PTOE Module 6: Environmental Issues
PTOE Module 6: Environmental Issues
Student Supplement
Module 6
Social, Environmental, and
Institutional Issues
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Contents
Environmental Considerations...................................................................................................................... 1
Environmental Policy ................................................................................................................................ 1
Environmental Impact Studies .................................................................................................................. 2
Emission And Air Quality Analysis ............................................................................................................. 4
Ozone (O3) ............................................................................................................................................. 5
Particulate Matter (PM) ........................................................................................................................ 5
Carbon Monoxide (CO) ......................................................................................................................... 5
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) ......................................................................................................................... 6
Attainment and Maintenance Areas..................................................................................................... 6
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program .............................................. 6
Noise Analysis ........................................................................................................................................... 6
Weather .................................................................................................................................................... 7
Transportation and Land Use Planning ......................................................................................................... 8
Land Use Planning and Regulation............................................................................................................ 8
Travel Demand Modeling.......................................................................................................................... 9
Development Characteristics .................................................................................................................. 10
Public Involvement ................................................................................................................................. 10
Complete Streets and Context-Sensitive Solutions ................................................................................ 11
Multimodal Considerations ........................................................................................................................ 12
Public Transportation.............................................................................................................................. 12
Intermodal Transportation Centers ........................................................................................................ 13
Shared Mobility ....................................................................................................................................... 13
Transit Stop Design and Location............................................................................................................ 14
Freight Movement .................................................................................................................................. 15
Transportation Legal Considerations .......................................................................................................... 15
Legal Authorities ..................................................................................................................................... 15
Traffic Control Device Standards ............................................................................................................ 17
Traffic Regulation Enactment ................................................................................................................. 17
Equity and Access........................................................................................................................................ 18
Environmental Justice ............................................................................................................................. 18
Accessibility ............................................................................................................................................. 19
Economic Impacts ................................................................................................................................... 20
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Transportation and Public Health ........................................................................................................... 20
REFERENCES ................................................................................................................................................ 22
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Professional Traffic Operations Engineer
Certification Program Refresher Course
issues. As noted, NEMA requirements related to transportation projects occur when federal funding is
included in the project; if a project is being implemented without federal funding, then state and local
requirements must be considered. It is important to recognize and understand which regulations apply
for a specific project.
agency has adopted its own NEPA procedures for the preparation of
EAs. See NEPA procedures adopted by each federal agency. Generally,
the EA includes a brief discussion of:
• The purpose and need for the proposed action
• Alternatives
• The environmental impacts of the proposed action and alternatives
• A listing of agencies and persons consulted.
Based on the EA, the following actions can occur:
• If the agency determines that the action will not have significant environmental impacts, the
agency will issue a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). A FONSI is a document that presents
the reasons why the agency has concluded that there are no significant environmental impacts
projected to occur upon implementation of the action.
• If the EA determines that the environmental impacts of a proposed Federal action will be
significant, an Environmental Impact Statement is prepared.
An Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is required if a proposed
action is determined to significantly affect the quality of the human
environment. The regulatory requirements for an EIS are more
detailed and rigorous than the requirements for an EA. The EIS process
includes:
• Publishing a Notice of Intent in the Federal Register, to inform the public of the upcoming
environmental analysis and describe how the public can become involved in the EIS preparation
• A draft EIS is published for public review and comment for a minimum of 45 days
• A final EIS is then published, which provides responses to substantive comments
• The EIS process ends with the issuance of the Record of Decision (ROD). The ROD:
o explains the agency's decision,
o describes the alternatives the agency considered, and
o discusses the agency's plans for mitigation and monitoring, if necessary.
An EIS Includes:
• Cover sheet: Includes, among other things, the name of the lead agency and any cooperating
agency, agency contact information, the title of the proposed action and its location, a paragraph
abstract of the EIS, and the date when comments must be received.
• Summary: A summary of the EIS, including the major conclusions, area of disputed issues, and the
issues to be resolved.
• Table of Contents: Assists the reader in navigating through the EIS.
