Assessing the Influence of Traffic Impact Assessments on Land Use Development and Decision Making

Rapid urbanisation and land use planning in cities and countries worldwide have an impact on traffic related risks to society as a whole. Strategic planning decisions made during land use development approvals can affect the performance of transport infrastructure significantly impacting on community safety. One major contributor to the decision-making process is Traffic Impact Assessment （TIA） undertaken prior to development approval. The content of each TIA process differs according to the type of development and its geographical location. The paper presents a brief overview of the strategic decision-making process adopted in Australia in land use development approvals. Using a selected case study area, the importance of the TIAs to the decision-making process is demonstrated. Further, the paper presents the observed differences between the facts presented in TIAs completed by four different consultants and the influence of the new development in the community safety. Traffic records after the new development indicate that the accidents have almost doubled after the new development. It is noted that the current TIA process requires significant changes to ensure that the influence of the land use development decisions are captured correctly to ensure informed strategic decision-making. A set of recommendations to overcome the shortcomings of existing planning and TIA designing process is presented.