Comparison of traffic impact assessment

(TIA) and transportation assessment (TA)

Cite as: AIP Conference Proceedings 2030, 020275 (2018); https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5066916
Published Online: 12 November 2018

S. F. M. Fisal, N. S. A. Sukor, H. Halim, and N. Abdul Rahman

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© 2018 Author(s).
 Comparison of Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) and
Transportation Assessment (TA)

S F M Fisal 1, b) N S A Sukor1, a), H Halim1, c) N Abdul Rahman1, d)

1
School of Civil Engineering, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 14300 Nibong Tebal, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia

a)
Corresponding author: cesabahiah@usm.my
b)
sfadhlina@gmail.com
c)
ceherni@usm.my
d)
celindarahman@usm.my

Abstract. To forecast traffic impact upon completing a new proposed development, a report of Traffic Impact
Assessment (TIA) is compulsory to be prepared by developers, engineers, and traffic planners. Even though TIA has
been practiced ever since, TIA does not seem sustainable as it focuses on car trips instead of other transportation
modes. Different than TIA, Transportation Assessment (TA) is another traffic study regarding potential traffic
impacts of proposed developments that covers the overall modes of transportation impacts. TA also mitigates any
adverse consequences in the aspect of sustainability while highlighting on the car-trips. A comparison is made to
finalizes which of the two assessments bring more benefit and preferred in the aspect of sustainability. TA is
identified to be more sustainable based on its detail procedures on all modes impacts and could replace TIA to help
solve traffic congestions and help achieve the government’s target of 40% modal shift on public transportation.

INTRODUCTION
Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) and Transportation Assessment (TA) are two studies that aim to mitigate
traffic congestion and forecast traffic condition for the future after new developments are completed. However,
challenging rapid development with various pollutions need more than just solutions to traffic congestion but seek
more alternatives for the sustainability and environmental preservation. The need of effective traffic studies or
assessment that encompassing every aspect is significant as traffic congestion results in number of problems,
including economic cost due to delayed travel times, air pollution, and road accidents. World Health Organization
(WHO) reported that traffic accident or road injury is the 10th cause of death in the world in 2015 [13]. In Malaysia,
an average of 19 persons were killed in road crashes daily and a total of 6,915 road traffic fatalities were recorded in
2013 [14]. In terms of traffic congestion, a case study at First Ring Road in downtown Madinah highlighted the
concern on critical traffic congestion in the central area of Madinah. The air quality was affected by the peak
temperatures in the summer that exceeded 45 °C and the exhaust gas emission caused serious degradation in the
quality of air [17]. A study about the traffic impact of the new development project in Kuwait City proved that the
amount of fuel consumption by vehicles produce higher carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxide (NO2), and volatile
organic compounds (VOC) emissions which are hazardous to public health [3]. This proves the traffic study that
covers every aspect is needed to mitigate not only traffic congestion but pollution and environmental aspects.
Therefore, TIA and TA are discussed in this paper and comparison is made with the reviews from few countries that
implemented both assessments to conclude which is more beneficial.

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AIP Conf. Proc. 2030, 020275-1–020275-9; https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5066916
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020275-1
 Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA)
A TIA is an important tool or study that identifies the need for any improvements to a transportation system to
reduce congestion, improve safety, provide adequate access, and mitigate the impact associated with the project.
Basically, it is needed to forecast the traffic impact of a road network upon the completion of a new development.
Subsequently, TIA suggests improvement alternatives based on the forecast. It assists developers and local
authorities in decision making [18]. It is a powerful tool for engineers and planners to determine the possible effects
of any project on the transportation and traffic system [18]. TIA is applied only to the areas that have a direct impact
on the development [5]. It also acts as the countermeasures for potential negative impacts and responsible in
predicting or addressing the potential transportation and traffic problems that will occur from the development.
Adding to that, TIA is needed to forecast the traffic that helps to estimate whether the project brings positive or
negative impacts on its surrounding area’s land use and transportation system [12]. Other scholar agreed that TIA is
to assess the impact that a new development will have on all aspects of the transport network [4]. TIA is able to
determine the impact of a project or development on the transportation and traffic system [1].
In addition, the roles of TIA are also to estimate the mean trip rates per gross floor area, test and validate the
adoption of mean trip rates, quantify the impact in terms of level of service (LOS) on the neighbouring road
network, and propose appropriate transport improvement measures for the existing road network [18]. The vital
things required to assess the traffic impact are the data of traffic volume, speed, and density to determine the LOS
[6]. Analysis of trip generation is also important to find the number of trips which is basically calculated using a
formula. Thus, TIA’s definition can be concluded as to forecast the impact of a development on traffic condition and
transportation network or in simple words, a projection of the future traffic impact due to a new development.

