ADAF) to receiving waters is a growing environmental concern at airports across the United States. The presence of these fluids in storm water runoff creates a potential to elevate aquatic toxicity as well as creates a high biological oxygen demand (BOD5). ADAF collection is an expensive undertaking at most major U.S. airports. ***** A Study of Alternative Land Use Forecasting Models The Florida Department of Transportation has released a report in April 2006 that examines the state-of-the-art and state-of-the-practice of land use models. The reason for the study was to examine the underpinnings of travel demand models. Such models require socioeconomic and demographic data to predict future demans and transport needs. In turn the socio-economic data are estmated based on future land use forecasts sometimes with the aid of a land use model. Currently, the authors note, most models either lack the rigor of economic theories or do not have flexibility to allow customisation to reflect local characteristics and visions. Lower aquatic toxicity and BOD5 may reduce infrastructure costs to airports, provide greater operational latitude to aircraft operators and airports in deicing/anti-icing operations, and improve overall air transportation system reliability. The objectives of this project are to:  Define the present state of the art of ADAF with respect to minimizing their aquatic toxicity and BOD5;  Identify ADAF components causing aquatic toxicity and BOD5;  Identify promising alternative ADAF formulations with reduced aquatic toxicity and BOD5;  Evaluate the performance, efficiency, material compatibility, and environmental, operational, and safety impacts of these alternative ADAF formulations compared with current commercial products; and  Describe the fate and transport of ADAF and their degradation products. The outcome of this research project will be a report informing stakeholders of the opportunities for alternative ADAF formulations with reduced aquatic toxicity and BOD5. The report explores data requirements and application issues related to UrbanSim, investigates the need for developing additional computer programs for data processing and interfacing UrbanSim with the Florida Standard Urban Transportation Modeling Structure, and reviews future research and implementation issues. It found that this moel simulated land use change reasonably well. The report can be seen at: http://www.dot.state.fl.us/researchcenter/Completed_Proj/Summary_PL/FDOT_BD015_10_rpt.pdf ***** Linking Transportation and Land Use: A Peer Exchange See: http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/All+Projects/ACRP+2-01 ***** TRB’s Transportation Research Circular E-C100, Linking Transportation and Land Use issued in Jult 2006 is the proceedings of a national land use peer 50 development policies and measures might fit within the international policy context. The report also includes four case studies on policy options in developing countries, Brazil’s use of biofuels for transport, urban transport in China, options for rural electrification in India, and carbon capture and storage in South Africa. TRANSPORT PLANNING - REST OF THE WORLD Climate Change Mitigation and Transport in Developing Nations As developing nations quickly move to catch up with the motorisation levels of developed nations, the sheer number of private vehicles may overwhelm any advances made by cleaner fuels. By 2030, there is projected to be more vehicles in the developing world than in developed nations. Despite the growth in developing-nation transport emissions, the sector has produced relatively few mitigation projects within the mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol. However, a few developing cities, such as Bogota, Colombia, have demonstrated innovation in low-cost solutions to reducing emissions. See: http://www.wri.org/climate/project_description2.cfm?pid=211 ***** Rural Access Index: A Key Development Indicator The World Bank has released a report in March 2006 that describes the Rural Access Index (RAI), a transport indicator that highlights the role of access and mobility in reducing poverty in poor countries. The index is part of the results measurement system of the International Development Association (IDA) that indicates that some 900 million rural dwellers worldwide do not have adequate access to the formal transport system. The authors Wright and Fulton published a paper in Transport Reviews, 25(6), 691-717 that uses scenario analysis to examine the size and cost of potential emission reduction options from the urban transport sector of developing nations. The analysis compares the cost of greenhouse gas emission reductions from fuel technology options to reductions from measures promoting mode shifting. The authors indicate that a diversified package of measures with an emphasis on mode shifting is likely to be the most cost-effective means to greenhouse gas emission reductions. According to the report, the initial values for more than 30 IDA countries show the overall level of access for their rural population to be 57 percent. Within the IDA group, access is worst for Sub-Saharan African countries, for which the average RAI is 30 percent. http://iris37.worldbank.org/domdoc/PRD/Other/PRDDContainer.nsf/ WB_ViewAttachments?ReadForm&ID=85256D2400766CC785257 205006ACC9E& See: ***** http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/articles-70119_paper.pdf Bicycles and Pedestrians; Developing Countries 2005 ***** Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 1939 explores the influence of pavement markings on the distance between bicyclists and parked cars, the characteristics of successful push- button–integrated accessible pedestrian signals, the design of a survey about shared-use path safety, the development of an international vehicle emissions model, and shared use paths. See: http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=6252 The Australian National Cycling Strategy 2005-2010 Austroads has released a national cycling strategy that identifies the responsibilities for various levels of government, the cycling community, and industry stakeholders in order to encourage and facilitate increased cycling in Australia. The document sets out actions with targets, timeframes, and resources designed to help ensure the continued growth of this component of Australia’s transport system. Austroads is the association of Australian and New Zealand road transport and traffic authorities. See: ***** GUIDANCE AND TECHNIQUES New Guidance on Highway Drainage http://www.onlinepublications.austroads.com.au/script/Details.asp?d ocn=AS419786249816 In May 2006, the Highways Agency issued the following guidance on highway drainage:  Surface and Sub-Surface Drainage Systems for Highways HD 33/06  The Effects on Flooding of Highway Construction on Flood Plains HA 71/06  Vegetative Treatment Systems for Highway Runoff HA 103/06 ***** Growing In the Greenhouse The World Resource Center has released a report in 2005 that examines reconciling development and climate priorities. The report explores how sustainable 51   Design of Soakaways HA 118/06 Grassed Surface Water Channels for Highway Runoff HA 119/06 energy dissipaters—are being called for more frequently to protect transportation facilities from erosion, scour, and lateral migration. However, relatively little guidance has been developed to help practitioners apply environmentally sensitive channel- and bank-protection measures with confidence that their designs are adequate. The entire set of advice notes dealing with highway drainage can be found in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges Volume 4, Part 2 at: http://www.standardsforhighways.co.uk/dmrb/ Traditional channel- and bank-protection techniques rely on countermeasures such as riprap, gabions, cable-tied blocks, or grout-filled bags, which may not offer sufficient instream functions, such as habitat diversity, fish passage, water quality, and energy dissipation. The use of more environmentally sensitive measures for the protection of channels and stream banks has been hampered by the lack of selection criteria and design guidelines. ***** Early Mitigation for Net Environmental Benefit This September 2005 report “Early Mitigation for Net Environmental Benefit: Meaningful Off-Setting Measures for Unavoidable Impacts” from the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) The report describes numerous techniques grouped into the following:  River Training Techniques;  Bank Armour and Protection;  Riparian Buffer and River Corridor Treatments, and  Slope Stabilization. The report describes advance mitigation or conservation, the limits of standard project-by-project approaches, and common trade-offs with and benefits of pursuing earlier, integrated planning and programmatic conservation or mitigation. It examines the regulatory basis of using and funding advance mitigation/conservation, in transportation law and regulation, and in the Clean Water and Endangered Species Acts and associated guidance, regulations, case law, and ongoing agency activities. Key issues and lessons learned are also discussed. The report can be found at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_544.pdf ***** Temporary Bridging to Avoid or Minimize Impacts to Waters and Wetlands during Highway Construction If partners are willing to cooperate, many benefits can be achieved:  Large-scale conservation and mitigation investments may be considered, and more and higher quality areas can be conserved or restored in the highest priority areas.  Greater ecological and financial predictability can be achieved.  Process efficiency may improve with greater.  Net benefit above a business as usual situation. Road construction work, especially bridge construction, may have impacts on the value and function of waters and wetlands. Construction projects over waterways frequently involve traffic detours or temporary construction access consisting of riprap and culverts built into or completely across a stream. Because these methods discharge fill, they are subject to environmental permitting. See: An alternative construction practice is to use temporary bridging, such as floating or prefabricated bridging, or built-in-place structures. Using current methods, state DOTs expend resources on environmental permitting and compensatory mitigation. If the use of temporary bridging is practicable in avoiding or minimizing impacts, there is an opportunity to protect the environment and reduce costs. http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/reference/boilerplate/Attachments/$fi le/25-25(10)_FR.pdf ***** Environmentally Sensitive Channel and Bank Protection Measures This 2005 NCHRP report 544 presents a description of useful environmentally sensitive channel- and bankprotection measures, design guidelines for their application, and a selection system for determining the most appropriate channel- and bank-protection measure. The objective of this study is to develop a guide for selecting and using temporary bridging for traffic detours or construction access, to avoid or minimize the environmental impacts of construction over or adjacent to rivers, wetlands, and other waters. The research is due to be complete in October 2007. See: Environmentally sensitive channel- and bank-protection measures—such as bioengineering, root wads, large woody debris, riparian vegetation, bendway weirs, and http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/All+Projects/NCHRP+25-30 ***** 52 Compendium of Workshops on Integrating Air Quality and Transportation Soil Indicators Used in Road EIAs This paper by Jullien and Francois appearing in Resources, Conservation and Recycling, describes a study proposing a set of specific indicators for the impact assessment of road soils in contact with pavement layers made of industrial by-products. The National Association of Regional Councils has released a compendium of information from ten workshops held from 2001 through 2005 on Integrating Air Quality and Transportation. Topics of the workshops included smart growth and alternative land use, congestion mitigation and air quality improvement program project selection criteria and performance measures, using outreach to improve air quality, a transportation planning approach to reducing greenhouse gases, and air quality conformity case studies. See: Two French roads having undergone a 20-year service cycle, one located on a silty surrounding soil and the other on a sandy soil, is studied herein. The pollutant fluxes released by road layers are first determined with respect to a functional unit, according to LCIA protocol. A local soil state characterization, a reference soil assessment is also performed. Trends in pollutant variations, expressed using road-specific indicators as a function of soil depth, are analyzed and any unexpected maximum values highlighted. http://www.narc.org/uploads/File/01Workshop_Summaries_2005_E dit.pdf ***** Traffic Management and Air Quality Research Programme The authors propose a chemical species analysis to reflect the soil types. The capacity of proposed indicators to assess the road's environmental impacts on soils for other sites is discussed in the paper's final section. The Traffic Management and Air Quality (TRAMAQ) research programme was conceived in 1997. The programme was designed to respond to concerns that the implementation of traffic management measures may result in environmental effects, See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2005.12.006 At this time the Department for Transport (DfT) commissioned the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) to