• Purpose and need statement: Explains the reason the agency is proposing the action and what
the agency expects to achieve.
• Alternatives: Consideration of a reasonable range of alternatives that can accomplish the purpose
and need of the proposed action.
• Affected environment: Describes the environment of the area to be affected by the alternatives
under consideration.
• Environmental consequences: A discussion of the environmental effects and their significance.
• Submitted alternatives, information, and analyses: A summary that identifies all alternatives,
information, and analyses submitted by state, tribal, and local governments and other public
commenters for consideration during the scoping process or in developing the final EIS.
• List of preparers: A list of the names and qualifications of the persons who were primarily
responsible for preparing the EIS.
• Appendices (if required): Appendices provide background materials prepared in connection with
the EIS.
A supplement to a draft or final EIS is required when any of the following occurs:
• An agency makes substantial changes to the proposed actions that are relevant to its
environmental concerns.
• There are significant new circumstances or information relevant to the environmental concerns
that have bearing on the proposed action or its impacts.
• If an agency decides to supplement its EIS, it prepares, publishes, and files the supplemental EIS
in the same fashion as a draft or final EIS.
Non-federal agencies may have a similar process for projects under their jurisdiction.
Emission And Air Quality Analysis
Congress established much of the basic structure of the Clean Air Act
(CAA) in 1970 and made major revisions in 1977 and 1990. Dense,
visible smog in many of the nation's cities and industrial centers helped
to prompt passage of the 1970 legislation at the height of the national
environmental movement. The subsequent revisions were designed
to improve its effectiveness and to target newly recognized air
pollution problems such as acid rain and damage to the stratospheric
ozone layer.
In response to the CAA, the EPA established National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for various
pollutants—known as criteria pollutants—that adversely affect human health and welfare. Four major
transportation-related criteria pollutants are:
• Ozone (O3) and its precursors: volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX)
• Particulate matter (PM)
• Carbon monoxide (CO)
• Nitrogen dioxide (NO2)
Other criteria pollutants include sulfur dioxide (SO2) and lead. In the past, motor vehicles were a major
source of lead emissions; however, these were virtually eliminated when leaded gasoline was phased out.
Fuel combustion by motor vehicles and other sources releases carbon dioxide (CO2), which is a greenhouse
gas that traps heat within the earth’s atmosphere.
Significant progress has been made in reducing criteria pollutant emissions from motor vehicles and
improving air quality since the 1970s, even as vehicle travel has increased. The air is noticeably cleaner
than in 1970, and total criteria-pollutant emissions from motor vehicles are less than they were in 1970
despite a near tripling of vehicle miles of travel. With the reduction in criteria pollutants, many air toxics
have also been reduced.
Ozone (O3)
Ground-level ozone is the major component of smog. While ozone in
the upper atmosphere (the ozone layer) occurs naturally and protects
life on earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, ozone at ground level
is a noxious pollutant. Ground-level ozone is not directly emitted but
is formed by the reaction of NOX and VOCs in the presence of sunlight.
Ozone is a severe irritant, responsible for the choking, coughing, and
stinging eyes associated with smog. Ozone damages lung tissue, aggravates respiratory disease, and
makes people more susceptible to respiratory infections. Children are especially vulnerable to ozone’s
harmful effects, as are adults with existing disease. Even healthy individuals may experience impaired lung
function from breathing ozone-polluted air. In addition to affecting human health, ozone harms
vegetation, resulting in reduced agricultural and commercial forest yields, increased tree and plant
susceptibility to disease and other environmental stresses, and potential long-term effects on forests and
ecosystems. Peak concentrations typically occur in summer.
Particulate Matter (PM)
PM is the term used for a mixture of solid particles and liquid droplets
found in the air. These particles come in a wide range of sizes and can
remain suspended in the air for extended periods. PM can be emitted
directly by a source or formed in the atmosphere by the
transformation of gaseous emissions, such as SO2, NOX, and VOCs. Fine
particles result from fuel combustion by motor vehicles and other
sources, as well as transformation of gaseous emissions.
