Draft MTP/SCS Comments Received - sacog

SCS Health & Equity Metrics August 2011
Annual number of pedestrian and bicycle collisions (and severity of injury/fatality)
Proportion of households that can walk or bike to meet at least 50% of their daily needs
Proportion of daily trips less than 3 miles and less than 1 mile by mode
Daily amount (in minutes) of work‐trip and non‐work trip related physical activity
Share of housing growth, proportion of projected population growth, and proportion of
projected jobs in transit priority areas
Percent of household income consumed by housing and transportation combined and
separately
For all daily trips, per capita miles traveled by mode (walking, biking, transit, vehicle)
Pre‐mature mortality attributed to traffic related ambient PM2.5, and asthma incidence
and exacerbations attributed to traffic related NO2.
‐ We commend SACOG’s analysis of the proportion of residents within 500 feet of high volume
roadways and stratification by EJ and non‐EJ populations. It is acknowledged that in both 2008
and 2035, the percentage of the total EJ population living within 500 feet of high volume
roadways exceeds that of non‐EJ populations by 2 to 1. Between 2008 and 2035, this proportion
of the regional EJ population changes from 3.3% to 4%, while this proportion of the regional
non‐EJ population changes from 1.6% to 1.8%. In addition to analyzing this within a 1,000 foot
buffer rather than a 500‐foot buffer, as stated above, we recommend ensuring that the EJ
population does not bear such a larger brunt of this proportional increase as compared to the
non‐EJ population. In addition, we recommend also estimating the proportion of affordable
housing units versus market rate units within the 1,000‐foot buffer.
Chapter 9: Economic Vitality
‐ SACOG’s land use strategies of focusing new housing near current jobs and new jobs near
current housing helps to decrease the cause of the largest amount of VMT, which is that driving
to work is usually the longest trip of the day. Other prioritized projects such as HOV lanes,
Transportation Demand Management, improving and increasing transit, and adding Class 1 and
2 bike lanes, also contributes to the decrease of VMT, and ultimately of the regional exposure to
vehicle emissions, as well as encouraging physical activity.
‐ Considering the rural community in the SACOG region separately is another success strategy
that SACOG has employed to refine solutions for rural roads that are targeted to their needs.
‐ The detailed analysis of the goods movement industry was good to see. The alternative routing
decisions of truck drivers to avoid congestion is a concern, and trucks backing up local traffic as
well as destroying pavement because of their use of rural roads. SACOG has considered some
creative solutions, but looking toward some of the regions that have been dealing with goods
movement for ideas about fees, fines, incentives, and other policies to enable counties and
towns to capture costs that they are bearing would warrant investigation.
‐ We commend the inclusion of the financial and economic development benefits of bicycle and
pedestrian infrastructure projects, and would also include health benefits as well, especially if
SACOG can adopt the measure of physical activity gleaned from all modes of transportation.
‐11‐
Page 47 of 165