examine the research needs for this subject and to develop a prioritised research programme that would provide data and new tools for air quality assessment. TRL would also examine various policies that had been proposed to improve air quality. ***** Natural Environment Policy Evidence The English Department for the Environment and Fisheries and Rural Affairs has recently published five reports (NR0101 - NR0105), which together form the first phase of an evidence base for Defra’s Natural Environment Policy programme. The reports are:  An inventory and assessment of natural resources (NR0101) DfT considered the TRL proposals and decided to fund the following programme of nine research projects over a six-year period, these broadly fell into four overall topic areas as detailed below:  Traffic management and driver behaviour - Traffic management during high pollution episodes (UG212);  Driver behaviour and vehicle operations - Vehicle operating profiles (UG214);  Vehicle operations and emissions - Emissions measurements - review and project design (UG215); - Emission measurements (UG216); - Traffic composition (UG217);Emission modelling and traffic management (UG218).Cold start emissions (UG219); - Primary NO2 emissions (UG294);  Emissions and air quality - Sources of particulate matter (UG250); http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/More.asp?I=NR 0101&M=KWS&V=NR0101&SUBMIT1=Search&SCOPE=0  Defining and identifying environmental limits for sustainable development (NR0102); http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/project_data/DocumentLibrary /NR0102/NR0102_4078_FRP.pdf  Valuing our natural environment (NR0103); http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/More.asp?I=NR 0103&M=KWS&V=NR0103&SUBMIT1=Search&SCOPE=0  Pressures on natural resources (NR0104); http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/More.asp?I=NR 0104&M=KWS&V=NR0104&SUBMIT1=Search&SCOPE=0  Natural resource policy framework analysis (NR0105) http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/More.asp?I=NR 0105&M=KWS&V=NR0105&SUBMIT1=Search&SCOPE=0 ***** The outcome of each of these projects is detailed further in a report that can be seen at: http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_roads/documents/pdf/dft_r oads_pdf_611173.pdf ***** 53 The Ageing Countryside: The Growing Older Population of Rural England Habitats Directive Consultation The Government launched a consultation announced on 8th May 2006 that will look at amending the transposition of the Habitats Directive in England and Wales, and the transposition of the Wild Birds Directive and Habitats Directive beyond UK territorial waters. Editors Lydia Speakman and Professor Philip Lowe document how the English countryside is changing. It is now widely recognised that rural communities contain a higher proportion of older people than urban and suburban areas. The proposals to amend the Habitats Regulations 1994 address current gaps and inconsistencies and create greater legal certainty in a number of areas. This book is intended to help inform the policy agenda for rural areas, providing a timely contribution to the ongoing debate on how rural communities are experiencing demographic ageing, and the experience, contributions and needs of the varied groups that make up the older rural population. Comment is sought on proposals that would:  Ensure appropriate assessments are undertaken for water abstraction and land use plans likely to have a significant effect on a European site;  Simplify the species protection regime to better reflect the Habitats Directive;  Provide a clear legal basis for surveillance and monitoring of European protected species; and  Toughen the regime on trading European protected species that are not native to the UK. Chapters include:  The greying countryside;  Demographic change in rural England;  Migration and the construction of rural living;  Rich and poor in the countryside;  Employment and the older person in the countryside;  The older rural consumer;  Older people’s contribution to rural community and citizenship;  Delivering services for older people in rural areas. The draft regulations are:  The draft Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 will make the appropriate amendments to the Habitats Regulations 1994. See: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/nat-habitats-2006 For further information, visit the Age Concern Bookshop http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/bookshop/  ***** The Offshore Marine Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 2006 will transpose the Habitats Directive beyond the UK’s territorial waters (beyond 12 nautical miles). See: www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/offshore-marine-2006 Improvement of Environmental and Social Impact Quantitative Assessment Similar consultations on the regulations covering terrestrial areas and territorial waters are being conducted by the administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and equivalent regulations will come into force in these areas following a similar timetable. This paper by Cloquell-Ballester et al, on “Indicators validation for the improvement of environmental and social impact quantitative assessment” appeared in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, Volume 26(1) 79-105. ***** The authors note that environmental and social impact quantitative assessment is an essential tool for the correct location of economic activities within the territory. The main problem of impact quantification lies in establishing the appropriateness of the instruments (indicators) utilised, such that their level of objectivity is the highest possible. To improve the quality of such studies, the authors consider its consequences and propose a methodology for the validation of indicators. The suggested methodology is subjected to an observational and experimental test to demonstrate the feasibility of the proposal. Guidance for Competent Authorities when Dealing with SAC Freshwater Sites This January 2006 report from Scottish Natural Heritage provides guidance on dealing with projects affecting Scottish freshwater SACs under the Habitats Directive. The guidance aims to assist competent authorities in assessing whether the proposal is likely to have a significant effect on a qualifying interest. By enabling Competent Authorities to eliminate from consideration projects that are not significant, this will help reduce the level of consultation and allow focus on the remainder. Projects that are likely to have a significant effect must be assessed in relation to effects on site integrity. Such an assessment is referred to as an appropriate assessment. This guidance does not seek to provide See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.06.002 ***** 54 generic advice on how to undertake an appropriate assessment of effect on the integrity of a European site. DEFRA in the UK commissioned this study of the consequential acoustic accuracy in strategic noise map results of adopting the advice in the present version of the guidance focusing on road traffic noise. The Habitats Regulations apply both within and outwith the boundaries of European sites as far as the sites could be affected by a plan or project. Competent Authorities need to determine impacts of indirect or off-site activities and the types of plan or project (e.g. planning applications, drainage operations, plans, discharge consents, abstraction and land use activities within the catchment) which would require an appropriate assessment. In addition individual projects, whilst themselves not significant, could have undesirable impacts in combination with other plans and projects. Given data availability across the EU, and the current level of understanding within the general noise community regarding the sources and management of uncertainty, the report notes that most noise results presented as part of the END returns in 2007 have a high probability of not being within 5 dB(A) of the actual figure that should be calculated. This represents the class width used to present the results, and therefore suggests that the figures reported for numbers of residents within different noise level bands will be significantly in error compared to the actual situation. Part 1 of the guidance deals with the obligations under the Habitats Directive and the process for checking whether a plan or project is likely to have a significant effect. The report can be found at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/noise/research/wgaengpguide/index.htm Part 2 deals with the ecological requirements of qualifying habitats and species including the Great crested newt, the Otter, as well as a series of freshwater habitats. See: ***** Highway Traffic Noise in the United States: Problem and Response http://www.snh.org.uk/pdfs/publications/heritagemanagement/guidan ceforcompetentauthorities.pdf The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has released a report that examines the problem of highway traffic noise. The report explores the general nature of the problem, the response of the FHWA to the problem, and highway noise barriers constructed or planned. ***** Accuracy of Noise Maps Prepared under the Environmental Noise Directive Environmental Noise Directive (END) (2002/49/EC) recognises the need to augment the current “lack of reliable, comparable data regarding the situation of the various noise sources” by undertaking an assessment of environmental noise exposure, through noise mapping, across Member States. These results are then to be used as a basis for the adoption of action plans to prevent and reduce environmental noise, where required, and to aim at providing a basis for the development of community measures to reduce noise. The FHWA Traffic Noise Model (FHWA TNM®), or any other model determined by the FHWA to be consistent with the methodology of the FHWA TNM must be used to analyze noise impacts on al Federal-aid highway projects. The FHWA also developed national averages of vehicle emission levels to be used in the FHWA TNM. A State Department of Transportation (DOT) must use these national average levels unless State-specific levels are measured based upon FHWA measurement procedures. For the FHWA to approve State-specific vehicle emission levels, a State DOT must also prove that they are different than the national average emission levels. The mapping exercise is to be completed by 30 June 2007 and reported to the EU by 30 December 2007. The Action Plans are to be prepared by 18 July 2008 and reported within 6 months, by 18 January 2009. The EU Working Group Assessment of Exposure to Noise (WG-AEN) was established at the end of 2001 with a remit which included the development of guidance. This guidance set out a series of Toolkits for use by Member States and their designated competent authorities. The Toolkits are designed to provide guidance on the potential steps to be taken, or assumptions to be made when the dataset falls short of the coverage or detail required for the large-scale wide area noise mapping required by the END. Information on the FHWA TNM can be found at: www.trafficnoisemodel.org. To aid in the analysis and determination of construction noise impacts, the FHWA has developed the FHWA Roadway Construction Noise Model (FHWA RCNM). This model is not required to be used on Federal-aid projects; however, this model is a screening tool that can be used for the prediction of construction noise during the project development and construction phases. 55 Additional information regarding the FHWA RCNM can be found at www.rcnm.us. The report highlights two important points to consider in the design of studies to investigate the effects of noise. These are:  The density of a given species is not necessarily an absolute indicator of the best habitat (i.e. sometimes individuals are relegated in significant numbers to less desirable habitat because of territoriality by dominant individuals), and  Greater behavioral response (i.e. movement away from highway) does not necessarily indicate species that are at greatest need of protection. The report can be found at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/probresp.htm ***** Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has released a guidance manual in May 2006 that presents procedures for predicting and assessing noise and vibration impacts of proposed mass transit projects. The manual covers all types of bus and rail projects, and includes procedures for assessing noise and vibration impacts for the different stages of project development. See: Thus, the authors conclude that any plans for conservation must consider the quality of the habitat and the sensitivity of the population or community under consideration as well as the degree of the effect on a given species. http://www.fta.dot.gov/documents/FTA_Noise_and_Vibration_Manu al.pdf The report can be viewed as a series of web pages at: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/noise/effects/index.htm ***** ***** Synthesis of Noise Effects on Wildlife Populations Biodiversity in Environmental Assessment - Current Practice and Tools for Prediction The U.S. Federal Highway Administration Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty released a report in June 2006 on the investigation of the effects of noise on wildlife populations. This paper by Gontier et al published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(3), p268-286 argues that there are no well-developed methods for quantifying and predicting impacts of fragmentation on biodiversity. There is a paucity of information on the response of invertebrates to noise, particularly the levels likely to be encountered along roads. Significant populations of some species are found along rights-of-way, although others such as aquatic forms may be adversely affected whether by the road itself or by noise is unclear. Existing information (although incomplete) would suggest that fish are unlikely to be adversely affected by noise levels from road. In this study, a literature review was conducted on GISbased ecological models that have potential as prediction tools for biodiversity assessment. A review of environmental impact statements for road and railway projects from four European countries revealed how impact prediction for biodiversity issues was addressed. The results of the study showed the existing gap between research in GIS-based ecological modelling and current practice in biodiversity assessment within environmental assessment. Reptiles and amphibians show some barrier effect due to roads, but there is no clear evidence of a noise effect alone. Recent work has suggested that behaviour in burrowing toads may be affected by noise and this will require further study. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.09.001 ***** Birds have received the most study. In some cases, they are negatively affected both in numbers and in breeding by the proximity to roads. In other cases, the effect is the opposite and there are reports of many species using roadside habitat in some areas. Creation of Compensatory Habitat Morris et al describe in their paper the subject of compensatory habitat and ask the question whether it secure sustainable development? The paper appearing in Journal of Nature Conservation, 14(2) p106-116 explores the subject in an attempt to better understand the potential for delivery of compensatory habitat as part of sustainable development solutions, or for the establishment of habitat banking. Large mammals may be repelled by noise, although in most cases the effect appears to be slight to moderate. Small mammals do not appear to be adversely affected by road noise occurring in significant numbers in rightsof-way. There appears to be a physical barrier effect of roads for many mammals. Recommendations for future study are included. The authors highlights considerable differences in the timescales needed to create conservation habitat of a comparable quality. Some wetlands may take just a few 56 years, some grasslands of nature conservation value are known to be relatively young (<80 years old), but woodlands may need to be hundreds of years old before they achieve a similar level of interest. Knowledge of the abiotic requirements for some habitats, for example hydrological conditions for alkaline fens, is poor and suitable conditions are rare, making re-creation of such habitats highly problematic. habitat networks try to address many landscape functions when reconnecting the remnant habitats. The Kronsberg Project is an example of a local, multifunctional habitat network. It illustrates some of the implementation difficulties resulting from conflicting interests of the various user groups. The legal framework for habitat networks in Germany requires that habitat networks cover a minimum of 10% of the land area of the German states. The networks must not be restricted to the boundaries of the individual German states as they should have an interstate character and contribute to the Natura 2000 network. Some faunas, such as some dragonfly and water beetle assemblages, may be readily catered for; others are dependant both on structural aspects of the habitat and on the mobility of individual species, and are far more difficult to accommodate, e.g., invertebrates associated with ancient trees. Recent studies also suggest those mycorrhizas are fundamental to establishment of many habitats of conservation interest. The German national authorities are unable to implement this national and European network. Instead, the framework legislation must be passed as nature conservation laws at the state level, while delivery occurs at the regional and local levels. The authors suggest that compensatory habitat creation (also called “offsets”) cannot be relied upon in all circumstances as means of offsetting loss of the highest quality habitat, and cannot be seen as a consistent and reliable delivery mechanism for sustainable development. The authors call for more authority to be transferred to the national level and a stronger link between the scientific and conceptual basis of habitat networks. Prioritising landscape functions and the selection of target species also require better coordination. They note that economic incentives could be used to reduce the conflicts with landowners. See: See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2006.01.003 ***** doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2004.09.041 Working with Wildlife – Site Guide ***** This site guide published by CIRIA presents guidance for those in the construction industry to help with legal compliance and promote understanding and implementation of good practice in protecting wildlife on development and construction projects. See Landscape Character on the Road The Landscape Character Network (LCN), formerly the Countryside Character Network, is an informal network that is open to anyone who has an interest in Landscape Character Assessment and its applications. The LCN has placed on its website the papers presented at a workshop held in January 2006 in Oxford that examined the landscape character of the road. The papers dealt with the following topics:  Roads and the countryside - getting it right, Kathleen Covill, The Countryside Agency LAR  The Highways Agency’s view from the road, Dean Kerwick-Chrisp, Highways Agency  A new vision for rural road design, Jo Cleary, Friends of the Lake District  Road safety and the rural highway environment, Tim Cheesebrough, Hampshire County Council  Landscape benefits in road design, construction & mitigation, Maritta Boden, Land Use Consultants  Reclaiming our Rural Highways,  Sue Mitchell, Dorset AONB http://www.ciria.org/acatalog/C567.html ***** The German Way to Greenways and Habitat Networks This article by von Haaren and Reich appearing in Landscape and Urban Planning, 76(1-4) 7-22 considers greenways as a means to address habitat fragmentation. Based on a literature review, an analysis of the legal framework and a representative case study, this paper characterises the development of greenways and habitat networks in Germany. It also considers the possibilities and limitations of greenways in a European context. In Germany, greenways were first established to prevent urban sprawl, to separate settlements, to provide recreational opportunities and to improve air quality in industrialised urban areas. Increased relevance of nature conservation has led to new types of habitat networks in addition to the greenway concept since 1980. The report can be seen at: http://www.landscapecharacter.org.uk/pdfs/LCN-Workshop060131.pdf ***** Species-oriented habitat networks focus on the specific requirements of target species, while multifunctional 57 Including Landscape in Road Design, Construction and Mitigation This requires that important decisions be made after a systematic evaluation of environmental impacts. This March 2006 good practice discussion note from the Countryside Agency seeks to promote the debate regarding roads and landscapes rather than to provide definitive guidance on best practice. It encourages the integration of the highway and its structures and earthworks with the landscape in a way that responds to the special character of each individual location. The authors suggest that landscape ecology can provide a conceptual framework for the assessment of consequences of long-term development processes like urbanisation on biodiversity components, and for evaluating and visualising the impacts of alternative planning scenarios. The aim of this paper was to develop methods for integrating biodiversity issues in planning and strategic environmental assessment in an urbanising environment, on landscape and regional levels. The authors test their methods using Stockholm as a case study. The Countryside Agency’s interest in roads derives from our statutory responsibilities – to protect the interests of designated landscapes such as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), and to act as a consultee on major infrastructure schemes. The Landscape, Access and Recreation Division of the Countryside Agency focuses on the impacts of transport on the countryside, and on the contribution that different transport modes can make to creating a more accessible countryside that is open to everyone. Focal species were tested as indicators of habitat quality, quantity and connectivity in the landscape. Predictive modelling of habitat distribution in geographic information systems involved the modelling of their occurrence based on empirical data, incorporated in a landscape ecological decision support system. These models were then applied to planning scenarios to predict and assess the impacts. There is a need for more detailed research to bring other case studies to light, bring engineers and landscape architects together to discuss innovation, and to share experience between those engaged with the trunk road network and those working on local roads, to the benefit of landscape quality and character. The case studies in this note – two built schemes and one planned scheme – show how design, construction and mitigation can be used to reduce the negative landscape impacts of new roads. See: doi:10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.01.005 ***** Environmental Analysis in the Selection of Alternative Corridors This August 2006 article “Environmental analysis in the selection of alternative corridors in a long-distance linear project: A methodological proposal” by Alejadro Rescia et al was published in the Journal of Environmental Management Volume 80(3) pages 266278. It provides a review of a methodology applied to the routing of a pipeline that may have some utility to the routing of transport infrastructure. See: The discussion note sets out the guidance that is available for considering landscape and roads, it also sets out the policy context that underpins the Countryside Agency’s role. Following a series of case studies, the discussion note summarises a series of process/technical issues and opportunities based upon these case studies. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2005.09.008 The discussion note can be seen at: ***** http://www.landscapecharacter.org.uk/ca/ROADS-GOODPRACTICE.pdf Municipal Waste in Road Construction ***** Olsson et al have published a paper on “Environmental systems analysis of the use of bottom ash from incineration of municipal waste for road construction” in Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 48(1), 26-40. Landscape Ecological Assessment This article by Mörtberg et al entitled “Landscape ecological assessment: A tool for integrating biodiversity issues in strategic environmental assessment and planning” is in the Journal of Environmental Management. The authors note that bottom ash from municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is a potential road construction material and describe in their paper the differences in resource use and emissions if crushed rock in the sub-base of a road in the Stockholm region in Sweden were to be substituted by MSWI bottom ash. The analysis takes into account the whole life cycle of the road and including alternative disposal of the bottom ash. The authors argue that to achieve a sustainable development, impacts on biodiversity of urbanisation, new infrastructure projects and other land use changes must be considered on landscape and regional scales. 58  An environmental systems analysis approach based on a life cycle perspective was outlined and used in a case study. The authors found that the studied alternatives would cause different types of potential environmental impact; whereas, crushed rock in the road's sub-base would lead to larger use of resources, the alternative with MSWI bottom ash in the sub-base leads to a larger contaminant leaching. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.07.012  The results are sensitive to the transport distance for the road material and to conditions affecting the leaching from the road. T he differences between energy uses in the two alternatives derive mainly from production of crushed rock and from landfilling of MSWI bottom ash, whereas, the metal emissions occur in the use stage of the road's life cycle. ***** ENVIRONMENTAL VALUATION Cost-Benefit Analysis and the Environment: Recent Developments ***** This February 2006 book presents an in-depth assessment of the most recent conceptual and methodological developments in cost-benefit analysis and the environment. It examines how costs and benefits are evaluated and given monetary value, how to take into account impacts on future generations and impacts of irreversible losses, and how to deal with equity and sustainability issues. See: Online Bookshop Other Publications     Community Planning Resources: Community planning recourses produced by the RTPI and available free of charge include: www.communityplanning.net - The website contains extensive information on methods and scenarios with a case study section currently being developed. Producing a Statement of Community Involvement – free module on www.planningmatters.com RTPI Good Practice Note Effective Community Involvement and Consultation http://www.rtpi.org.uk/resources/publications/p24.ht ml All England Effective Community Involvement and Consultation Training for Planners http://www.rtpiconferences.co.uk/rtpi/event.php?pro duct=2284&type=public (in parallel with the above guidance) The Ecological Effectiveness of Protected Areas: The United Kingdom, Kevin J. Gaston et al, 2006: Biological Conservation, Volume 132 (1), p76-87. ***** Valuation of Environment-Related Health Impacts The human health impacts of environmental degradation represent significant costs. However, their relative magnitude remains largely unknown of estimated using different methodologies. For instance, while the estimation of the economic impacts using concepts such as the ‘value of a statistical life’ or ‘quality adjusted life years’ are widely advocated, their practical application by the Governments of OECD member countries remains relatively rare. A project, supported by the Secretary-General's Central Priority Fund, is to be undertaken by the Environment Directorate (in collaboration with the Directorate for Employment, Labour and Social Affairs). The project will provide information on the economic costs of environmental effects on human health, and insights into how policy priorities are established. The research will provide a range of estimates of potential human health costs with respect to a subset of environmental pressures – notably local air pollution and water quality. The results are to be finalised by late 2006. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2006.03.013   The Ecology of Transportation: Managing Mobility for the Environment, Davenport, J and Davenport J.L., 2006: Springer-Verlag ISBN: 1402045034. http://www.nhbs.com/title.php?tefno=143364 Berkowicz, R. et al, 2006: Traffic Pollution Modelling and Emission Data, Environmental Modelling and Software, 21(4) pp 454-460. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.06.013  Statistical Models to Assess the Health Effects and to Forecast Ground-level Ozone, Schlink, U. et al, 2006: Environmental Modelling and Software, 21(4) pp 547-558. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.12.002 See: doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2005.11.004  Assessment of the Relationship between Industrial and Traffic Sources Contributing to Air Quality Objective Exceedences: A Theoretical Modelling Exercise, Leksmono, N.S. et al, 2006: Environmental Modelling and Software, 21(4) pp 494-500. Relative Contributions from Traffic and Aircraft NOx Emissions to Exposure in West London, Farias, F. et al: 2006: Environmental Modelling and Software, 21(4) pp 477-485. For further information see: http://www.oecd.org/document/60/0,2340,en_21571361_21570391_ 36146876_1_1_1_1,00.html http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.envsoft.2004.07.010 ***** 59 Environment and Happiness: Valuation of Air Pollution Using Life Satisfaction Data Chapter 9 before those for parking and land use proposals are addressed in Chapter 10. This paper by Welsch appearing in Ecological Economics explores the relationship between pollution and reported subjective well-being (happiness) in ten European countries. Using a set of panel data from happiness surveys, jointly with data on income and air pollution, the author examines how self-reported wellbeing varies with prosperity and environmental conditions and calculates the implied valuation of changes in air pollution. The paper concludes that air pollution plays a statistically significant role as a predictor of inter-country and inter-temporal differences in subjective well-being. Chapter 11 provides evaluation methods for pricing and financial incentive proposals while the next two chapters consider risk analysis and a set of simplified procedures. The effect of air pollution on well-being translates into a considerable monetary value of improved air quality. The improvements achieved in Western Europe in the 1990s are valued at about $750 per capita per year in the case of nitrogen dioxide and about $1400 per capita per year in the case of lead. Due to synergies among the pollutants, the value of simultaneously reducing nitrogen dioxide and lead is slightly higher than the sum of these values. An OECD project on the valuation of environmentrelated health impacts is to focus particularly on children’s health. This three-year project will allow cross-country comparisons and will provide a considerable input in the valuation of environmental health risks. Initial outputs will include a report on valuation methodologies in health and environmental economics, as well as a review of policy developments in the OECD with respect to children’s environmental health to be prepared by the end of 2006. The manual can be found at: http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/funding/economic-evaluationmanual/eem2.pdf ***** Valuation of Environmental Impacts on Children’s Health See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.09.006 The main findings from the workshop on the valuation of environmental health risks to children, held in fall 2003 at the OECD, have been synthesised in a report that proposes an in-depth analysis of the main methodological difficulties associated with estimating the social value of a reduction in risk to children. It also underlines key policy implications and inputs for further research. ***** Economic Evaluation Manual This manual from Land Transport New Zealand was published in October 2005 covers economic efficiency evaluation of demand management and transport services proposals for land transport including:  Freight transport services;  New and improved passenger transport services;  Walking and cycling;  Travel behaviour change;  Parking and land use;  Pricing and financial incentives. The proceedings of the workshop is to be published. In addition, an overview of the current programmes designed to elaborate children’s environmental health indicators has been produced. It examines the consistency of these programmes with OECD guidelines on the development and measurement of indicators, in order to determine their usefulness to OECD member countries. The procedures in this volume are broadly similar to the procedures Land Transport NZ uses to evaluate road infrastructure projects, presented in volume 1. See: http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/18/12/35381349.pdf http://www.oecd.org/document/60/0,2340,en_21571361_36146795_ 36146876_1_1_1_1,00.html Chapter 2 describes transport demand management strategies and programmes while Chapter 3 considers the basis for evaluating transport demand management proposals. ***** Economic Valuation of Environmental Health Risks to Children Chapter 4 describes methods for estimating how various types of changes to transport systems affect travel behaviour before Chapters 5 to 7 provide detailed methodology for transport services evaluations. Chapter 8 then details evaluation methods for walking and cycling projects. Evaluation methods for education, promotion and marketing projects are considered in The relationship between environment and children’s health has been the subject of increasing interest and many OECD Member countries are reporting asthma epidemics exacerbated by air pollution. In the United States nearly 1 in 13 school-age children (approximately 4.8 million) has asthma, and the rate is increasing more 60 - Index of sustainable economic welfare; - Green national product and genuine savings; - UK sustainable development indicators. rapidly in school-age children than in any other group. The importance of this issue has resulted in a growing number of epidemiological studies aiming at better understanding and better characterising the relationship between environmental pollution and the health of children. See: http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/More.asp?I=NR010 3&M=KWS&V=valuing+our+natural+environment&SUBMIT1=Se arch&SCOPE=0 In many respects, the valuation of children’s health strongly differs from the valuation of adults’ health. Consequently, this January 2006 OECD book proposes an in depth analysis of the main methodological difficulties associated with estimating the social value of a reduction in risk to children. Questions such as how to elicit children’s preferences, what valuation methodology and benefit measure to choose, how to discount benefits to children’s health, and how to account for economic uncertainties will be systematically examined to define key policy implications and to pave the way for further research. ***** Introducing Environmental Externalities into Transport Pricing: Measurement and Implications It is European Commission policy to charge modes of transport according to the marginal social cost of their use of the infrastructure, including environmental costs. However, progress in implementing this process has been slow, partly because of the difficulty of measuring and valuing these costs. This need has led to research in this area in recent years. See: http://www.oecd.org/document/52/0,2340,en_2649_37407_3609566 8_1_1_1_37407,00.html The paper by Bickel et al that appeared in Transport Reviews, 26(4), presents the results of such research, and in particular of the European Commission‐funded Unification of Accounts and Marginal Costs for Transport Efficiency (UNITE) project. UNITE used the Impact Pathway Approach developed in the ExternE project series to provide a bottom‐up methodology for the estimation and valuation of marginal social costs of transport, taking into account the diversity of circumstances in terms of location (e.g. population density, and speed and wind direction) and time of day. ***** Valuing Our Natural Environment This March 2006 report for DEFRA is a compendium of economic and non-economic (participatory/ deliberative) valuation methods, decision-support methods and alternative measures of prosperity. The main report rehearses the rationale for gathering value evidence, summarises experience of working with such evidence, details some of the expressed requirements and problems of policy advisors, and finally provides recommendations. Annexes contain references, consultation with policy makers and valuation experts and detailed fiches of each valuation method covering the conceptual basis, objectives, conflicts and complementarities. The following methods are explored in the report:  Economic valuation methods: Market price approaches; Production function approach; Hedonic property pricing; Travel cost method; Random utility models; Contingent valuation method; Choice modelling; Benefits transfer.  Deliberative and participatory valuation methods: - Questionnaires and interviews; - Focus groups, in-depth groups; - Citizen’s juries and consensus conferences; - Health-based valuation approaches; - Q-methodology; - Delphi surveys, systematic reviews.  Alternative measures of prosperity: - Human development index; The paper explains the approach used for the measurement and valuation of environmental costs and then presents results on both total and marginal costs. It discusses the results of a parallel project that estimated the marginal social cost of road use at a very disaggregate level for different vehicle types, locations, types of road and times of day for Great Britain. The results show that off the main network and outside the conurbations, private cars are currently overcharged, but elsewhere they are charged too little, particularly in the main conurbations. Buses, and even more so heavy goods vehicles, are undercharged to a greater extent. Only a kilometre based charging system capable of charging at different rates by vehicle type, type and location of road, and time of day is capable of reflecting all these differences; due to the development of global positioning satellite (GPS) technology, such systems are now becoming available. The paper can be seen at: http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/openurl.asp?genre=article&eissn=14 64-5327&volume=26&issue=4&spage=389 ***** 61 the approach are highlighted in this paper. The need to establish a national programme for the estimation of social values is also emphasised by the authors. Valuation of Aircraft Noise by Time of Day The paper by Bristow and Wardman appearing in Transport Reviews, 26(4), 413-433 reports on the application of stated preference techniques to derive values of aircraft noise by time of day and by day of week. See: http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/openurl.asp?genre=article&eissn=14 64-5327&volume=26&issue=4&spage=435 ***** Revealed preference techniques cannot provide such segmentations, which would clearly be of use in policy development, especially relating to airport operations. Given the lack of research on this issue, the work reported herein is highly experimental. Contingent Valuation and Adding-up in EIA An article by Bruce titled “Can contingent valuation resolve the “adding-up problem” in environmental impact assessment?” was published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, 26(6) p570-585. Two stated preference experiments were designed. The first focused on a single period, whilst the second asked respondents to trade between periods. Both approaches yielded results that are plausible and mutually consistent in terms of relative values by period. The authors conclude that stated preference techniques are particularly useful in this context where the use of aggregated values may lead to non‐optimal policy decisions. Because most proposals that are to be evaluated by EIAs could have numerous effects on the environment, the author considers that it is necessary to find a method to “add up” the benefits and costs to determine