Particulate matter irritates the membranes of the respiratory system, causing increased respiratory
problems and disease, decreased lung function, alterations of the body’s defense systems, and premature
mortality. Sensitive groups include the elderly, individuals with cardiopulmonary disease such as asthma,
and children. In addition to health problems, airborne particles cause soiling and damage to materials and
reduce visibility in many parts of the United States.
Carbon Monoxide (CO)
CO is an odorless, colorless gas that interferes with the delivery of
oxygen to the body’s organs and tissues. Effects of CO include
dizziness, headaches, fatigue, visual impairment, reduced work
capacity, reduced manual dexterity, and poor learning ability. The
health effects of CO vary depending on the length and intensity of
exposure and the health of the individual and are most serious for
those who suffer from cardiovascular disease.
The incomplete burning of carbon in fuels such as gasoline produces CO. High concentrations of CO occur
alongside roads with heavy traffic, particularly at major intersections, and in enclosed areas, such as
garages and poorly ventilated tunnels. Peak concentrations typically occur during the colder months of
the year when vehicular emissions of CO are greater and nighttime inversion conditions are more
frequent.
Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2)
NO2 is one of a group of highly reactive gases known as “oxides of
nitrogen,” or “nitrogen oxides (NOX).” NO2 forms quickly from
emissions from cars, trucks and buses, power plants, and off-road
equipment. In addition to contributing to the formation of ground-
level ozone and fine particle pollution, NO2 is linked with several
adverse effects on the respiratory system.
Attainment and Maintenance Areas
Areas that do not meet the NAAQS are designated as nonattainment
areas. The CAA requires states to develop implementation plans to
attain the standards for each nonattainment area. If the areas do not
meet these and other requirements, they face CAA-required sanctions
and other penalties, including loss of highway funds. Metropolitan
planning organizations and the USDOT must ensure that
transportation plans, programs, and projects conform to their
implementation plans.
A maintenance area is any geographic region of the United States that EPA previously designated as a
nonattainment area and subsequently redesignated as an attainment area subject to the requirement to
develop a maintenance plan. The maintenance plan normally contains an emissions or modeling
demonstration that shows how the area will stay in compliance through the 20-year maintenance period.
Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program
The Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ)
program provides a flexible funding source for State and local
governments to fund transportation projects and programs to help
meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act and its amendments.
CMAQ money supports transportation projects that reduce mobile
source emissions in areas designated by the U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) to be in nonattainment or maintenance of the
national ambient air quality standards. CMAQ funds must be invested in a State’s nonattainment or
maintenance areas, on projects that reduce transportation related pollutant emissions.
Noise Analysis
Excessive noise presents a growing danger to the health and welfare
of the Nation's population, particularly in urban areas. Congress
passed the Noise Control Act of 1972 to establish a national policy to
promote an environment for all Americans free from noise that
jeopardizes their health and welfare.
The traditional definition of noise is “unwanted or disturbing sound”.
Sound becomes unwanted when it either interferes with normal activities such as sleeping, conversation,
or disrupts or diminishes one’s quality of life. Noise pollution adversely affects the lives of millions of
people. Studies have shown that there are direct links between noise and health, including stress related
illnesses, high blood pressure, speech interference, hearing loss, sleep disruption, and lost productivity.
Noise Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is the most common and often discussed health effect, but research
has shown that exposure to constant or high levels of noise can cause countless adverse health effects.
Studies have shown that some of the most pervasive sources of noise in our environment are those
associated with transportation. Residences and businesses often are faced with increased highway traffic
noise, both from newly constructed highways and from highways that are already in place. A decibel (dB)
is the unit used to indicate the intensity of a sound wave. Sound (noise) is often measured in decibels
using an A–weighted scale (dBA) because this method approximates the way humans hear sound.
Noise levels from highway traffic are affected by three factors: (1) the volume of the traffic, (2) the speed
of the traffic, and (3) the number of trucks in the flow of traffic. Generally, the loudness of traffic noise is
increased by heavier traffic volumes, higher vehicle speeds, and greater numbers of trucks. Vehicle noise
is a combination of the noise produced by the engine, exhaust, and tires. Some key impacts of traffic
characteristics include:
• Traffic at 65 miles per hour sounds twice as loud as traffic at 30 miles per hour.
