The document summarizes a health impact assessment conducted for the proposed SR 50 Bus Rapid Transit project in Orlando, Florida. The assessment analyzed how the project could impact physical health, safety, quality of life, economic development and land use. It identified obesity, diabetes, asthma and traffic crashes as current health issues in the study area. The assessment found that the BRT could help address these issues by promoting transit, walking and bicycling, which in turn could increase physical activity and economic opportunities. It provided recommendations to fund the BRT and adopt complete streets policies to maximize the project's health benefits.
1. SR 50 Bus Rapid Transit
Health Impact Assessment
APA FL Conference
Hop On, Be Healthy
September 2015
2. What is a Health Impact Assessment?
Brings together scientific data, health expertise and public input to
identify the potential health effects of proposed new laws, regulations,
projects and programs
Can help decision-makers consider health when making decisions
Brings recommendations on how to improve a project or a policy
3. HIA Study Area 22 mile area (from Powers Drive to Mitchell Hammock Road)
Five distinct Socio-Demographic Segments
Pine Hills Downtown Orlando
Azalea
Park
Union
Park
UCF
Oviedo
4. UCF Planning Healthy Communities
Walk Audits
10 locations
at different times
Corridor User Survey
151 surveys completed
Literature Review
Over 30 peer-reviewed studies
5. SR50 HIA Process
Collected input through:
Steering Committee
Stakeholder Interviews
Community Meetings
Online Survey / Comments
Other Community Studies
Peer-reviewed publications and
federal reports
Data on population, health, and
land uses
6. To better understand the impacts of the SR 50 BRT
on the physical, social, and emotional health of
community members through improved:
Access to Goods and Services
Access to Jobs and Education
Mobility through Non-Automobile Travel
Economic Development Opportunities
SR50 HIA Goal
8. SR50 BRT + Physical Activity
Current Conditions
Study Area Total Population 230,000
Obesity: 25.3 %
Diabetes: 10.1%
Asthma: 13.7%
Cardiovascular Disease: 7.3%
Higher Obesity Prevalence Rate
Hispanic and Black Communities - Pine Hills, Azalea Park and
Union Park
$35,000-$50,000 income bracket - Orlando, UCF and Oviedo
Keeping the obesity rate stable will save the region money
9. SR50 BRT + Physical Activity
Literature Review
Orange County residents do not get
the recommended levels of exercise
2 Times Medical Expenses of a diabetic
person compared to a non-diabetic
20 Blocks Walked per month with
transit availability
240 Blocks Walked per year with transit
availability
20 Minutes
Daily brisk walk enough to
reduce risk of early death
between 16% to 30%
50 Percent
10. SR50 BRT + Safety:
Current Conditions (2009 to 2014)
279 Pedestrian Crashes
33 fatalities
• Concentration in Azalea Park, Union Park & UCF
246 injuries
• Concentration in Pine Hills, Union Park & UCF
244 Bicyclist Crashes
7 fatalities
237 Injuries
• Concentration in UCF, Azalea Park, & Union Park
11. Transit + Safety
Literature + Examples
ALL TRANSIT TRIPS BEGIN AND END BY WALKING AND/OR BIKING
Charlotte, NC - $ 50 Million Program invested in bike/ped infrastructure prior to light rail
being funded
• Enhance connectivity to transit stops
• 5.5 miles of street enhancement
• 9 miles of pedestrian and bicycle access
• Research has demonstrated that riding transit is by far the safest mode of travel in the
urban environment.
• 6 Signature intersections
• 16 miles of new sidewalk
• 12 Enhanced intersection projects
12. Transit + Safety:
Value of Pedestrian + Bicyclist
Crashes
Fatalities: $349.6 million
Injuries: $754.7 million
o Incapacitating $551 million
o Moderate $203.7 million
In 2014, the Study Area saw 100 bicycle and
pedestrian crashes
$9.2 million
Value of 1 Statistical Life
$1.1 billion
Value of SR 50 Study Area Statistical Lives
$44.7 million
Statistical Value of preventing 1/3 of fatalities &
injuries through safety improvements
Based on reduction of fatalities and injuries
Provide discounted rate for injuries
13. The diversity of the SR 50 corridor requires transit options that will
improve quality of life for both existing transit riders and potential riders
SR50 BRT + Quality of Life
Survey Results
Broader Community Surveys
93% Have a car
10% Take the bus daily or weekly
85% Drive themselves to the grocery
store
26% Important to live near bus stop
63% Get around by bus
61% Take the bus or someone else drives
them to grocery store
45% are at least sometimes late to work
because of transportation problems
77% Important to live near bus stop
Station Area Surveys
14. Additional 4-yrs of education lowers mortality, risk of
heart disease, & risk of diabetes
Central Florida residents identified traffic as an
important factor that impacted their quality of life
More jobs produced when transit is implemented in
communities with high unemployment
Why this matters for health?
When people have quality jobs that provide a living wage they tend to live longer and have
better physical and mental health.