whether the net benefits of the proposal are positive. One technique proposed for minimizing the subjectivity inherent is contingent valuation, CV. See: Critical analyses of CV have focused almost exclusively on the difficulties of estimating consumers' valuations of products–environmental amenities–that are not normally sold in the market place. In this paper, the author considers whether CV would be a useful technique for EIA practitioners even if the measurement issues could be resolved satisfactorily. Bruce concludes that, in most circumstances, EIA is a sufficiently complex task that the cost of estimating contingent values would be prohibitive. http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/openurl.asp?genre=article&eissn=14 64-5327&volume=26&issue=4&spage=417 ***** Methodology to Calculate Social Values for Air Pollution Using Discrete Choice Models Jara-Diaz et al presented a new methodology for the estimation of social values of urban air pollution for project appraisal is proposed in this article within Transport Reviews, 26(4) p435-449. This method uses individual perceptions (marginal disutilities) of those who are directly affected by this externality. These are then transformed into social values using the social welfare approach developed by Gálvez and Jara‐ Díaz in 1998. The article can be seen at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2006.04.003 ***** Estimating the Willingness‐to‐Pay for Road Safety Improvements The approach unveils the implicit social bias behind the commonly accepted willingness-to-pay measures. The method is illustrated using individual perceptions obtained from stated preference experiments within the context of residential location including three attributes:  an objective measure of air pollution by zone of the city;  an index of family accessibility to work and study; and  the monthly rent. The value of road safety is the fundamental input in social cost–benefit analysis of road safety schemes. It is also an increasingly important input in the social evaluation of almost any transport infrastructure project. This value is given by the amount that people are willing to pay for reducing the risk of a becoming a fatal victim or of suffering a serious injury. Traditionally, road safety willingness-to-pay has been estimated by means of contingent valuation and other surveys without making explicit reference to a particular travel demand context. This paper by Rizzi and Ortúzar appearing in Transport Reviews (26)4, 471-485 advocates the use of stated choice techniques that allow one to recreate the context of a particular trip customized to the respondent’s past experience. For this Discrete residential choice models were estimated by income group, from which indirect utility functions were obtained. Marginal disutilities were used to obtain social values of air pollution for each income group by means of the calculation of a social utility of money. The methodological underpinnings and difficulties of 62 and other reasons, the authors argue that the proposed method is clearly superior to previous methods for estimating people’s willingness‐to‐pay for improved road safety. The paper also provides a summary of the Chilean experience on road safety valuation using stated choice techniques; and it concludes by showing the importance of conducting local studies to elicit people’s willingness to pay for safety. The following example of indirect monetary valuation of environmental impacts uses the Ecological Footprint (EF) concept to calculate the total land use of projects. According to the concept, it is assumed that every additional direct or indirect utilisation of land caused by a project requires corresponding offset areas. The offset areas required by different project alternatives are valued with relevant regional guide land values. See: The paper can be obtained from: http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/openurl.asp?genre=article&eissn=14 64-5327&volume=26&issue=4&spage=471 http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.eiar.2005.04.010 ***** ***** Valuation of Ecosystem Goods and Services Deriving Values for the Ecological Support Function of Wildlife: An Indirect Valuation Approach Ralph Winkler has provided two articles on the valuation of ecosystem goods and services in Ecological Economics, Volume 59(1) p82-93 and p94-105. Allen and Loomis describe a method that combines economic willingness-to-pay estimates for higher trophic-level species with basic information available about ecosystem relationships to derive estimates of partial willingness-to-pay for lower level species that might be of direct policy interest. The existing literature on environmental valuation is based on two distinct foundations. The ecological valuation methods derive values by a cost-of-production approach. Their common characteristic is the neglect of consumer preferences. The economic valuation methods focus on the exchange value of ecosystem services. Their common characteristic is that they are finally based on consumer preferences, and do not adequately take account of the complex internal structure of ecosystems. The method described in Ecological Economics, is intended as a quasi-benefit transfer method for use in benefit–cost analysis. It possible, using the method, to establish partial willingness-to-pay estimates for the large number of species of immediate or potential policy interest using only data available in non-market valuation and biology and ecology literature. As the existing methods for the valuation of ecosystem services emphasize either the economic system or the ecosystem, the main objective of the first paper is to provide the conceptual foundations for a new method of valuation of ecosystem services, which deals simultaneously with the ecosystem, the economic system and society in a balanced way. The authors provide a partial estimation of indirect values for the predator–prey relationships that support golden eagles as an example of how to use the approach. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.09.008 ***** The author argues that due to novelty and complexity ex ante unpredictable change occurs within the three subsystems society, economy and nature. Again, the simple pre-industrial model serves as a simple paradigm to show how unpredictable novel change limits the possibility to derive accurate estimates of values. Valuation of Ecological Impacts — A Regional Approach Using the Ecological Footprint Concept All economic activities impact on the environment but not all environmental impacts are assigned values and taken into consideration in development budgets. At project level, the environmental consequences of proposed economic activities are evaluated by an EIA. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.10.003 and http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.10.004 ***** In this paper by Knaus et al, published in Environmental Impact Assessment Review, threshold levels in physical terms are outlined in corresponding laws and regulations. Projects fulfilling the necessary environmental assessment requirements (threshold levels) tend to be permitted without predicting the expected environmental impacts in monetary terms. The economic valuation of environmental impacts tends to be affected by uncertainties. Valuing the Diversity of Biodiversity This article by Christie et al appeared in Ecological Economics Volume 58(2) p 304-317 and deals with how economics can help guide the design of biodiversity policy by eliciting public preferences on different attributes of biodiversity. However, this is complicated by the generally low level of awareness and 63 understanding of what biodiversity means on the part of the general public. These contentions were investigated in a sample of 840 residents in four urban catchments across Australia who were interviewed about their WTP for stormwater pollution abatement. Four sources of uncertainty were measured:  Amount of prior issue-related thought;  Trustworthiness of the water authority;  Insufficient scenario information; and  WTP response uncertainty. In this paper, the authors report research that applied the choice experiment and contingent valuation methods to value the diversity of biological diversity. Focus groups were used to identify ecological concepts of biodiversity that were important and relevant to the public, and to discover how best to describe these concepts in a meaningful and understandable manner. The authors concluded that uncertain individuals were generally not more likely than other participants to draw on either fairness evaluations or pro-environmental attitudes when making decisions about paying for stormwater pollution abatement. A choice experiment examined a range of biodiversity attributes including familiarity of species, species rarity, habitat, and ecosystem processes, while a contingent valuation study examined public willingness to pay for biodiversity enhancements associated with agrienvironmental and habitat re-creation policy. Details can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2004.12.024 The key conclusions drawn from the valuation studies were that the public has positive valuation preferences for most, but not all, aspects of biodiversity, but that they appeared to be largely indifferent to how biodiversity protection was achieved. ***** Spatial Scales, Stakeholders and the Valuation of Ecosystem Services Since the late 1960s, the valuation of ecosystem services has received ample attention in scientific literature. However, there has been relatively little elaboration of the various spatial and temporal scales at which ecosystem services are supplied. This paper by Hein et al that appeared in Ecological Economics analyzes the spatial scales of ecosystem services. It also considers how stakeholders at different spatial scales attach different values to ecosystem services. The authors also report on the extent to which valuation workshop approaches to data collection can overcome some of the possible information problems associated with the valuation of complex goods. The key conclusion was that the additional opportunities for information exchange and group discussion in the workshops helped to reduce the variability of value estimates. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.07.034 The paper first establishes an enhanced framework for the valuation of ecosystem services, with specific attention for stakeholders. The framework includes a procedure to assess the value of regulation services that avoids double counting of these services. Subsequently, the paper analyses the spatial scales of ecosystem services: the ecological scales at which ecosystem services are generated, and the institutional scales at which stakeholders benefit from ecosystem services. ***** Uncertainty in Fairness Evaluations and Willingness to Pay The paper by Jorgensen et al in Ecological Economics Volume 56(1) 104-124 deals with “The role of uncertainty in the relationship between fairness evaluations and willingness to pay”. Based on the proposed valuation framework, the authors value four selected ecosystem services supplied by the De Wieden wetlands in The Netherlands, and analyze how these services accrue to stakeholders at different institutional scales. The analysis shows that stakeholders at different spatial scales can have very different interests in ecosystem services, and we argue that it is highly important to consider the scales of ecosystem services when valuation of services is applied to support the formulation or implementation of ecosystem management plans. The authors report that participants in contingent valuation studies may be uncertain about a number of aspects of the policy and survey context. The uncertainty management model of fairness judgments states that individuals evaluates a policy in terms of its fairness when they do not know whether they can trust the relevant managing authority or experience uncertainty due to insufficient knowledge of the general issues surrounding the environmental policy. The authors also note that some researchers have suggested that, not knowing how to answer WTP questions, participants convey their general attitudes toward the public good rather than report well-defined economic preferences. See: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2005.04.005 ***** 64 The paper sets out a regionally based model to analyse the implications of setting alternative levels of congestion charging and environmental taxes covering the whole of England. This includes modelling the implications for other transport modes and the net changes accruing to drivers and the Exchequer. Having presented the implications of some alternative policies, the paper discusses issues of political economy that would have to be resolved. While there seems to be little alternative to user charging in some form sooner or later, the sooner it can be introduced the more good it can do. Perhaps the most significant unresolved problem is not the technical feasibility of such a system of national road pricing, but finding an appropriate, accountable and acceptable method for overseeing and administering the funds such a system would generate. WIDER ECONOMIC IMPACTS Planning Inquiries into Major Infrastructure Projects: Economic Impact Reports This March 2006 Circular is for local planning authorities (LPAs), and Government Offices to enable them to advise applicants who may have to prepare an economic impact report (EIR) as a result of a planning application being designated a major infrastructure project (MIP) by the Secretary of State. The