Environmental Impact of

Transportation

Introduction
To assess the environmental impact of a
proposed development (be it a housing
project, a new industry, a new highway, etc.),
the transportation impacts must always be
examined and quantified
We sometimes think of transportation impacts
as singularly traffic air pollution, but the
impacts are much wider

Introduction
Transportation impacts differ from many other
environmental impacts since they may be more
severe at a considerable distance from the
development location (e.g. traffic congestion,
noise, etc.)
These impacts which are mainly adverse, can
be divided into the following four categories:
Vehicular impacts
Safety and operational impacts
Roadway impacts
Impacts during construction
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Introduction
Vehicular impacts:
Noise pollution
Vibration
Air pollution
Litter
Anxiety resulting from the traffic
generated by a proposed development, a
road improvement or a traffic
management scheme
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Introduction
Safety and operational impacts:
Impact on the existing roadway system
including additional delays to all road
users
Roadway impacts (infrastructure impacts):
Visual intrusion
Severance
Disturbance of archaeological, historical
or amenity areas
Effects on the aquatic ecosystem
Demolition of property
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Introduction
Impacts during construction:
Impacts of construction traffic and
other temporary disturbances such as
those resulting from temporary diversion
of streams, construction noise, etc
In some countries the safety and capacity
impacts of road construction and
improvement proposals are considered
separately from the project environmental
assessment
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Transportation & Development

Motor vehicle is a profligate user of
energy & land and a large source of pollution
We have made transport vital to both our
economic & social well-being (production &
distribution of goods & services depend on it)

Economic development has always followed

the available lines of communication
In EU about 10% of GDP & 9% of
employment generated by transport industry
>90% of motorized person trips and >80%
of all freight movements are by road
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Transportation Planning
Traffic congestion & its associated environmental
effects are among the most obvious problems in
urban areas
Large increases in car ownership & use are
predicted everywhere
There is general agreement that car traffic must
be restrained in urban areas but none of the
existing traffic policies has been effective in
reducing car use except to a limited extent in the
centers of large cities
Commercial vehicle use also continues to grow
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Matrix of Environmental Impact &

Transportation System Stages
In evaluating potential environmental impacts of
any proposed change in the transportation system,
the following questions should be asked for each of
the six environmental subsystems:
1. Is there a potential impact on the environment,
and is it positive or negative?
2. How serious is such a change?
3. What is its expected magnitude of change?
4. How certain is the effect to occur?
5. What further assessment or research is
required?
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Typical environmental impacts resulting from transportation operations

and infrastructure construction

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Matrix of Environmental Impact &

Transportation System Stages
Environmental effects, including health effects,
might occur in any of the four stages of the
transportation system:
Production of vehicles and fuels
Construction of the transportation
infrastructure
Operation of the transportation system
Decommissioning and disposal of vehicles and
infrastructure

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Environmental Effects of Roads &

Traffic

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Vehicular Impacts
These are impacts on the receiving environment
caused by the traffic generated by a proposed
development
Noise
Vibration
Air pollution
Litter
Physical damage
Anxiety

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Noise
Traffic noise can interfere with speech
communication, can disturb sleep and
relaxation and interfere with the ability to
perform complex tasks
Surveys in many countries have shown that
traffic noise is one of the principal
environmental nuisances in urban areas
Noise is frequently used in the assessment
of road proposals and traffic management
schemes
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Noise
Noise criteria
There is general agreement that traffic noise
(and industrial noise) can be appropriately
measured in A-weighted (decibels, dBA) units
An increase of 2 or 3 dBA is just noticeable
while an increase of 10 dBA approximates
doubling of loudness
Either the LAeq or the LA10 averaged over a
specific time period is normally used
A 12 hour period (08.00 to 20.00 hours) is often

used with the LAeq

An 18 hour period (06.00 to 24.00 hours) is usually
associated with the LA10
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Noise
Noise thresholds
The severity of a noise problem is usually indicated
by the extent the noise level exceeds a threshold
or standard value of a specified noise criterion (e.g.
LA10 of 18 hour period)
There are no universally accepted threshold levels
but it is generally accepted that outdoor noise
levels above 70 dBA constitute a problem
A WHO task group has recommended daytime
noise limits of about 55 LAeq as a general health goal
for outdoor noise in residential areas
At night, an outdoor level of about 45 LAeq is
required to meet sleep criteria
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Noise (Major factors affecting

traffic noise)
Noise generated by stream of traffic depends on
Traffic volume and speed
Traffic composition (% heavy vehicles)
Road gradient
Traffic flow conditions (free flowing or stop & go)
Road surface type and irregularities
Noise level at reception point is influenced by:
distance from road to reception point
height of the reception point above road
intervening ground surface conditions
presence of obstructions
presence of nearby buildings (reflect noise)18

Methods of Reducing Impact of

Traffic Noise

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Example of Traffic Noise Level Calculation

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Traffic-Induced Vibrations in Buildings

Airborne vibrations

(caused by low-frequency
sound (50 to 100 Hz) by large vehicle engines & exhausts)

Groundborne vibrations (caused by varying forces

between the tyres of heavy vehicles & road surfaces which
result from irregularities in the road surface (8 to 20 Hz))
Vibration measurement and thresholds
(expressed in terms of peak particle velocity (p.p.v.))
The following threshold values are often used:
Perception = 0.3 mm/s (p.p.v.)
Annoyance = 1 mm/s (p.p.v.)
Structural damage = 10 mm/s (p.p.v.)