Transportation Assessment (TA)

TA is a review of all potential transport impacts of a proposed development or re-development with an agreed
plan to mitigate any adverse consequences [13]. Moreover, it covers all modes of transport from a person-trip
perspective such as walking and cycling as well as public transport. TA considers more on the accessibility and
travel patterns for all modes of transport [1]. It also considers all travel demands that intend to go through individual
junctions and assumes all the travel demands that can reach the specific junction during the modelled period [13].
TA proposes a package of measures designed to promote access to walking, cycling, and public transport while
reducing the role of car access as much as possible. The preparation of detailed TA varies according to the location,
scale, and nature of the proposed development. It aims to reflect the scale and extent of transport impacts of the
proposed development.
Three stages are suggested to be fulfilled for TA [13]. The three stages are shown in Figure 1.

FIGURE 1. Stages in Transportation Assessment (TA)

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 In TA, Stage 1 comprises the assessment of the travel characteristics of a development. It begins with a site visit
to examine the accessibility within the site boundaries, including the walking access to the surrounding locality, bus
stop, bus access, and train stations. It includes the accessibility for people with mobility impairments, pedestrians,
such as pedestrian crossings, and the infrastructures for the cyclist. The accessibility for vehicular traffic is also
being assessed. At this stage, the measurement of the accessibility to and from the site is taken by calculating the
travel time at peak and off-peak hours by different modes of access.
Stage 2 is to measure the influence of the travel to the development area. Firstly, the location must be a good
location whether there is a real opportunity to promote sustainable development and the policy objectives. Second,
the scale development will determine the size of the catchment area of the site and modal split. Thus, the larger the
development, the larger the catchment area is determined. This provides the opportunity to improve the public
transport access, by making it more economical to provide new public transport services and easier to provide
improved facilities for pedestrian and cycle access to larger developments since more spaces are available. Thirdly is
an intensity of use. It means the maximum use of the most accessible sites and more intensive development at those
sites with good walking, cycling, and public transport accessibility in order to reduce car dependency, followed by
the awareness raising and marketing to influence travel behaviour in favour of more sustainable options.
Whereas Stage 3 is about appraising and mitigating impacts. The final stage involves the assessment of the
transportation impacts and devising approaches to minimise or deal with the impacts. Impacts under accessibility
and integration include the access to transport systems, the local area and community severance, and integration
between transport systems and other land uses.
As the conclusion, TA clearly identifies the proposal influence on the interchange between modes in the area.
TA also identifies the proposed development effect on activities within the local area, for instance, the mixed use of
development may provide linked trips without needing for additional car journeys. Moreover, safety and security
impacts are also included in TA. It involves the risk of traffic collisions and feelings of insecurity for those using
and passing by the site. While the main aim of TA is to promote access by sustainable modes and to reduce car
dependency, there will be many cases of highway and traffic impacts needed to be addressed. Furthermore, parking
impacts is another additional aspect that requires attention. Thus, consideration must be given to the parking strategy
which will include estimated levels of future parking provision and demand as well as proposed locations for future
provision. These stages clearly show that TA must be very detail and encompass every aspect of the transport
network, safety, sustainability and concern for the environmental impact compared to TIA.

METHOD

Procedure of TIA
A TIA report highlighted three important regimes to assess the future traffic expected to be caused by a
development. The three regimes are Trip Rate Analysis (TRA), Cross-Classification Analysis (CCA), and
Regression Analysis (RA) which are widely used to determine the mean trip rates for a new development. TIA uses
traffic volumes (incoming and outgoing) in a study area which are divided by a variable. The obtained mean trip
rates forecast the performance of a critical intersection in the immediate vicinity of the development. Then, the
critical intersection is analysed using SIDRA software to estimate the delay which is a criterion for determining the
LOS. Figure 2 shows the procedure of TIA.

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 Literature studies

Data Collection

Primary data Secondary data

1. Questionnaire survey of 1. Traffic zonal boundaries

existing commercial 2. Current & future land use
development development
2. Manual vehicle count 3. Type, location & characteristics of
proposed hypermarket
4. Number & locations of existing
commercial development

Application of Trip rate analysis, cross-

exponential growth classification analysis & regression
model analysis

Traffic volume projection Mean trip rates

projections

Estimation of traffic volume at opening year (with

and without proposed hypermarket)

Future traffic volume estimates

Do nothing LOS & delay Validate road

assessment improvements

Conclusions and discussion

FIGURE 2. General procedure of TIA [14].