Circular provides guidance on what is expected in an EIR and assistance in identifying existing appraisal guidance. Changes to the procedure rules are to speed up the inquiry process, particularly by, where possible, parties agreeing areas of common ground at the pre-inquiry stage. An EIR should improve the scope for public participation and help to reduce the time spent on a potentially long and drawn out inquiry process. The paper can be found at: http://journalsonline.tandf.co.uk/link.asp?id=j9463518261646h5 ***** Preparation of the EIR is to undertaken as part of a process of community involvement and is expected to be an important document at the public inquiry alongside other key documents such as the environmental impact assessment (EIA). HEALTH ASSESSMENT Cross Rail Health Impact Assessment Crossrail is a major new cross-London rail project that has been developed to serve London and the southeast of England. The project includes the construction of a twin-bore tunnel on a west to east alignment under central London and the upgrading of existing national rail lines to the east and west of central London. The Circular can be obtained from: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1164612 ***** Proper Pricing for Transport Infrastructure and the Case of Urban Road Congestion A Supplementary ES (SES) (May 2005) provides additional information relating to environmental impacts for certain aspects of the project, including a consideration of human health. It explains how the assessment of certain topics in the EIA have health considerations implicitly built into them, focusing on the topics of noise and vibration, air quality, electromagnetic interference and contaminated land. It is highlighted that the commentary in the SES is not intended to be a detailed assessment of likely health implications and that a separate Health Impact Assessment (HIA) was being undertaken in line with appropriate guidance – this document reports the findings of that assessment. For transport systems the issues of pricing, service quality, funding and investment in urban areas are inextricably interdependent. This paper by Glaister and Graham argues that no policy can be set for any of these aspects of transport in isolation from any other. The authors suggest that transport planners and urban policymakers can choose to tolerate congestion, or build new capacity or introduce road user charging. These issues are explored and analysed using London as an example in the paper published in Urban Studies, 43(8) p1395-1418. Despite the evidence that in the centre, where it applies, the Congestion Charge has had broadly the effects economic theory would predict, there is still a growing problem for the rest of London and the UK. This is caused largely by the combined effects of rising real incomes and the improving fuel efficiency of cars that reduces the impact of fuel taxes. The Health Impact Assessment provides an overview of the methodology and its key components in Section 2 before the potential health effects that may result from the operational phase of the project are identified in Section 3. Section 4 identifies the potential health effects that may result from the construction phase and includes an examination of health effects at major worksites where the scale or intensity of construction activities indicates that potential health effects will be of particular concern. Finally, Section 5 provides a summary of the findings and sets out possible further actions. The authors suggest a growing pressure for a national system of road pricing. To date ‘prices’, in the form of fuel duty (over £0.50 out of each £0.80 for a litre of fuel) have been set on the basis of historical precedent or political expediency. 65 The Health Impact Assessment can be seen at: attributable to environmental factors) as high as 20% in OECD countries. Improved environmental conditions also lead to public health benefits – both by reducing health risks, and by facilitating healthy lifestyles performance with respect to their environmental health objectives and related challenges, including:  Rising costs associated with the “environmental burden of disease,” particularly from chronic diseases;  The disproportionate share of the environmental disease burden borne by children, who have greater sensitivity and more exposure to certain environmental contaminants;  The potential inter-generational health effects of exposure to chemicals in the environment;  The inequitable distribution of exposure to environmental risks and hazards, with economically disadvantaged groups disproportionately exposed;  The potential to deliver health objectives in a more cost-effective manner by exploiting the synergies between environmental and public health policies. http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/ dft_railways_610906.pdf ***** Cross Rail Equality Impact Assessment The Crossrail Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) considers where and how the project might affect certain ‘priority’ groups within the community more than others. Building and running the railway may lead to disruption and other impacts on the seven 'priority groups' identified within communities along the route. Such impacts may be due to affects on communities and community facilities (such as schools, roads, bus services and public meeting places) or because the railway itself must take account of the needs of some people, such as the disabled. Further EqIA reports are to be issued by Crossrail to explain progress, detailed design development and measures to mitigate, reduce or avoid impacts. See: http://www.oecd.org/env/countryreviews Various Equality Impact Assessment reports can be found at: NICE Consultation on Physical Activity and the Environment ***** http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/ dft_railways_610907.pdf NICE are developing guidance on physical activity and the environment, looking at how levels of physical activity in the population can be increased through modifying the environment. In 2004, the Department of Health estimated that the cost of inactivity in England to be £8.2 billion annually – including the rising costs of treating chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. The contribution of inactivity to obesity is estimated to cost a further £2.5 billion each year. http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_railways/documents/page/ dft_railways_611017.pdf ***** Environmental Performance Reviews National environmental health trends and related policy measures are examined in OECD Environmental Performance Reviews, as part of the “environmental and social interface” chapters. The environment can influence people’s ability to be active. For example, the design and layout of towns and cities can encourage or discourage access on foot or by bike, while building design can encourage (or discourage) the use of stairs. Access to parks, the countryside and other green space, as well as specific features of green space, can help people to be more active. Many components of the environment can be modified by public sector agencies through changes to policy and practice. Action can be taken in partnership with workplaces or other key organisations. The external costs of environmental pollution include a range of public health impacts, and are often measured in terms of increased health care expenditure or reduced labour productivity. The increasing incidence and prevalence of chronic illness (e.g. asthma, allergy, cancer, obesity, and diabetes) have raised concern about contributing environmental factors in OECD countries, such as exposure to pollutants or an overly sedentary lifestyle. In addition, increasing incidence of birth defects and childhood cancers has raised concern about prenatal and gestational exposure to chemicals in the environment. The guidance is to be issued to a variety of organisations including the Highways Agency, Local Authorities, schools, the leisure and fitness industry and sports clubs around February 2008. Further details can be found at: The reviews confirm that environmental conditions affect human health in OECD countries, with both negative and positive implications for health costs. Some estimates place the “environmental burden of disease” (that part of the total burden of disease that is http://www.nice.org.uk/download.aspx?o=338047 ***** 66 http://www.dh.gov.uk/Consultations/ClosedConsultations/ClosedCon sultationsArticle/fs/en?CONTENT_ID=4135308&chk=JUbu1h Informing Healthier Choices: Information and Intelligence for Health Populations ***** Work is nearing completion on producing a uniform set of health information data for 387 local authority areas in England. Community Health Profiles have been produced by the Public Health Observatories in conjunction with Department of Health. These profiles provide a concise and comparable picture of the health of people in each local authority area. They are updated annually. Planning for Active Transportation and Health The PATH (Planning for Active Transportation and Health) project (includes a new set of design tools to decision-makers to plan for safer, more functional and more equitable access to goods, services and employment. PATH involves the expertise of social service, health, and economic development professionals to assist transportation planners by better integrating the changing patterns of community life with the spectrum of vital transportation needs. Each profile comprises 30 health indicators ranging from levels of deprivation to smoking rates, levels of violent crime, GCSE examination results, teenage pregnancy rates, consumption of alcohol, and obesity among adults, life expectancy and deaths from heart disease, strokes and cancer. Each profile includes wardby-ward health inequalities comparisons and looks at how each local authority compares with national and regional averages. See: www.nrsrcaa.org/path/Documents.htm ***** Promoting Public Health through Smart Growth The profiles can be found at: This report by Frank, Kavage and Litman explains how the built environment shapes transport choices, and in turn, human health. It identifies specific transport and land use reforms that can help create healthier and more liveable communities. http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/19/34/04131934.pdf ***** Informing Healthier Choices: Information and Intelligence for Healthy Populations The report distils some guiding principles on the influence of the built environment on public health that can be applied in a variety of different urban settings:  Land use – retail, office, residential, open space, and schools – should be integrated rather than separated from one another, so that people can easily accomplish basic utilitarian needs on foot or bicycle.  In the case of retail development, more small shops and services near to where people live will attract more walking trips than a few large shopping centres or a mall.  Compact residential development puts more people within walking distance of parks, schools, transit, shops and services, and provides the vital market for those services.  Streets and buildings that are built from a pedestrian perspective create places that are safe, vibrant and interesting for walkers, bicyclists, and transit users.  Street and trail networks that are highly interconnected reduce the time and distance needed for pedestrians and cyclists to get from one place to another. Health is a significant element of local Public Service Agreements (PSAs) and their related targets. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has published plans for Local Area Agreements (LAAs), which are currently being developed in a series of pilot sites. These agreements will include multi-agency plans to promote healthier communities and narrow health inequalities through effective combinations of key local services (such as health, education, housing, crime and accident prevention). This approach is reinforced by the White Paper Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community services which states “The main responsibility for developing services that improve health and wellbeing lies with local bodies: PCTs and local authorities.” The LAAs will require information systems to support them. This consultation document was issued in March 2006 by the Department of Health, it provides the required vision, leadership and plans for delivering health information and intelligence nationally and a framework to harmonise the work of different agencies. It includes measures to improve the availability of relevant data, strengthen organisations, support the skilled workforce in this area, and develop innovative information systems. The strategy calls for cultural, organisational and technical developments. “Promoting Public Health Through Smart Growth: Building Healthier Communities Through Transportation and Land Use Policies" is available at http://www.smartgrowth.bc.ca/downloads/SGBC_Health%20Report %20Final.pdf . ***** While consultations closed in June 2006, the document can be found at: 67 Department of Health: Sustainable Development Action Plan 2006  In March 2006, the Department of Health in England published an Action Plan that gives an oversight of how the Department's health policies contribute to the five key guiding principles of sustainable development. It also identifies a broad range of existing work and focuses, in particular, on a number of priority areas considered necessary for further development during 2006. travel e.g. possibly developing indicators on shower provision). To reduce transport cost (targets include reviewing the DH travel agent activities to ensure lowest cost journeys are being provided; and reducing taxi use for business). At a policy level, DH policy development already identifies a need for Transport Plans. The Choosing Activity action plan includes initiatives and actions with partners across Government for people, communities, local government, voluntary agencies and businesses to encourage active lifestyles, increasing physical activity, and sustainable methods of travel such as cycling and walking. The report notes that by achieving the following three Public Service Agreement targets that a contribution is made towards sustainable development:  Improve the health of the population;  Reduce health inequalities;  Tackle underlying determinants of health and health inequalities. The Action Plan can be seen at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/22/23/04132223.pdf ***** The overall Department of Health objective for travel and transport is to enable a modal shift from travelling in cars to active travel. There are goals to reduce use of non-renewable fuel and to introduce carbon offsetting – Government targets for reducing CO2 emissions include offsetting the emissions generated by business air travel by investing in energy efficiency/energy renewable programmes to offset the carbon emissions with the aim of reducing the overall climate change effect of the flight. Healthier Planning The March 2006 report presents a 2005 symposium’s findings on public health planning and in was commissioned by the Health Development Agency (HDA). The symposium dealt with two key questions:  What role should public health play in spatial planning?  