Health Impacts of Transportation

Transcription

1 Health Impacts of Transportation Planning and Policy Decisions: Framework, Tools and Applications Megan Wier, MPH San Francisco Department of Public Health Program on Health, Equity and Sustainability Designing Healthy Streets for Active Living ITE 2010 Annual Meeting and Exhibit Vancouver, BC August 9, 2010

2 Presentation walking trail Definitions Framework for assessing transportation- related health impacts SFDPH Health Impact Assessment Tools Policy applications & recommendations from San Francisco, California ITE Annual Meeting August 9, 2010

3 Health, the Environment, and Public Health Health - a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. World Health Organization, 1948 Public health - the practice of preventing disease and promoting good health within groups of people, from small communities to entire countries. American Public Health Association Thirteen million deaths annually due to preventable environmental causes, worldwide. WHO, 2008 Health and the environment inextricably linked. Page 2

4 Healthy Streets = Healthy People Able to walk, bike, take transit, play, access basic needs safely: traffic injury, physical activity, obesity, depression, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, social cohesion Able to sleep well, concentrate, communicate: traffic-related noise levels associated with stress, hypertension, blood pressure, heart disease, learning delays, sleep disturbances, hearing impairment, community annoyance Able to breathe clean air: air pollution and proximity to heavy traffic resulting in reduced lung function, increased asthma hospitalizations, asthma symptoms, bronchitis symptoms, and medical visits; air toxics like diesel exhaust and benzene are carcinogens Environmental justice, Equitable access: for all populations and subgroups regardless of age, ethnicity, income, immigrant status, etc. Page 3

5 Unhealthy Streets San Francisco Chronicle April 27, 2010 New residential construction often described as green building is often near: Heavy local ltraffic volumes Streets designed to be truck routes Freeways Industrial Land Uses LA Weekly March 6, 2010 New residents at higher risk if adverse impacts are not addressed with increased costs for our health care systems. Page 4

6 Health Should Be Considered Health Impact Assessment (HIA): a systematic process to make evidence-based judgments on the health impacts of public decisions Screening Scoping Assessment Reporting Monitoring/ Evaluation Determine need for and value of a HIA Determine which health impacts to evaluate, methods for analysis, and workplan to complete the assessment Judge magnitude and likelihood of potential health impacts and identify responsive design strategies and recommendations Communicate results to stakeholders and decisionmakers Track effects of HIA and decision on health and evaluate HIA from start to finish Page 5

7 Regional and Local Health Impacts of Driving Decision Direct Impact Mediating Impacts Environmental Impacts Health Impacts Transportation and Land Use Planning Decisions (e.g., Parking Spaces, Bike Lanes, Road Widening, Housing Locations) Auto Trips Generated (versus Trips via Public Transit, Walking, Biking) Regional Transportation Impacts: Vehicle Miles Travelled Air Quality: Regional Greenhouse Gas Emissions Motor Vehicle, Bike, Pedestrian Collisions Time Spent Driving Air Quality: Local Hot Spots Asthma Cardiovascular Disease Child Educational Delays Heat Related Illnesses Lung Disease Mental Health Local Transportation Impacts: Traffic Volumes Environmental Noise Livability, Social Cohesion Motor Vehicle, Bike, Pedestrian Collisions Pedestrian and Bike Environmental Quality and Safety Obesity Physical Activity Sleep Disturbance Stress Traffic Injuries and Deaths Water- and Foodborne Infectious Diseases SFDPH Program on Health, Equity, and Sustainability: April 2009 Page 6

8 SFDPH HIA Tools Pedestrian Injury Forecasting Model Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index Air Quality Modeling Traffic-related Noise Modeling Cross-cutting characteristics: ti Quantitative approach Transportation analysis outputs as HIA inputs Traffic volume a key predictor ArcGIS mapping and spatial analysis Interpreted relative to health-based thresholds, targets or goals Page 7

9 Pedestrian Injury Collision Forecasting Model San Francisco, California census tracts ( ) 2005) Significant predictors of area-level collisions: Traffic volume (+) Arterial streets (+) w/o surface transit Neighborhood commercial zoning (+) Employees (+) Residents (+) Land area (-) Below poverty level (+) Age 65 and over (-) Number of Collisions Highways/Freeways Miles Source: California Highway Patrol, Statewide Integrated Traffic Records System Informs need for comprehensive pedestrian planning and hazard reduction measures including: Mitigations to decrease traffic volume and speed Attention to high injury areas and routes traveled by vulnerable populations (i.e., children, elderly, disabled) More information available at: Page 8

10 Pedestrian Environmental Quality Index (PEQI) Quantitative, observational survey Street and Intersection weighted scores 30 street segment and intersection level indicators in 5 domains: 1. Intersection Safety 2. Traffic 3. Street Design 4. Perceived Safety 5. Land Use Compare presence of street factors that support pedestrian safety and environmental quality in existing and future conditions More information available at: Page 9