1 in 6
2.5 Times
4 Years
SR50 BRT + Quality of Life
Literature Review
15. • The majority of the corridor currently is low-
density commercial/office and residential uses
• In the short-term, these areas are unlikely to
be redeveloped in a large scale
• A concentration of underutilized parcels
adjacent to the SR50 between Semoran
Boulevard and SR 417
• Block sizes along the corridor are larger than
the standard block
SR50 BRT + Transit
Supportive Land Use
Current Conditions
16. • BRT leverages equal or more transit-oriented development than LRT or streetcars per
dollar of investment
• Cleveland HealthLine BRT has catalyzed $5.8 billion in development
• Boston Silver Line has seen its tax base grow by 250%, compared to 150% citywide
• SunRail has leveraged $3.8 billion in private development
Why this matters for health?
Promoting sustainable land use development that enable physical activity and access to goods
and services can lead to decreases In obesity, heart disease, asthma and other preventable
illnesses.
SR50 BRT + Transit
Supportive Land Use
Literature Review
SEND TO CARLEEN
17. Orlando, FL
Portland, OR
• Very large blocks;
• Mostly
single use
Downtown Block
Dimensions
450’
265’
200’
200’
SR 50/SR 434 – Ex. Conditions (Block Size)
18. Parking drive aisles
acting as “streets” to
allow alternative
routes
SR 50/SR 434 – Ex. Conditions (Land Use)
SR434/AlafayaTr
Orpington St
19. Parcels that are
under-utilized & could
serve as “catalyst
redevelopment
opportunities”
SR 50/SR 434 – Ex. Conditions (Under-Utilization)
21. Orlando, FL
Minneapolis, MN
Kansas City, MO
Typical Block
Dimensions
450’
265’
350’
350’
360’
260’
SR 50/SR 434 – Short Term Plan (Block Size)
• Utilize new open
space areas to
design new
development blocks
22. Focus on Infill
Redevelopment
That continues and
capitalizes on
connectivity,
walkability, creating a
mix of uses, and
creating a connected
open space network.
Mixed-use blocks (including
commercial, office, residential in the same
footprint)
Stepping up residential uses
to buffer existing
neighborhoods
Improved street network
connectivity
SR 50/SR 434 – Long Term Plan
Open space, stormwater,
and park System
24. What if we Invest in the Health of the Community?
25. SR50 H.I.A. Primary Recommendations
GOVERNING BODIES TO FUND CAPITAL AND OPERATING
EXPENSES OF THE SR 50 BUS RAPID TRANSIT
Public transportation is a critical component to the region’s transportation system and is essential to the
economic and social quality of life of our citizens.
GOVERNING BODIES TO INCORPORATE COMPLETE STREETS
POLICIES ALONG THE SR 50 CORRIDOR
Complete Streets policies focuses on the safe access for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and
transit riders of all ages and abilities.
26. Increase Non-Auto Travel
Maintain quality transit level of service
Improve bike/pedestrian infrastructure around station
areas to connect to major destinations/origins
Access to Goods & Services
Promote the development of community hubs and
health-oriented events within TOD areas
Make transit-related materials available at corridor
businesses
Jobs & Education
• Market to and educate users on BRT and supporting
feeder bus
• Encourage Florida State Legislature to allow "colleges"
to provide transit subsidies for students
Increase Economic Development
Consider regulatory changes and strategies to
incentivize developers to consider TOD patterns
Consider special districts or organizations to support
TOD
SR50 H.I.A. Secondary Recommendations
The full list of recommendations is available in the report
27. SR 50 Alternative Analysis
• Congestion and space
constraints can lead to creative
approaches to premium transit
• High transit dependent
population (50%)
• BRT light can provide improved
transit service for existing and
new riders and is a cost-effective
solution
SR 50 Health Impact Assessment
• Great way to introduce health
planning into other planning
processes
• Provides a baseline for future
assessments
• Gain a better understanding of
your residents
• Literature review helps tell the
story
Key Takeaways
28. For More Information
SR50 Health Impact Assessment
Gaby Arismendi
MetroPlan Orlando
315 E. Robinson Street
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407-481-5672
garismendi@metroplanorlando.com
http://bit.ly/SR50HIA
Editor's Notes
Health starts in the environments where we live, work, and play
Transportation investments shape our environments
Transportation and transit investments can improve quality of life and support better health
Brings together scientific data, health expertise and public input to identify the potential— and often overlooked — health effects of proposed new laws, regulations, projects and programs
Can help decision-makers consider health when health might not otherwise be included in the conversation
Students
10 locations
On the 1st steering committee meeting
Three perspectives
Individual perspective – if this project came near you house
Community – how would this project affect your community if it came
Organization – what does this project could mean for your organization
Based on their responses we developed the goal of this HIA
Which is…
Here are our top indicators
Other indicators which we will show a relationship but will not go in depth are:
Attainable Housing
Healthy Food and Goods Selection
Lower income communities of color are more at risk for obesity and chronic illnesses. Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity (47.8%) followed by Hispanics (42.5%), non-Hispanic whites (32.6%), and non-Hispanic Asians (10.8%)
Obesity is increasing at epidemic proportions. A third of the population is obese. The estimated annual health care costs of obesity-related illness are $190.2 billion. Nearly 21 percent of medical spending in the US.