• 2000 vehicles per hour sound twice as loud as 200 vehicles per hour.
• One truck at 55 miles per hour sounds as loud as 28 cars at 55 miles per hour.
Measures to reduce noise pollution include:
• Limiting noise emission levels on trucks
• Utilize land development planning to keep noise sensitive areas away from major highways
• Prohibiting certain types of vehicles (trucks) from sensitive streets and roadways
• Improving traffic flow through progressive signal timing
• Minimizing vertical alignment changes
• Plant noise absorbing vegetation
• Construct noise barriers
Weather
Adverse weather can have a significant effect on surface
transportation and our highways, with capacity reductions, increased
crash risks, and increased maintenance costs. Key weather issues
include:
• Rain and Flooding - Rain causes wet pavement, which reduces
vehicle traction and maneuverability. Heavy rain also reduces
visibility distance. These impacts prompt drivers to travel at lower speeds causing reduced
roadway capacity and increased delay. Rain and wet pavement increase crash risk as well.
Flooding reduces roadway capacity by limiting or preventing access to submerged lanes. Inland
flooding, usually following the evolution of a tropical storm or hurricane, has typically been the
greatest source of fatalities, and caused the most damage to roadway infrastructure.
• Snow and Ice - Over 70 percent of the nation's roads are in snowy regions. Snow and ice reduce
pavement friction and vehicle maneuverability, causing slower speeds, reduced roadway capacity,
and increased crash risk. Heavy snow and sleet can also reduce visibility. Lanes and roads are
obstructed by snow accumulation, which reduces capacity and increases travel time delay. Winter
road maintenance accounts for roughly 20 percent of state DOT maintenance budgets, to provide
for snow and ice control operations and to repair infrastructure damage caused by snow and ice.
• Low Visibility - Visibility distance is reduced by fog and heavy precipitation, as well as wind-blown
snow, dust and smoke. Low visibility conditions cause increased speed variance, which increases
crash risk.
• Hurricanes - Hurricanes and tropical storms bring heavy rain and high winds to coastal areas, and
often cause inland flooding. Hurricane evacuation activities can have significant impacts on traffic.
• High Winds - High winds reduce roadway capacity by obstructing lanes or roads with drifting snow
and wind-blown debris, such as tree limbs. Wind-blown snow, dust and smoke can impact mobility
by reducing visibility distance. High winds can also impact the stability of vehicles, particularly
high-profile vehicles.
Recent trends in the weather indicate that climate change is having a significant impact, with more
severe events occurring more frequently.
Development Characteristics
The most common types of land developments are residential,
commercial, industrial, agricultural, public, and infrastructure.
Residential developments are the most common type of land
development and can be located in an urbanized area or a rural or
suburban area. Residential developments can include individually
owned residences or rental type facilities.
The next most common type of land development is for commercial use. These land parcels are essentially
any development that has been set up for business purposes that do not have a significant environmental
impact. Industrial developments are the opposite – commercial developments that are used for factories,
refineries, warehousing, and other potentially environmentally concerning activities. The types of
developments that an industry pursues will generally be dependent on the industry itself.
Land that has been classified and established as agricultural farmland is technically still a land
development, as the property has been modified or altered in some way to accommodate farming.
Many developments are conducted by the government. The land developments created by the
government are technically public property and have been paid for by taxpayers, but not all of these
developments were created for public use and may merely be office buildings for various government
organizations. These might include schools, parks, police stations and fire stations, hospitals, and other
government facilities.
The final major type of land development is our nation’s infrastructure, including roads, highways, and
bridges that need to be developed for public access to be practical.