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 In addition, there are seven items for a TIA report which are the definition of the impact area, characterisation of
the baseline traffic, estimation of traffic generation attributed to the project, formulation of the traffic management
plan, access points and routing analysis, parking requirement analysis, and formulation of implementation
mechanisms for recommended countermeasures. Meanwhile, a study claimed on three procedures in their study,
which are a selection of the study, data collection, including the information about the adjacent road network and the
structures of the project’s vicinity and traffic volume forecasting. TIA study requires data collection from traffic
count, speed, and delay study [11].
Generally, the TIA study requires on-ground surveys and data collection regarding the land use and type of
development at the site’s surrounding, vehicle count and followed by trip analysis, cross-classification, and
regression analysis that is needed for trip generation calculation. Then, future traffic volume is estimated followed
by LOS and delay assessment. The result of the assessment will determine either the mitigation measures are needed
or not.

Procedure of TA
The report basically outlines the important elements as the report’s structures [8]. The structure starts with
Section 2 that describes the existing land use, population, and access to services of the site. Section 3 touches on the
conditions of the site location regarding the existing walking and cycling conditions. Section 4 describes the
conditions of the site location in terms of the existing public transport. Section 5 describes the site location with
respect to the existing local highway network. Section 6 outlines the current policy and details how the proposals
accord with existing local, regional, and national policy with emphasis on the sustainability credentials of the
development. Section 7 sets out the development proposals, detailing what is proposed as a part of the development
and how it demonstrates sustainable linkages and principles of movement for all modes. Section 8 discusses the
walking and cycling transport strategies of the development. Section 9 discusses the public transport strategy for the
development. Section 10 discusses the developments of highway transport strategy. Section 11 provides the trip
generation associated with the development proposals. Section 12 sets out the modelling methodologies and
parameters used to distribute and assign trips to the transport networks. Section 13 considers the impact of the
development on the walk and cycle networks. Section 14 considers the impact of the development of the bus and rail
networks. Section 15 sets out in detail the impact of the development in highway terms and necessary mitigation to
ensure acceptable levels of impact are realised. Section 16 sets out the proposed measures to mitigate against any
negative impacts of the development proposals through the adoption of a Travel Plan. Section 17 provides an
overview of the construction traffic, volumes, routes, and impacts. Section 18 provides a summary of the assessment
and necessary conclusions. All the detailed sections are required to produce a complete report of TA.
Figure 3 shows the iterative approach to transport assessment for a typical assessment process in London [6]. It
indicates that the transport assessment considers not only the mitigation measures on traffic impact, but also trying
to maximise the sustainable access.

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 Preparation of
Transport
Assessment

Mitigation Reducing the

measures need to travel

Final TA

Maximizing
Dealing with sustainable
residual trips accessibility

FIGURE 3. Approach to transport assessment in London [6].

An Ireland guideline emphasised that the TA form has 4 parts [15]. Part A must be completed for all
developments or redevelopments, contains several questions related to the nature and scale of the development to
screen out the applications no information on transport impact. Parts B, C, D must also be completed to provide
information to enable planning service in consultation with roads service. This is to decide whether a detailed TA is
required or not. A detailed TA is required when the development is likely to have significant transport implications.
TA also considers national and local planning and transport policies which have significance in the context of the
development proposal.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

A TIA study conducted in Kuwait aimed to determine the traffic impact of the new township redevelopment
project, predicted growth of traffic, related consumption of fuel, and pollutant emission scenario [3]. Traffic count is
the most important part followed by the measurement of traffic signal cycle length. Other than that, an analysis of
roadway network and travel survey are required to determine daily trip rates and trip characteristics of the
households. About 200 questionnaires were distributed to the employees who benefit from the township and work
nearby to the site to obtain the socioeconomic traits and characteristics of the daily travel. Trip mode, trip purpose,
trip time, and trip destination were the data required for the travel analysis. Trip generation was calculated using the
mean trip rate. In this case, the trip generation estimated as the information on the distribution of households by their
employment or nationality in the future year was not available. Based on the results, the performance of roadway
network is expected to deteriorate due to the projected growth in the traffic.
From the methodology used in the study above, trip generation is significant to study the traffic impact. This is
supported by a reviewed study on the case study at 670 Heights Condominium, Philippines [5]. The proposal to
develop the condominium was approved as it complied with the requirement of the local authorities to conduct TIA.
The authorities had listed a few tasks to meet their requirements, among the tasks were, inventory of the physical
conditions of the study area, conduct of primary and secondary traffic count data for roads in the project
environment, projection of traffic generated/attracted by the development, and the estimation of the LOS of roads
and intersection. The assessment conducted for the apartment includes the estimation of future traffic generation,
estimation of traffic volumes, identification of locations of potential traffic congestion due to the project, and
recommendation of remedial measures to overcome potential traffic problems with the project. It is more obvious
that TIA is a traffic study that focuses only on the car trips and its traffic volume projection on the impact upon the
completion of the development but does not mention about other transportation modes, especially public transport.
Contemporary transportation planning practices are no longer prioritise car-centric modes of travel and therefore

