Lineamientos de evaluación de una medida regulatoria determinados por el INDECOP

4.1 Environmental Planning Approach

In order to conform to the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment environmental planning process, the following key principles of successful environmental assessment planning must be followed in preparing this CBTMP:13

• Consult with affected parties throughout the plan development so concerns and needs can be identified and addressed within the scope of a master plan;

• Consider a reasonable range of strategic transportation planning alternatives in developing the master plan, both structural and non-structural to address the County’s overall

transportation needs. This includes consideration of the Do Nothing or Status Quo planning alternative;

• Identify and consider the general effects of any structural alternatives, at a strategic level, on all aspects of the environment, namely the impacts on the natural, social, cultural, technical and economic environment;

• Systematically evaluate any structural planning alternatives in terms of their general advantages and disadvantages to determine their net environmental effects. Consideration should be given to changing conditions over time in order to produce a dynamic plan that is capable of change;

• Provide clear and complete documentation of the planning process to allow “traceability” in the decision-making process that eventually recommends the transportation master plan. It is important to again stress that while this CBTMP has been prepared using these environmental planning principles, it does not constitute an Environmental Assessment under the EA Act. Schedule C transportation undertakings in the County must still undergo the complete Schedule C EA process, but this CBTMP will form Phases 1 and 2 of the process dealing with problem

identification and evaluation of alternative planning solutions respectively. Also, the CBTMP cannot be the subject of a Part II Order appeal.

Also, any works in the County that impact a Provincial Highway will need to conform to the Provincial Class Environmental Assessment for Transportation.

4.2 Strategic Transportation Alternatives

4.2.1 IDENTIFICATION OF STRATEGIC PLANNING ALTERNATIVES

The consideration of functionally different planning solutions or “alternatives” is an essential part of the EA process. In parallel with the evaluation of growth options considered in the new Official Plan (see Section 5), three broad transportation planning strategies for the County were examined in terms of their potential to address the County’s transportation needs while respecting the goal and objectives of this plan outlined in Section 1.4, namely:

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• Status Quo - No major structural changes would be made to the road network under County jurisdiction, or other transportation infrastructure and services provided by the County. The County would focus on road and trail maintenance, and monitoring the warrants for traffic control and localized intersection improvements on an as-required basis within the existing roadway network. In this strategic alternative, no action would be taken to make significant capacity enhancements within the road network and on any specific corridors. This is considered the most conservative approach to transportation system planning for the County.

• Enhanced Basic Mobility – In this strategic alternative, those transportation projects already planned or underway by the County would be completed, as well as roadway capacity enhancements where required to serve new development through strategic road widenings and extensions. It also includes roadway capacity optimization through localized intersection improvements where warranted, and access management where warranted along major corridors (i.e. improved signal coordination, turn restrictions). • Towards Sustainability – This strategic alternative would not only enhance basic

mobility through roadway network capacity expansion as in the previous alternative, but would also move to further expansion of active transportation infrastructure (trails, on- road bikeways) and introduction of selective transit service in the County. This would also include use of demand management programs appropriate for the County of Brant to encourage use of these alternatives to the private automobile.

4.2.2 EVALUATION OF STRATEGIC ALTERNATIVES AND PREFERRED TRANSPORTATION STRATEGY

Each strategic transportation alternative was evaluated based on four broad categories relating to the EA principles outlined in Section 4.1. The evaluation was largely based on a subjective evaluation, drawing on existing transportation conditions in the County and input from the public and stakeholders summarized in Section 3, as well as transportation planning experience. Considerations under each of the four categories, or factors, are listed below.

1. Natural Environment Factors

− Reduction in Air Contaminants (i.e. CO emissions from vehicles) − Minimizes noise impacts on sensitive areas

− Protect water quality, natural areas, flora and fauna, etc. 2. Socio-cultural Factors

− Improve quality of life in neighbourhoods

− Reduce collisions; improves personal safety and security − Improve travel mode choice

3. Economic Factors

− Attract and retain employment, capital, optimal use of transportation infrastructure capacity, and future land use

− Reduce or defer public and private costs of transportation capital (construction or acquisition of fixed infrastructure) and operations (maintenance, enforcement, delay, fuel, etc.)

− Capital cost to implement 4. Technical Factors

− Maintain traffic flow at acceptable Level-of-Service − Ease of implementation

− Minimize operational impacts

Exhibit 4-1 provides a summary of the evaluation of strategic transportation alternatives and the key considerations made in this evaluation. The preferred overall strategy is to rely on enhanced basic mobility to achieve improved roadway and active transportation conditions where required, while moving towards more transportation sustainability within the context of the County of Brant through the introduction of other transportation services in association with roadway capacity optimization and travel demand management where required over the next 20 years.

This preferred strategic approach, represented by the Towards Sustainability planning strategy, will solve transportation problems and minimize the need for further road expansion. At the same time, it is also recognized that adequate road infrastructure is essential for the County’s economic development, especially within rural and employment areas, and that this preferred strategy must reflect a balanced transportation network. Specific strategies also vary by individual location in the County as described further in Section 6.

Exhibit 4-1: Evaluation of Strategic Transportation Alternatives

Evaluation Criteria Status Quo Enhanced Basic Mobility Towards Sustainability DESCRIPTION - No major changes to the

road and active

transportation networks

- Complete planned capacity enhancement projects plus further capacity enhancements,

optimization and access management where warranted

- Enhanced Mobility

alternative with more active transportation, selective transit service and travel demand management programs over the long term in the County

NATURAL ENVIRONMENT FACTORS

- No natural area impact due to construction and operation

- Increased traffic congestion and related air emissions and fuel consumption

- Localized impacts due to selective road widenings - May increase auto use

due to enhanced roadway mobility

- Move towards reduced air emissions

- Reduce localized road network congestion where applied, with less fuel consumption

SOCIO-CULTURAL FACTORS

- Would result in constrained social activity due to traffic congestion and travel delays on key corridors

- Current committed

transportation projects and further capacity

enhancements will address future travel demand, but will not significantly improve transportation choice in the County

- Requires major behavioural changes over the long term - Capacity optimization has

few impacts on travel patterns

- Promotes non-auto oriented lifestyle - May require property

acquisition ECONOMIC

FACTORS

- Travel delays will be created by congestion - Likely to detract new

development in selective areas of the County owing to transportation travel congestion and related travel time delays

- County’s committed project can address problems within planned capital budgets

- Enhanced Mobility projects and initiative do not account for other active transportation, transit and travel demand management opportunities

- Travel demand

management initiatives require County costs plus those of the private sector (employers)

- Cost for transit service

TECHNICAL FACTORS

- Traffic operational deficiencies and related safety and Level-of- Service problems will increase with planned County growth

- Committed transportation network capacity

enhancements are technically feasible, with no major technical impacts

- Requires extensive staff resources from the County to monitor and manage a multi-modal transportation system

OVERALL

ASSESSMENT

NOT RECOMMENDED RECOMMENDED AS

BASIC REQUIREMENT

RECOMMENDED AS PREFERRED STRATEGY