Public Involvement
The USDOT defines meaningful public involvement as a process that
proactively seeks full representation from the community, considers
public comments and feedback, and incorporates that feedback into a
project, program, or plan when possible. The impact of community
contributions encourages early and continuous public involvement
and brings diverse viewpoints and values into the transportation
decision-making process. This process enables the community and
agencies to make better-informed decisions through collaborative efforts and improves the decision-
making process.
Features of meaningful public involvement include:
• Understanding the demographics of the affected community
• Building durable relationships with diverse community members outside of the project lifecycle
to understand their transportation wants and needs
• Proactively involving a broad representation of the community in the planning and project
lifecycle
• Using engagement techniques preferred by, and responsive to the needs of, these communities,
including techniques that reach the historically underserved
• Documenting how community input impacted the final projects, programs, or plans, and
communicating with the affected communities how their input was used
Meaningful public involvement is a process that lasts throughout the project lifecycle, not only during a
single event or activity. It begins early in the planning process and includes full representation from all
communities affected. Meaningful public involvement:
• Increases trust between the organization and the community
• Increases the likelihood that projects, programs, or plans will be accepted
• Creates more effective solutions
• Improves a community’s knowledge of the project, program, or plan
• Empowers people from different backgrounds to become involved in transportation decision-
making
• Delivers a better project, program, or service with diverse ideas that promote equity and inclusion
• Ensures against compliance concerns with authorities such as Title VI and NEPA that require public
input and nondiscrimination
Outreach to the full spectrum of interested or affected participants at all levels of a community should
result in representation from a cross-section of the communities that an organization serves and impacts.
Implementing a thoughtful, respectful, and culturally competent project-specific public involvement plan
or a community engagement plan early in transportation planning allows staff the time to identify
community partners and advocates, and ways to involve the community more meaningfully. The result is
transportation decisions informed by community input that maximize benefits and mitigate the risk of
harm to communities.
Complete Streets and Context-Sensitive Solutions
Complete Streets are streets designed and operated to enable safe use
and support mobility for all users. Those include people of all ages and
abilities, regardless of whether they are travelling as drivers,
pedestrians, bicyclists, or public transportation riders. The concept of
Complete Streets encompasses many approaches to planning,
designing, and operating roadways and rights of way with all users in
mind to make the transportation network safer and more efficient.
Complete Street policies are set at the state, regional, and local levels and are frequently supported by
roadway design guidelines.
Complete Streets approaches vary based on community context. They may address a wide range of
elements, such as sidewalks, bicycle lanes, bus lanes, public transportation stops, crossing opportunities,
median islands, accessible pedestrian signals, curb extensions, modified vehicle travel lanes, streetscape,
and landscape treatments. They can promote walking and bicycling by providing safer places to achieve
physical activity through transportation.
Active transportation refers to modes of travel that do not involved motorized vehicles; the most
prominent examples include biking and walking, although sometimes active transportation can be
supplemented by motorized vehicles (e.g., walking to a transit stop, using manual pedal power on an
electric-assisted bicycle). Active transportation is a key element to providing individuals with a choice of
transportation options when moving from origin to destination, and is important to enhancing the safety,
health, and overall livability of a community. A Complete Street is designed and operated to enable the
safe use and support mobility for all users.
Context sensitive solutions (CSS) refer to those the planning, design, construction, and operation of
transportation facilities to enhance community livability. CSS considers not only the goals of safety and
mobility for a facility, but also the goals of the surrounding community in which the facility exists. This can
include factors such as land use, aesthetics, historical considerations, and environmental quality.
CSS emphasizes a holistic process to transportation development, beginning with a multi-stakeholder
community input process, and continuing throughout the lifecycle of the transportation facility to
accommodate and enhance the desires of the community. CSS is a necessary, but not sufficient, element
of the larger Complete Streets movement; that is, while Complete Streets multimodal access and safety
(of which CSS is a critical element), not all CSS requires accommodation of every mode of travel. It could
be that in certain contexts, it makes sense to provide separate but parallel routes to different modes of
travel, for example, depending on the operating characteristics of the transportation facility, the
surrounding land use, and the broader community goals.