11 SFDPH Air Quality Modeling More information available at: Model inputs: Traffic volumes and speeds; Vehicle emissions i rates; Temperature and humidity; Surface meteorology Model outputs: Traffic-related fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) used to assess population exposure Implications for new residential development: elopment Development elopment in areas above a predetermined healthbased threshold must install an approved indoor ventilation system in new residential development (or other sensitive uses, e.g., child care). Page 10

12 SFDPH Traffic Noise Modeling More information available at: Model inputs: Traffic volumes and speeds; Vehicle type; Road surface type; Topology; Building Dimensions Model outputs: Traffic-related noise levels (decibels) Implications for new residential development: When noise levels >60 db: New residential development and hotels/motels require noise analysis and insulation features included in the building design. When noise levels >70 db: New hotels/motels, playgrounds and parks, office buildings and commercial uses require analysis and insulation. New residential discouraged and requires mitigation. New schools, churches, hospitals, libraries, nursing homes etc. should generally not be built. Page 11

13 SFDPH HIA Applications in San Francisco, California Review of new residential development projects and plans, working with Planning Dept., developers, consultants, etc. Review of environmental impact reports (air quality, noise, and transportation sections), working with Planning Dept., developers, consultants, etc. Community-Based Participatory Research: Collaborating with community organizations and other local stakeholders to assess existing or future housing and transportation conditions and make policy recommendations. Assessing the impacts of proposed transportation planning efforts on local residents (e.g., Road Pricing), working with Transportation Agencies Page 12

14 Identify Disproportionately Impacted Communities, Inform Prioritization of Mitigations and Improvements Traffic volume reductions: Road and Parking Pricing Policy Transit Investments, TDM Street Closures, Parking Restrictions Truck Routing Speed reductions: Residential areas: 20 mph Speed Limits (WHO) Targeted traffic calming Narrowing streets, adding ped and bike facilities Street and intersection improvements: sidewalks, signalized crosswalks, covered bus stops, benches, lighting, murals, gateways near freeway off ramps Greening trees, plantings Soundwalls near the freeway Double-paned windows Indoor ventilation systems Page 13

15 A Health Impact Assessment of Road Pricing Policy in San Francisco, California San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA) study: Focused on downtown San Francisco Drivers charged $3 to drive in area during weekday peak commute periods Cordon, potentially including freeway/bridge tolls SFCTA studying impacts on: Transportation System Performance (Mobility, Access, Mode Change) Economy Environment Equity Health Impacts? Page 14

16 HIA Funding, Partners, Contributors Funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation s Active Living Research Program Consultants: Fehr & Peers Transportation Consultants San Francisco Injury Center San Francisco Office of Economic Analysis UC Berkeley, School of Public Health National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, NIH Stakeholder Outreach: City and Regional agencies, community residents and workers, environmental, transportation, business, housing, labor, EJ, youth and senior interests ITE Annual Meeting August 9, 2010 Page 15

17 Scoping Scoping: Hypothesized Pathways Pedestrian Safety Road Advisory Pricing Committee Case Study June 8, 2010 Page 16 Page 16

18 Assessment: Air Pollution Health Impacts ITE Annual Meeting August 9, 2010 Page 17

19 Includes: Assessment: Baseline & Future Conditions Active transportation, physical activity, adherence with health guidelines Pedestrian and bicycle collisions - pedestrian injury forecasting modeling approach Air pollution and asthma, cancer, and premature mortality Noise levels and community annoyance, sleep disturbance, and myocardial infarction Economic impacts of air quality and collisions Equity impacts - disparities based on population subgroup and place Resident & stakeholder perceptions of existing conditions and potential impacts Will be complete in Winter 2010 updates available at: sp esog/ _ Road_ Pricing.htm Page 18

20 In Sum Multiple Health Impacts from Transportation Planning and Policy Decisions i Healthy Streets - multiple sectors owning health objectives and outcomes to: Prevent harm and promote health benefits Leverage public investments consistent with those objectives HIA - a method to assess and address impacts: HIA tools available Engage community stakeholders regarding health impacts of policy decisions Can contribute to transportation planning and policy debates - typically focused on impacts on drivers or longer-term env. impacts ITZE ITE Annual Meeting August 9, 2010

21 Thank you! San Francisco Department of Public Health Rajiv Bhatia, MD, MPH Cynthia Comerford Scully, MA Jennifer McLaughlin, MS Tom Rivard, MS, REHS June Weintraub, PhD Eliza Humphreys, MD UC Berkeley, School of Public Health Edmund Seto, PhD, Researcher Page 20

22 A fish is the last one to see the water The rediscovery of the obvious is a central part of public health Vested interests spend vast amounts of resources diverting us from focusing on the water that surrounds us. Lowell Levin and John R. Ashton. A fish is the last one to see the water. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2007;61:498. ITE Annual Meeting August 9, 2010