TRAFFIC IMPACT ASSESSMENT

What is Traffic Impact Assessments?

A traffic impact assessments is a study which assesses the effects that a particular development’s traffic will have on the transportation network in the community. These studies vary in their range of detail and complexity depending on the type, size and location of the development. Traffic impact assessment should accompany developments which have the potential to impact the transportation network. They are important in assisting public agencies in making land use decisions. These studies can be used to help evaluate whether the development is appropriate for a site and what type of transportation improvements may be necessary. 

Traffic Impact Assessment help communities to: 

• Forecast additional traffic associated with new development, based on accepted practices. 
• Determine the improvements that are necessary to accommodate the new development. 
• Assist communities in land use decision making. 
• Assist in allocating scarce resources to areas which need improvements 
• Identify potential problems with the proposed development which may influence the developer’s decision to pursue it. 
• Allow the community to assess the impacts that a proposed development may have. 
• Help to ensure safe and reasonable traffic conditions on streets after the development is complete. 
• Reduce the negative impacts created by developments by helping to ensure that the transportation network can accommodate the development. 
• Provide direction to community decision makers and developers of expected impacts. 
• Protect the substantial community investment in the street system.

What should be included in a traffic impact Assessments?

I. BACKGROUND:  Description of proposed development  Identification of peak hours and whether weekends will be used in the impact analysis Description of study area Location of proposed Access points  II. BASE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS:  Description of road network and intersections adjacent to site and at access points Counts during peak-impact hours  III. SITE TRAFFIC GENERATION: Trip generation rates used and the source of these rates Traffic generated during peak impact hours  IV. SITE TRAFFIC DISTRIBUTION: Method used to distribute traffic Table showing estimated traffic movements by direction Discussion of method used for traffic assignment and assumptions for assignment of traffic to network V. NON-SITE TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS: Definition of design year—opening of proposed development Identification of development in study area whose traffic is to be included in calculations Adjustments of off-site through traffic volumes Assembling of off-site traffic forecast for design year VI. TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENTS: Assignment of peak-period traffic to intersections and access points Figures for existing peak impact traffic hours, site traffic and total traffic Recommended access design improvements VII. REVIEW OF SITE PLAN: Internal Reservoir at access points Parking layout Loading dock locations and access, including design truck used Recommended changes  VIII. DISCUSSION OF FUTURE TRAFFIC CONDITIONS: Other developments in area

(Community Guide to Development Impact Analysis by Mary Edwards)

GOVERNANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

Governance is not synonymous with government. This confusion of terms can haveunfortunate consequences. A public policy issue where the heart of the matter is a problem of "governance” becomes defined implicitly as a problem of “government”, with the corollarythat the onus for “fixing” it necessarily rests with government. Since governance is not aboutgovernment, what is it about? Partly it is about how governments and other socialorganizations interact, how they relate to citizens, and how decisions are taken in a complexworld. Thus governance is a process whereby societies or organizations make their importantdecisions, determine whom they involve in the process and how they render account. Since a process is hard to observe, students of governance tend to focus our attention on the

The United Nations Development Programme(UNDP) 1997 defines governance as the exercise of economic, political and administrativeauthority to manage a county’s affairs at all level. It comprises the mechanisms, processesand institutions through which citizens and groups articulate their interest, exercise their legalrights, meet their obligations and mediate their differences. Governance opens newintellectual space. It provides a concept that allows us to discuss the role of government incoping with public issues and the contribution that other players may make. However, andtable 1 shows a summary of definition of governance from a various scholars.