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traffic impact assessments should encompass all modes of transport including the public transport, walking, cycling,
and freight movement [3].
Even though TIA and TA examine existing contexts, including roadway characteristics and analysing the
existing conditions, TIA focuses more on car-trips and private vehicles rather than public transport. TIA prioritises
the future impact on the traffic circumstances in the proposed development’s vicinity whereas TA concerns not only
the car-trips and private vehicles, TA also encompasses the overall transportation modes such as public transport,
cycling, walking, and person trips. TA undertook an in-depth review of the surrounding existing transport network
[9]. TA has carefully considered the future needs of both pedestrians and cyclists to enable a safer environment for
users of all ages and skill levels. This is one of the criteria in the TA report of Lynn Valley Town Centre, Vancouver
[3]. Plus, the vision of the TA report is to achieve a vibrant, mixed use centre with sustainable modes of
transportation (walking, cycling, transit), and a balance must be achieved between accommodating vehicular traffic
and supporting these sustainable modes. Meanwhile, TIA mostly has the vision to mitigate negative traffic impact
and traffic congestion other than to evaluate whether the allowing development is appropriate for a specified site and
what type of transportation improvements may be necessary to enhance the existing LOS [11].
Based on the guideline TIA should consider specific impacts on all road users, including on-road public
transport, pedestrians, cyclists, and heavy vehicles [13]. Moreover, among of TA guidelines aim to outline the
necessary matters to be considered in a TIA and provide a more transparent process other than to ensure that
sustainable transport goals and strategies are incorporated into the TIA process. As the conclusion, TIA heretofore
does not give attention on sustainable transport goals. Meanwhile, TA considers the existing site information, site
use, means of access, the baseline transport data, public transport assessment, road network assessment, traffic data
and traffic forecast, safety considerations and accident analysis, committed developments, and their likely traffic
generation. Thus, it proves that TA has a bigger scope than TIA. Hence, TA is more detail on calculating the trip
generation in wider scope which involves different type of developments. To give a clearer view and understanding,
the comparison results are tabulated as shown in Table 1 below:

TABLE 1. Comparison results.

Aspect Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA)
Definition - An important tool or study that identifies
the need for any improvements to a
transportation system to reduce
congestion, improve safety, provide
adequate access, and mitigate the impact
associated with the project
Scope - Forecast the traffic that helps to estimate
whether the project brings positive or
negative impacts on its surrounding
area’s land use and transportation system
Procedure - The estimation of future traffic
and content generation, estimation of traffic volumes,
identification of locations of potential
traffic congestion due to the project, and
recommendation of remedial measures to
overcome potential traffic problems with
the project
Results - Focuses only on the car trips and its
traffic volume projection on the impact
upon the completion of the development
but does not mention about other
transportation modes, especially public
transport
Transport Assessment (TA)
- A review of all potential transport impacts of a
proposed development or re-development with
an agreed plan to mitigate any adverse
consequences
- Undertook an in-depth review of the
surrounding existing transport network
- Consider the future needs of both pedestrians
and cyclists to enable a safer environment for
users of all ages and skill levels
- Considers the existing site information, site
use, means of access, the baseline transport
data, public transport assessment, road
network assessment, traffic data and traffic
forecast, safety considerations and accident
analysis, committed developments, and their
likely traffic generation.
- Considers more on the accessibility and travel
patterns for all modes of transport.
- Proposes a package of measures designed to
promote access to walking, cycling, and
public transport while reducing the role of car
access as much as possible

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 CONCLUSION

The economic growth reflects an equally high level of car ownership per capita. Rising population cause the
demand of settlements, upgraded facilities, services, and mobility. This demanding chain urges the traffic planners
and engineers to consider traffic safety by investigating locations with high crash rates and developing
countermeasures to reduce accidents. This staggering figure underlines the urgent change of need for an effective
measure to road safety. The need for traffic studies is significant in the aspect of the economy, social, environment,
and sustainability. Cycling and walking measures will help enhance the quality of life, build healthy communities,
and enable more active lifestyle choices. More people cycling means the city is becoming more liveable. Following
these criteria, TA is more convincing to promote sustainability as it prioritises the well-being of pedestrian and
cyclist and environmental friendly. Traffic congestion will eventually increase even though the authorities keep
constructing new roads, widening the existing roads or constructing more flyovers to cater the increasing vehicles.
These solutions will never solve the problems, plus making people pleasantly to own more cars. Since TIA only
focuses on car-trips and private vehicles, TIA is not convincing enough to promote sustainability even though it has
been practiced ever since. Since a change is needed, TA seems to have a possibility to give a new whole exposure
and solution to the never ended congestion in Malaysia.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The author thanks the Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia for funded this research under Transdisciplinary
Research Grant Scheme (203.PAWAM.67610002) and the participants who kindly gave their commitment to this
study.

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