What role should spatial planning play in improving health and reducing health inequalities? Operational objectives specific to Department of Health (DH) travel and transport are:  To identify whether there is a need for a DH Transport Plan, ensuring that the perspective of DH Regional staff is included in any review of travel and transport issues;  To reduce unnecessary business journeys (targets include developing video conferencing as a possible substitute for journeys; and to review the need for the DH London shuttle bus by reviewing usage and priority needs);  To reduce the environmental impact of transport used (targets include switching to renewable fuels for DH vehicles; using more train, tube or bus journeys in preference to air or car; and reducing taxi and private car use for business mileage);  To provide support for staff to make active and more sustainable travel choices (targets include encouraging staff to purchase a season ticket for public transport travel to work; developing the IT support for home working staff; reviewing the offer of loans to purchase cycles in line with Inland Revenue guidance; encouraging car-sharing arrangements and reviewing the provision of preferential car parking for multiple occupancy vehicles; continuing to increase cycle racks in accordance with demand, and planning of estate refurbishment to take account of sustainable active The challenges differ across the country. For example, massive growth is forecast across the South East of England, with large house-building programmes and development of infrastructure and services. In the North East and North West, meanwhile, populations are ageing outside the main conurbations and demand for housing is shrinking. The report presents a set of key messages across three aspects of health and planning:  Barriers to integrating health in planning;  Drivers for integrating health in planning;  The solutions. The report can be found at: http://www.publichealth.nice.org.uk/page.aspx?o=305624 ***** Transport Related Health Impacts and their Costs and Benefits with Particular Focus on Children The April 2006 document outlines the proposed contents of a “toolbox” for action on transport, environment and health and the next steps to follow-up on the implementation of this project. The development of the toolbox is being carried out by a task force consisting of thirteen Member States 68 (Albania, Austria, Czech Republic, France, Georgia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Russian Federation, United Kingdom) and it is co-chaired by Austria and the Netherlands. and consequence-minimization actions that may be taken within the transportation system in response to events that involve these agents. The report provides a spreadsheet tool, called the Tracking Emergency Response Effects on Transportation (TERET) that is designed to assist transport managers with recognition of mass-care transport needs and identification and mitigation of potential transportation-related criticalities in essential services during extreme events. The development of the toolbox will be carried out through workshops hosted by taskforce members. In so doing, synergy will be established to the extent possible with other on-going projects of THE PEP, notably the project on “Sustainable and healthy urban transport and planning”, with views of optimizing the use of resources and maximizing input through international collaboration. The report includes a user’s manual for TERET, as well as a PowerPoint slide introduction to chemical, biological, and radiological threat agents designed as an executive-level communications tool based on summary information from the report. The toolbox will contribute to the implementation of the Children Environment and Health Action Programme for Europe (CEHAPE), adopted by the 4th Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health. The report can be seen at: http://onlinepubs.trb.org/onlinepubs/nchrp/nchrp_rpt_525v10.pdf The overarching aim of the toolbox is to maximize the positive health, environmental and societal effects of transport and reduce the negative effects. Its specific objectives are:  To raise awareness of the links between transport environment and health and help support problem identification in linking transport to environment and health;  To demonstrate that negative impacts can be reduced and positive effects enhanced by changing the content or implementation of policies;  To raise awareness of the possible side-effects of certain policies;  To present examples of current and recent practice and stimulate the development of case studies across the Region through international consultation;  To bring together under a coherent and user-friendly framework the results of the main relevant initiatives, which have taken place in the European Region. The PowerPoint presentation is available at: http://www4.trb.org/trb/crp.nsf/reference/boilerplate/Attachments/$fi le/20-59(19)_CBR_Slides.ppt ***** The Material Basis for Health An article by Coen and Ross “Exploring the material basis for health: Characteristics of parks in Montreal neighbourhoods with contrasting health outcomes” appears in the journal Health & Place Volume 12 (4) pages 361-371. The authors state that the growing evidence of neighbourhood influences on health indicates a need for an investigation of health-relevant features of local environments. The authors examine one potentially health-enhancing neighbourhood resource, urban parks, to test for systematic differences in material conditions between areas. Twenty-eight parks selected from six urban Montreal neighbourhoods along a health status gradient were qualitatively assessed. The document outlines the indicative contents of the toolbox that is to be published in Easter 2007. See: http://www.thepep.org/en/workplan/health/health_doc.htm While neighbourhood parks showed a variety of feature quality ratings, those located in poor health areas displayed several pronounced material disadvantages, including concentration of physical incivilities, limited provision of facilities for physical exercise, and adjacency to industrial sites and multi-lane roads. Equalizing park quality between areas may be an important step for public health promotion. ***** A Guide to Transportation's Role in Public Health Disasters TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Report 525: Surface Transportation Security, Volume 10: A Guide to Transportation's Role in Public Health Disasters examines development of transportation response options to an extreme event involving chemical, biological, or radiological agents. The article can be seen at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2005.02.001 ***** The report contains technical information on chemical, biological, and radiological threats, including vulnerabilities of the transport system to these agents 69 Obesity and the Built Environment Moving Towards Better Health This article by Lopez-Zetina et al on “The link between obesity and the built environment. Evidence from an ecological analysis of obesity and vehicle miles of travel in California” is published in Health & Place, Volume 12(4), 656-664. This paper by Akerman and published in Public Health, 120(3) 213-220 provides a survey of transport authorities and primary care trusts in South West England to:  Identify past and present joint working arrangements between transport authorities and health authorities;  Understand the role and impact of transport themes in health improvement programmes (HIMPs) and health themes in local transport plans (LTPs); and  Raise awareness of transport and health issues. Obesity and physical inactivity are known to be risk factors for many chronic diseases including hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, and cancer. The authors sought to explore the association between an indicator of transportation data (Vehicle Miles of Travel, VMT) at the county level as it relates to obesity and physical inactivity in California. The author reports that consultation with the health authority on the LTP had been full in 67% of transport authority areas and more limited in the remainder. Common targets in the LTP and HIMP had been agreed in 33% of transport authority areas, shared programmes or themes in 40%, and a single shared theme in 13%. The authors claim that their analysis adds to the growing evidence supporting the association between VMT (a measure of automobile transportation) and obesity. An urban design characterized by over dependence on motorized transportation may be related to adverse health effects. LTP and HIMP shared themes included walking and cycling initiatives, road safety, school travel and rural access. Ongoing links with PCTs were in place in 73% of the transport areas. Of the PCTs that responded, 33% reported that they were working on a travel plan. The article can be found at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2005.09.001 ***** See: doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2005.09.007 A Framework for Assessing the Impact of Land Use Policy on Community Exposure to Air Toxics ***** Environment and Health Paper by Willis and Keller appearing in the Journal of Environmental Management focuses on the link between land use planning policy and the spatial pattern of exposure to air toxics emissions. Public concerns, evidence from research and increasing scientific knowledge are all driving widespread discussions on environment and health problems. EEA Report 10/2005 illustrates how the issue of environment and health is characterised by multi-causality with different strengths of association. This means that the links between exposures and their health consequences depend on the environmental pollutants and diseases being considered, but are also influenced by factors such as genetic constitution, age, nutrition and lifestyle, and socioeconomic factors such as poverty and level of education. The authors describe a modelling framework for assessment of the community health risk implications of land use policy. The framework a long-range planning tool to assess the implications of alternative land use scenarios at a regional or sub regional scale. To address the uncertainty of estimating air toxics emission rates for planned general land use or zoning districts, the source model uses an emissions probability mass function that weights each incremental permitted land use activity by the likelihood of occurrence. The air toxics emission factors are used to estimate pollutant atmospheric mass flux from land use zoning districts, which can then be input to air dispersion and human health risk assessment models to simulate the spatial pattern of air toxics exposure risk. The report can be seen at: http://reports.eea.eu.int/eea_report_2005_10 ***** Young Adolescent Pedestrians’ & Cyclists’ Road Deaths This 2005 TRL report examines the circumstances of each accident and social circumstances, educational development and health attributes of the child fatalities. It also identifies the populations with a relatively high risk of accidents and whether the victims differ from the general population. The model database was constructed using the California Air Toxics Inventory, 1997 US Economic Census, and land assessment records from several California counties. The paper can be obtained from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2006.03.011 ***** 70 Transport – Environment – Health: Shared Policy Goals was one of the themes addressed at the conference. In the paper for this theme, it is reported that transport causes annually hundreds of thousands of premature deaths in Europe. For example, every year about 45 000 people die in traffic accidents and 1.5 million people are injured in the European Union. Transport related gaseous and particulate emissions are one of the main sources of air pollution. Air pollution (particulate matter and ozone) is estimated to cause around 370 000 premature deaths a year in the European