272838 Benefit cost analysis of active transportation impacts in long-range planning in the San Francisco Bay area

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM

Sean Co, MS TTP , Metropolitan Transportation Commission, Oakland, CA
How can a region quantify the benefits of investments in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure? Active transportation projects are often not competitive in benefit cost assessments since traditional transportation metrics such as travel time tend to favor larger highway projects. Data for bicycle and pedestrian projects from travel models and census data tend to undercount the users and trips taken.

The epidemic of obesity and increased health care costs is a growing issue that is no longer confined to the health field. Transportation agencies have begun to examine the impact of projects on public health. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission conducted a benefit cost analysis of projects to be considered in the long range Regional Transportation Plan (RTP). This performance assessment of transportation investments was conducted using a benefit cost methodology that monetized benefits of traditional transportation goals such as travel time and automobile emissions but also evaluated the health care and lost productivity savings from increased levels of bicycling. This was the first time any direct health costs were evaluated in a transportation plan. Bay Area residents that received increases in active transportation from specific transportation investments and resulted in meeting or exceeding the U.S. Surgeon General's recommendation of approximately 30 minutes daily had a health care savings compared to inactive residents. The benefits of active transportation range from $55 million for investments in bicycle infrastructure projects to $500,000 for transit projects where the increase in bike to transit contribute to reduced health care costs and lost productivity. If the region achieved the target of 15 minutes per person per day of active transportation, the Bay Area would save $1.1 billion. While bike trips to transit are well documented in transportation planning, the public health benefit of transit is not often quantified

Learning Areas:
Program planning

Learning Objectives:
1. Participants will learn how transportation models are used to forecast land use and transportation investments in the future. 2. Participants will learn how health benefits can be incorporated into benefit cost analysis for transportation. 3. Explain how a metropolitan planning organization incorporated health indicators into a long range transportation planning process

Keywords: Physical Activity, Obesity

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the lead transportation planner for active transportation leading efforts on data collection and analysis of bicycle and pedestrian modes. I have developed a methodology for quantifying the benefits of active transportation projects as part of a larger benefit/cost assessment of the long range transportation investment strategy.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4208.0: Inserting health indicators into California's climate change and regional transportation planning process