Multimodal Considerations
Over the past century, most of our transportation in the United States has been centered on the
automobile; while we recognized walking, bicycling, and public transit as valid modes, they did not receive
the attention or the investment of the motor vehicle. As a result, we generally have well established
roadway networks with significantly lacking facilities for the other modes. In today’s transportation
environment, the focus needs to be on providing all practical modes of transportation.
Public Transportation
Public transportation consists of a system providing for users from the
public to travel in a multi-passenger vehicle, typically on a schedule
and operated on established routes, on a fee per trip basis. Examples
of public transport include buses, cable cars, commuter trains, light rail
trains, subways, monorails, street cars and trolleys, and ferries. Public
transportation can also refer to taxi and vanpool services, shuttle
services, and paratransit (dial-a-ride) transport services.
Public transportation has, in the past, been considered primarily as
providing mobility for the transportation disadvantaged. However,
public transportation is now being recognized as having many benefits,
including:
• Helping to reduce urban congestion
• Enhancing productivity
• Increasing land value
• Saving money for the traveler
• Reducing air pollution emissions
• Improving health
• Assisting the population with non-automobile-based transportation needs
• Improving safety
Considerations must be made for safe and convenient access to public transportation facilities, including
walking, bicycling, riding feeder public transportation systems (e.g., taking the bus to connect to
commuter rail at a station), and driving. When effectively integrated, bicycling and walking to public
transportation help advance various environmental, health, and congestion-mitigating benefits for
communities. Where and how a public transportation center or stop is situated relative to surrounding
land uses is an important factor in multimodal access.
Other considerations include:
• Benches and shelters at public transportation stops
• Sidewalks, multi-use paths, and other pedestrian and bicycle
infrastructure connections to public transportation
• Crosswalks, pedestrian signals, and sufficient crossing times
• Capacity to carry bikes on public transportation
• Parking and storage of bicycles at public transportation centers and stops
• Availability of shared bike services
• Amenities such as showers and changing areas
• Parking for vehicles
• Coordination of regional public transportation systems and services
• Informational and navigational support
• Transit-oriented development
Intermodal Transportation Centers
An intermodal transportation center provides for many modes of
transportation to come together and is strategically located to
increase destination alternatives. Such a center might include facilities
for transit, rail, bicycle, carpooling and pedestrian access, so that a
user can easily switch between modes. Intermodal facilities often
have services and amenities for transportation patrons, such as ticket
booths, secure and comfortable waiting rooms, restrooms, food service, newsstands, and gift shops. Some
facilities are part of a larger multiuse development that provides shopping, offices, residential, dining, and
recreational facilities.
Shared Mobility
In recent years, the sharing of mobility, such as car sharing, bicycle sharing, carpooling, and micro-mobility
devices (such as scooters), has become popular in urbanized areas. This comes at a time where the costs
of vehicle ownership, including fuel and parking, have become expensive, and many younger members of
the population have decided not to become licensed as drivers.
Shared mobility meshes well with public transportation, providing the
“first- or last-mile” connections between residences, work sites, and
transportation facilities.
Some key types of shared mobility include:
• Bike-sharing – bicycles are made available for use at key locations; while different approaches are
used, all have some sort of technology-based system that makes it available to a registered user,
tracks the location of the bicycle, and then secures it at the end of the trip.
• Car-sharing – automobiles can be shared between registered customers in either round-trip (i.e.,
return to the origin) or point-to-point applications. As with bike sharing, this shared mobility is
technology-oriented for vehicle location and customer authorization and tracking.
• Ride-sourcing – online applications on smart phones and similar devices can be used to connect
potential passengers with drivers that use their own personal, non-commercial vehicles. Systems
such as Uber and Lyft provide the technology platforms for these services.
• Ride-sharing – includes carpooling, vanpooling, and dynamic ridesharing using a mobile app.
Different from ride-sourcing, ride-sharing drivers are typically making the trip for their own needs
and bring on others to save on commuting expenses.
• Electric bicycles and scooters – operated similarly to bike-sharing, these are popular in many
areas.