Union and an average estimated reduction of life expectancy of around 8.7 months per EU citizen. The report suggests that a quarter of child pedestrians had crossed the road without looking both ways and/or crossed at inappropriate locations. Over a third of cyclist actions occurred after riding off the pavement and across the road. Many of the cyclist fatalities did not appear to look behind or signal their manoeuvre. There was insufficient evidence to determine whether the young fatalities where from lower socio-economic groups. Views on further road safety interventions that may be contemplated can be found at: http://217.118.128.203/store/report_detail.asp?srid=5414&pid=211 Cycling and walking have positive impacts on human health and they can play a very significant role in getting people more physically active in their daily life, thereby addressing one of the largest health risks for European populations, after tobacco smoking. Recent studies (e.g. Report of Nordic Council of Ministers, CBA of cycling, 2005:556) have started to produce quantitative estimates on the health benefits and savings from increasing the level of daily cycling and walking. For perspective, in the above-mentioned report of the Nordic Council, it has been estimated that cycling produces positive health effects worth of approximately 900 euros/ person/year. ***** EU Conference on Health in All Policies The main event of the Finnish EU presidency in the public health sector is a high-level expert conference on Health in All Policies. The conference took place in Kuopio, Finland, on 20-21 September 2006. A report was published in advance of the conference and is reviewed below. Health in All Policies (HiAP) – the main health theme of the Finnish European Union (EU) Presidency in 2006 – is considered a natural continuation of Finland’s longterm horizontal health policy. While the health sector has gradually increased its cooperation with other government sectors, industry and non-governmental organisations, other sectors have increasingly taken health and the well-being of citizens into account in their policies in Finland. The key factor enabling such a development has been that health and well-being are shared values across the societal sectors. Several positive impacts of transport are usually fully internalised into decision-making process and investment decisions, although not all of them are yet fully recognised and quantified (e.g. savings from reduced health impacts). Some negative ones are recognised (e.g. impacts on the physical environment) several other external impacts (e.g. on health), but they are not fully covered and internalised in monetary terms when making investment decisions. Non-quantifiable impacts (e.g. psycho-social impacts) tend to be ignored completely. HiAP highlights the fact that the risk factors of major diseases, or the determinants of health, are modified by measures that are often managed by other government sectors as well as by other actors in society. Broader societal health determinants – above all, education, employment and the environment – influence the distribution of risk factors among population groups, thereby resulting in health inequalities. Focusing on HiAP may shift the emphasis slightly from individual lifestyles and single diseases to societal factors and actions that shape everyday living environments. It does not imply however, that any other public health approaches, for example health education or disease prevention are undermined or treated as less important. Transport is one of the sectors where most progress has been made in identifying links to environmental and more recently also to health aspects. Especially the integration of environmental aspects into the Common Transport Policy has promoted also the recognition of some health issues in transport policy both at the national and Community level. Especially the Cardiff process, the EU Sustainable Development Strategy, the EU Environmental Action Programme with its thematic strategies, the European Road Traffic Safety Programmes and the Verona Process have been successful in raising awareness and promoting a better integration of environmental and health aspects into transport policy, notably in relation to efforts to reduce emissions of air pollutants. Effective and systematic action for the improvement of population health, using genuinely all available measures in all policy fields, is an opening for a new phase of public health. The UNECE-WHO Pan-European Programme on Transport, Environment and Health has assisted in recognising and taking into account the transport related environmental and health aspects. 71 EIA and SEA procedures have also helped to take into account the health impacts in transport policy, plans, programmes and projects. However, impact assessments may sometimes be only used to justify implementation of pre-determined plan, programme or project instead of modifying them from a health perspective. The theme paper presents the following ways forward:  The “Health in All Policies” concept should be applied by making health considerations an explicit part of the broad range of policies that affect the demand for transport and mobility (such as land use planning, housing, fiscal, regional, trade and other industry policies), and combining this with an assessment of how the transport demand could be reduced and shifted towards more sustainable modes of transport.  Transport, environment and health sectors and stakeholders should create and develop further arenas for dialogue and policy integration.  The European Commission should evaluate to what extent progress has been achieved in integrating health aspects into transport policy especially since 2002 when the European Parliament presented its Resolution (A5-0014/2002) on Transport and Health and what are the most urgent areas where further action is needed.  National governments should work more actively with local level authorities to reach better vertical policy integration and to assist) local level authorities in implementing the national and Community level strategies and programmes on health and the environment.  Health and wealth impacts (including psycho-social impacts and accessibility) should be properly examined in impact assessments of transport plans, programmes and projects. Health assessments should be part of integrated impact assessment procedures.  Impact assessments should be used and their role strengthened in decision-making processes, i.e. health and environmental benefits should be evaluated realistically. If a plan, programme or project may cause environmental and health problems, these should be clearly stated and measures to avoid them should be presented. Therefore impact assessments should be further developed inter alia by: - Developing further quality control and other check-point mechanisms to ensure that the assessment procedure is conducted in an open and transparent way and that health impacts are properly recognised and assessed; and - Emphasising the role of monitoring and ex-post assessments to ensure that the necessary measures to reduce arising environmental and health problems can be taken.  The European Commission should, in collaboration with WHO and other relevant partners, support further development of appropriate assessment  methodologies and procedures to cover also health impacts that are difficult to assess, such as distributional effects, effects on social equity, mobility and positive effects of cycling and walking. In this respect, the European Commission should consider e.g. developing a legal basis for integrated assessment procedures and provide guidance on good practises. The European Commission should encourage the development of greater consensus and good practices on how the health impacts and especially positive health impacts of cycling and walking should be integrated into transport investment decisions. The report can be found at: http://www.stm.fi/Resource.phx/eng/subjt/inter/eu2006/hiap/index.ht x ***** Other References  Health and Road Transport in Pakistan, Hyder et al, 2006: Public Health, 120(2) 132-141. doi:10.1016/j.puhe.2005.03.008 ***** WEB-SITES The PEP: Transport, Health and Environment PanEuropean Programme This WHO-UNECE website was set up to address the key challenges to achieve more sustainable transport patterns and a closer integration of environmental and health concerns into transport policies. Three priority areas and related actions were selected to constitute the policy framework for THE PEP:  Integration of environmental and health aspects into transport policy in particular in relation to decision making processes, monitoring and impact assessment;  Urban transport, involving measures in land-use planning, and for promoting high quality and integrated public transport and improving safe conditions of alternative modes of transport;  Demand side management and modal shift and special attention is paid to the needs of the countries of Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) and of South-Eastern Europe, as well as issues related to ecologically particularly sensitive areas. Activities in these key areas are coordinated and implemented by THE PEP Steering Committee, composed of UNECE and WHO/Europe Member State representatives from the transport, environment and health sectors, in close cooperation with relevant international and non-governmental organizations. 72 Partnerships between Governments, local authorities, business community, NGOs and other interested stakeholders are encouraged for the implementation of these activities. Higher Education Funding Councils. Supported by a panel of independent editorial advisors, RUDI offers a unique combination of publishing expertise, practising professionals and academics and features more than 5,000 documents and more than 9,000 images. See: http://www.thepep.org/en/welcome.htm A membership charge is payable to access the materials on the site. ***** OECD and Health ***** The OECD’s website includes much information on health-related topics and issues. The website allows users to tailor the OECD site to their needs. By selecting the themes of interest, visitors can personalise their homepages at MyOECD to obtain the news, events and documentation related to their chosen themes.  OECD’s health portal, presenting health related work administered throughout the Organisation, is Context Sensitive Solutions – Pennyslvania Department of Transportation This website provided by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation offers an array of resources. Context sensitivity emphasizes the broad nature of solutions to transportation needs by focusing on enhancing the quality of life across the Commonwealth for transportation users, communities and the surrounding environment. This initiative recognizes that not every context sensitive solution includes a design component, and therefore focuses on the process for developing all projects. CSS is a proactive approach to transportation planning, design and implementation that looks at the broad context streets and roads play in enhancing communities and natural environments be they urban, suburban or rural, scenic or historic. http://www.oecd.org/health  The portal of the OECD Health Division is http://www.oecd.org/els/health Information about health-related work administered by other Divisions within the OECD Secretariat can be found at either or both the general OECD health portal or at the Division’s portal, accessible from the main OECD portal. To receive an email alert for the OECD Health Update, when it is issued bi-annually:  Register with MyOECD or log in to MyOECD if you already have an account  Make sure the “Health” theme is checked, then “Submit”  Under "Newsletters", select "OECD Health Update (bi-annual)" (the second page of the registration process). The site offers the following:  Project development process;  Community impact assessment;  Planning partners;  Community context audit;  Public involvement;  Flexibility in design;  CSS toolkit;  CSS library;  CSS resources;  Featured projects;  Links and  Training. ***** Nottingham Online Planning Website Online planning resource is moving: Hugh McClintock’s Online Planning website at http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/sbe/planbiblios/ is now managed by the Rudi (Resources for Urban Design) website (www.rudi.net). The original site is no longer be updated. The site can be found at: http://65.207.30.22/css/www/policy_overview.php An independent unbiased service, the Resource for Urban Design Information (RUDI) is the largest web resource dedicated to urban design and placemaking. RUDI commissions, researches and creates materials for professionals in the public and private sector. As part of a value-added membership service, we also identify and provide immediate access to significant studies, guidance, best practice and other documents contributed by professional and government bodies, practitioners, academics and community organisations. ***** Copyright The material presented within this Newsletter may be freely utilised by others, however neither TRL Limited nor ECMT accept responsibility for the views expressed within this Newsletter or implications that arise from the use of such information. Circulation of this Newsletter is encouraged, TRL Limited only request that appropriate reference be made to the Newsletter where material is quoted. RUDI was created in 1996 as a joint project under the UK's eLib (Electronic Libraries) Programme, set up following a review of university libraries by the UK 73 74

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