Sustainability is associated with plenty of things, but transportation planning and design may not be the first thing that comes to mind. Still yet, as a senior associate in GS&P’s Transportation market, sustainable transportation planning and design is one of my primary focuses. Facilitating energy-efficient modes of transportation, reducing emissions and streamlining traffic operations are at the root of sustainable transportation design, but I’ve learned over the years that sustainability is not just about “good design.” It incorporates countless other variables and objectives, and there are numerous tools available to help you create and measure a sustainable design.
GS&P recently completed a planning study for Big Creek Bridge Road and design of the Grimes Bridge Road Roundabout in Roswell, Georgia, ultimately achieving a “Gold” sustainability rating for Big Creek Bridge Road as well as a “Certified” sustainability rating for the Warsaw Road Roundabout, according to PEACH Roads, a sustainability self-assessment tool developed by Cobb County, Georgia.
PEACH stands for Preserving Environment And Community Heritage. It is based on the New York State GreenLITES program and assesses a project’s sustainability factor using five different criteria:
• Sustainable Sites (the project enhances the community heritage, provides cleaner air and water, and improves quality of life)
• Water Quality (the project improves water quality & reduces runoff)
• Materials and Resources (the project optimizes the reusing and recycling of local materials)
• Energy and Atmosphere (the project supports energy conservation and efficiency, air quality improvements, car pooling, mass transit, and non-motorized transportation)
• Innovation
The two guiding principles for PEACH Roads criteria are first, recognizing and increasing awareness of sustainable methods and practices, and second, expanding the use of these and other innovative alternatives which will contribute to improving transportation sustainability.
One component of Big Creek Bridge Road was the “complete street” concept – a street that accommodates vehicles, bicycles, transit buses and pedestrians and also includes public green space. Our conceptual design was intended to create a sense of place, invite pedestrian and bicycle traffic, remove the State Route 400 “barrier” between the east and west sides of Roswell and foster an attractive view from nearby roads.
Our team reached out to stakeholders and area residents to educate them on our design concept and explain the value of sustainable transportation design in their neighborhood. Public involvement in project development is not only one of PEACH Roads’ goals, but it is also one of the stages of transportation planning and design that our team has seen firsthand make a tremendous difference in the success of a sustainable project.
The bottom line? Good planning and engineering practices lead to sustainable projects. Also bear in mind that larger projects have the potential to score higher sustainability ratings with tools like PEACH Roads because their potential impact on the community is much greater. Smaller projects tend to score lower rankings because the potential impact on the community is smaller. All projects, however, regardless of size and scope, are worth reaching for true sustainability. By making incremental changes in your planning, concept and design stages, sustainability in transportation is absolutely achievable.