Assignment:1 Roads: A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places, which typically has been paved

or otherwise improved to allow travel by some conveyance, including a horse, cart, or motor vehicle. Roads consist of one, or sometimes two, roadways (British English: carriageways) each with one or more lanes and also any associated sidewalks (British English: pavement) and road verges. Roads that are available for use by the public may be referred to as public roads or highways. WHAT TYPES OF SOCIAL IMPACTS RESULT FROM ROADS PROJECTS? The impacts on people, their community and way of life can occur during project planning, Construction, and the "operational" phase when the roadway is in use. The impacts result from the introduction of specific project characteristics (e.g., divided highway, length of construction) and the local community and individual's response. This response depends largely on the community and individual characteristics (e.g., level of automobile travel, community satisfaction). During the construction phase, residents may be disrupted and inconvenienced by detours, local road closures, dust, noise, and heavy equipment traffic on existing roads, changes in the level of service, safety hazards, and interference with emergency services. Occasionally, there is vibration damage to near-by structures. However, residents may benefit from construction employment. When the roadway is opened for use, positive impacts result for many residents. Travel time, gas consumption, accidents and inconvenience to users generally decrease. The roadway increases access to jobs, schools, stores, recreation and other community services and amenities. These effects can be reflected in increased land values. However, there may be negative impacts for some residents living near the roadway.

These include increased noise, pollution and aesthetic impacts. Some of these impacts can be mitigated.

Impact of roads on village settings Positive impacts:

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The study found that in the road project areas overall levels of agricultural activity increased in volume of production, productivity of the land, and monetary values of the output. The agricultural production mix was transformed as farmers were able to shift land from low value cereals to high value fruit orchards, which yield higher profits, thanks to the reduction in perish ability risks brought about by the better quality and year-round operability of the improved roads. In two of the three study regions, land used for vegetables and fruits increased over 40 percent over the study period. Livestock production shifted towards pure breed cows, also a higher yield activity. The use of modern agricultural inputs, especially fertilizers, increased as improved transport made distribution channels better. Use of agricultural extension services by the small farms increased by more than four times over the study period. The shift to higher value products, combined with improved yields for traditional crops, raised the value added per unit of cultivated land. Improvements in the agricultural economy led to related economic changes in workloads, employment on farm and establishment of new shops. These changes followed different patterns depending on the region.

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Negative impacts:

Changes in transport conditions and in the agricultural economy had both negative and positive impacts on the environment although, overall, no environmentally sensitive areas were at risk by the road projects, which did not involve new construction.Negative impacts were those resulting from the increased traffic and economic activity, especially air and noise pollution and road accidents, and the increased used of fertilizers and other chemicals which in all likelihood contaminated the water table. Positive impacts resulted in part from the transformation of the agricultural economy. Pollution from roads begins with construction. An immediate impact is noise from construction equipment, and noise remains a problem along highways with heavy traffic. Animals respond to noise pollution by altering activity patterns, and with an increase in heart rate and production of stress hormones. Sometimes animals become ha bituated to increased noise levels, and apparently resume normal activity. But birds and other wildlife that communicate by auditory signals may be at a disadvantage near roads. Highway noise can also disrupt territory establishment and defense. A study by Andrew Barrass found that toads and tree frogs showed abnormal reproductive behaviour in response to highway noise.
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Vehicles emit a variety of pollutants, including heavy metals, carbon dioxide, and carbon monoxide, all of which may have serious cumulative effects. Combustion of gasoline containing tetraethyl lead, and wear of tires containing lead oxide, result in lead contamination of roadsides. Although unleaded gasoline now accounts for more than half of all gasoline used in the US, lead persists in soils and the food web for long periods. In Kansas, lead levels in roadside soils and vegetation in the early 1980s were two to three times greater than from near roads with similar traffic volumes in 1973 and 1974, when the use of unleaded gasoline was 42% lower.
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Conclusion: The impacts of roads projects on people and their communities are important and are increasingly having greater influence on the route alignment decisions and roadway design. SIA methods are available to identify the potential impacts and to avoid, reduce, eliminate, or compensate the social impacts. Reference: http://www.hardystevenson.com/Articles/Social%20Impact %20Assessment%20of%20Major%20Roads.pdf http://lnweb90.worldbank.org/oed/oeddoclib.nsf/DocUNIDViewForJ avaSearch/7BEC60EE0D81629F852567F5005D3597 http://www.eco-action.org/dt/roads.html