Transit Stop Design and Location
Transit stops provide the interface between riders and the transit
vehicle. They should help to make the trip easier, safer, and more
enjoyable.
Bus stop spacing has a major impact on transit performance. Stop
spacing affects both access time and line-haul time, and therefore
affects the demand for transit service. In general, there is a tradeoff
between: (a) closely spaced, frequent stops and shorter walking distance, but more time on the vehicle
and (b) stops spaced further apart and longer walking distance, but less time on the vehicle.
Whether a bus stop should be located at the near side of the intersection, the far side of the intersection,
or at mid-block has been a source of debate. In general, far-side stops are preferable; however, other
types of stops may be justified in certain situations.
For Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems which include bus detection and active signal priority or queue jumper
lanes, bus stops should be at the far side. This permits effective use of these priority measures to clear
the bus through the intersection with minimal delay. Otherwise, the added bus dwell time variability from
a near side stop would complicate, if not preclude, bus detection and green phase extension.
Considerations in designing a transit stop include:
• Access to the shelter for all users, including those using mobility aids, with a good connection to
the ramp or lift on the bus
• The use of vandal-resistant and graffiti-resistant materials and an easy to clean and maintain
design
• A design that provides for good security with no hidden areas
• A shelter location that prevents interference with pedestrian circulation
• Designs that permit efficient, orderly and rapid flow of alighting and boarding passengers from
the stop to the vehicle.
Freight Movement
We depend on freight transportation to link businesses with suppliers
and markets throughout the nation and the world. To remain
competitive, we need effective freight transportation to operate at
minimal cost and respond quickly to demand for goods.
Congestion affects economic productivity in several ways. Businesses
require more operators and equipment to deliver goods when
shipping takes longer, more inventory when deliveries are unreliable, and more distribution centers to
reach markets quickly when traffic is slow. Likewise, both businesses and households are affected by
sluggish traffic, reducing the number of workers and job sites within easy reach of any location. The
growth in freight is a major contributor to congestion in urban areas and on intercity routes, and
congestion affects the timeliness and reliability of freight transportation. Long-distance freight
movements are often a significant contributor to local congestion, and local congestion typically impedes
freight to the detriment of local and distant economic activity.
Freight operations are an important consideration with respect to improving mobility and productivity.
Improved operation can benefit the freight industry through:
• Immediate cost reductions to carriers and shippers, including gains to shippers from reduced
transit times and increased reliability, resulting in decreased cost of raw materials and finished
goods.
• Reorganization-effect gains from improvements in logistics. The quantity of firms' outputs
changes, but the quality of output does not.
• Gains from additional reorganization effects such as improved products or new products.
Additionally, improving freight operations enhances the safety and efficiency of the transportation system
for all users by lessening the impact of freight movements on the public and vice versa. Improvements
include interchange redesign, truck climbing lanes, ITS improvements, and ramp extensions. During
design, however, consideration of freight must extend beyond the geometric considerations associated
with commercial vehicles to include operational elements that support enforcement and hours-of-service
requirements, as well as elements to improve safety and overall efficiency.
Economic Impacts
The economic impacts of equity and access in transportation include:
• Equity - Opportunities to live in healthy environments and make healthy choices differ by socio-
economic status. The benefits or burdens of transportation investments have been uneven
among different populations. For example, many communities of color have been severed by
freeways and have higher exposures to air and noise pollution.
REFERENCES
Questions for the certification examination are derived and/or documented from a number of
professional sources. Some of the most frequently cited references are:
Title: Highway Capacity Manual, 7th Edition: A Guide for Multimodal Mobility Analysis
Author(s): Transportation Research Board Inc.
Publisher: TRB, ISBN: 978-0-309-08766-7
ITE Publication Number: LP-674C
Publication Date: 2022
Website References
Connected Vehicles, [Link]
USDOT, ATDM Program Brief: An Introduction to Active Transportation and Demand Management.
[Link]
In addition to these professional references, a candidate may find it advantageous to review a general
traffic or transportation engineering text. Among the excellent texts currently available, the following
was frequently cited in question documentation:
[Link]
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