Reducing the obesity rate would save health care costs, stabilizing it will also save money. Active commuting is one tool for reducing obesity and related-chronic illnesses. The built environment, healthy food availability, genetic disposition are additional factors.
Estimated total annual cost per person in 2013 for the study area was $69,157,400 at 25.3 percent. If the obesity rate increases by 5 percent over the next ten years, the health costs of obesity for the region will total over 1 billion dollars over a ten-year period.
Non-Hispanic blacks have the highest age-adjusted rates of obesity (47.8%) followed by Hispanics (42.5%), non-Hispanic whites (32.6%), and non-Hispanic Asians (10.8%)
On average, medical expenses for a person with diagnosed diabetes are more than twice as much as the expenses of a person without diabetes (The Milbank Quarterly, 2009 - Sallis and Glanz, “Physical Activity and Food Environments: Solutions to the Obesity Epidemic”)
Establishing a transit system could result in an extra 20 blocks walked per month or 240 blocks walked per year (Journal of Physical Activity and Health, 2014 – Day et al. - Does Bus Rapid Transit Promote Walking?
An Examination of New York City’s Select Bus Service”)
A brisk 20 minute walk each day could be enough to reduce an the risk of early death by between 16-30% (The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2015 - Ekelund et al. – “Physical activity and all-cause mortality across levels of overall and abdominal adiposity in European men and women: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Study”)
50 % of Orange County do not get recommended levels of exercise (source???)
Why this matters for health?
Exercise is vital for good health, but half of adults in Orange County do not get the recommended levels of exercise
279 pedestrian crashes
244 bicyclist crashes
Data Source: Signal Four Analytics, GeoPlan Center, University of Central Florida
Investing in successful premium transit requires investing in safe, quality pedestrian and bicycling access to transit.
Bus is safest ground mode of transportation (0.05: Bus, 0.06: Passenger Train, and 0.61: Automobile) based on fatalities per 100 million passenger miles according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2008, National Safety Council, 2011, & Geiger, 2011.
On traditional roadway projects, engineers perform a crash data analyses to determine if a countermeasure is cost-effective
US DOT provides guidance on valuing that countermeasure on the reduction of fatalities and/or injuries
DOT calls this the value of a statistical life (VSL) and it puts a value on the reduction of a risk, is not actually putting value on a life.
This number is defined as the additional cost that individuals would be willing to bear for improvements in safety that, in the total, reduce the expected number of fatalities.
Using the U.S. DOT VSL guidance, SR50 HIA study area saw a loss in a total statistical value of $1.1 billion dollars (2014$).
In 2014, this area saw 100 bicycle and pedestrian crashes. If a third of lives could be saved or injuries prevented, with the help of a particular safety improvement; we can equate this to a value up to $44.7 million, which can be put against the cost to build this lane system.
SR 50 community
17% take the bus at least once a month
25% feel is important to live near a bus stop
SR50 Transit Users
Some mentioned they take Uber
Health care – 54% said never because many of them did not have health insurance
62% Are sometimes or not very often late to work – many of them take the bus early because they know of the scheduling issues
1 in 6 Central FL residents identified traffic and their ability to get to and from place to place as the factor that most impacts their quality of life. (Heart+Mind Strategies, 2014)
Central Florida residents found reducing traffic congestion by improving transportation and transit options important to the future of the region (Heart+Mind Strategies, 2014)
Putting or keeping public transportation in communities with high unemployment produces up to 2.5 times more jobs than putting public transportation in communities with low unemployment (University of Utah and Smart Growth American, 2009 – Nelson et al. – “The Best Stimulus for the Money: Briefing Papers on the Economics of Transportation Spending”)
An additional four years of education lowers five-year mortality by 1.8%; it also reduces the risk of heart disease by 2.16%, and the risk of diabetes by 1.3% (source???)
SR50 is dynamic, diverse area with numerous existing activity centers and nearly as many opportunities for redevelopment immediately adjacent to the corridor.
Activity Centers: UCF, Downtown Orlando, Health Central Hospital, and Fashion Square Mall,
The majority of the corridor currently is low-density commercial/office uses, with some mixed-use and industrial development
Beyond these parcels, the majority of the land uses are single family residential
The low-density single family composition means these areas are unlikely to be redeveloped in a large scale even if they meet the definition of underutilized
A concentration of vacant or underutilized parcels adjacent to the SR50 between Semoran Boulevard and 417.
Per dollar of transit investment and under similar conditions, BRT leverages more transit-oriented development than Light Rail Transit or streetcars (Institute for Transit and Development Policy [ITDP] , 2013)
The Cleveland HealthLine BRT has catalyzed $5.8 billion in development (US Government Accountability Office, 2012 – “Projects Improve Transit Service and Can Contribute to Economic Development”)
The Boston Silver Line has seen its tax base grow by 250% compared to 150% citywide since 2008 (Mass Transit Magazine, 2013)
Source for SunRail economic impact?
Why this matters for health?
Promoting sustainable land use development that enable physical activity and access to goods and services can lead to decreases In obesity, heart disease, asthma and other preventable illnesses.
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Talk about end products:
Recommendation
Monitoring plan