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Air Pollution from Vehicles

The major sources of atmospheric pollution
caused by motor vehicles are from exhaust gases,
evaporative losses from the fuel tank and
carburettor, crank case losses and dust from tyres
(rubber), brake linings and clutch plates (asbestos)
Typically vehicular air pollution is less than that
from industry & homes but, with increasing vehicle
numbers, is a serious concern in urban areas
Vehicle exhaust gas is divided into noxious and
innocuous compounds

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Typical
pollutant
levels in
highway
environments

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Vehicular emission rates of pollutants

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Threshold limit value of air pollutants

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Example of Air pollution calculation

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Vehicular Impacts
Vehicular-borne Litter (Litter is reported as a major

environmental nuisance in public opinion surveys and certain

areas can be spoiled by car-borne litter)
Abandoned cars and illegal dumping may also constitute
problems
The provision of convenient litter receptacles appears
necessary in such circumstances since exortation or
enforcement alone are often insufficient
Physical Damage
To the road pavement, roadside objects such as signs,
footpaths and gateposts, particularly on narrow roads
Vehicles splash pedestrians in wet weather
Require adequate road maintenance & design, heavy
vehicle entry restrictions & enforcement
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Vehicular Impacts
Anxiety (feeling of not being safe are strongly

associated with heavy vehicles & with high speeds)

Older people are particularly affected as parents who

worry about their children safety on the roads; parents

of young children who cycle are especially worried
An allied environmental impact is the disturbance to
social life by not being able to talk on the footpath
because of passing traffic
The implementation of traffic calming methods such as
speed control and heavy vehicle restrictions can reduce
these vehicular impacts

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Safety and Capacity Impacts

Accidents

Traffic generated by a proposed development may

affect the safety of existing road network, particularly
if there is a high accident rate at present
Accident records & rates on the existing network
should be examined for a period of three years
Comparisons with national accident rates for similar
road types should be made

Effects on Operation on Roads & Intersections

These include effects on traffic congestion &
delay and on parking
The capacities of the existing roads & key
intersections can be estimated from the
appropriate road design standards manuals 33

Roadway Impacts
Visual Intrusion and Aesthetics
Scenic incompatibility

Obscuring of existing views

The creation of gaps in the urban fabric
Loss of sunlight
Loss of privacy

Severance (occurs when a new development forms

either physical or psychological boundary)

Facilities to which access is inhibited

Catchment areas for those facilities

Numbers and types of persons affected
Levels of traffic causing the severance
Extent of mitigation of road crossing difficulties
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Roadway Impacts
Land Consumption and Loss of Property

Number of properties demolished is an important

measure of impact of transportation development
Other impacts such as displacement & relocation of
people, loss of recreational areas may also be significant
and should he quantified

Changes in Land Access and Land Values

Transportation improvements may result in either

increased or decreased access to adjacent properties
Increased access can sometimes lead to undesirable
developments and decreased land values
Decreased access can cause problems for emergency &
service vehicles & may lead to other detrimental
effects, particularly for commercial properties
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Construction Impacts
Traffic generated by construction of new
development can cause major impacts, particularly
for those living along routes used by this traffic
Since construction is labour intensive, large
numbers of cars access construction sites at the
start and end of the working day
The noise a& vibration from heavy vehicles
disturb roadside residents, traffic delays occur,
mud is deposited on t roads and the road
pavements & verges may be physically damaged
Although construction impacts are of temporary
duration they can be severe & can last for a
considerable period
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Traffic Generated by Proposed

Developments
Car Traffic

Volume of car traffic attracted to a development

depends on type & size of development, its location & on
the number of employees a& their car ownership level

Light Goods Vehicles

Number of delivery vehicles & other light goods

vehicles & their distribution throughout the day will
depend on activities being carried out at development

Heavy Goods and Public Service Vehicles

Number of heavy vehicles required to service activities

to be carried out at a development & their routing must
be estimated by an examination of the projected level
of these activities & of the likely origins & destinations
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of deliveries

Environmental Impact Assessment of

Proposed Road Developments
A typical EIA for a proposed road would include:
A summary of the proposed road development and of
the principal environmental impacts
General project description and a description of the
alternatives considered
A baseline survey of the existing environment
Assessment of the environmental impacts
The implications for the land use and development
plans for the affected area
The financial implications
Mitigation measures proposed to reduce the negative
impacts
A synoptic table summarizing the individual impacts
and costs for each of the alternatives considered 38

Generic checklist of impacts

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Typical assessment techniques for environmental impacts

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