The planet’s climate is changing, and this is producing impacts
on local transportation systems such as sea level rise, changes
in temperature and precipitation, and increased flood risk. In
order to maintain the resilience of the transportation system in
light of these challenges, local agencies will have to analyze
the potential impact of these challenges in their long range
capital planning.
In FY 2017-19, SCAG engaged consultant assistance to prepare
resources for providers of public transportation in the region to
respond to expected challenges as a result of global climate
change. This work, funded by a Caltrans Statewide and Urban
Transportation Planning Grant, sought to assist transit providers
with incorporating climate change adaptation into their existing
processes.
The consultant team produced a toolbox of resources to be used to
identify critical assets and routes; integrate climate
considerations into local and regional planning processes; and
implement adaptation practices to improve transit system
resilience while complying with state and federal regulations.
These resources were developed via a collaborative process with
local agencies, through in-person workshops and panel reviews to
develop a toolbox of resources that will assist transit agencies
in completing these activities with limited resources.
Objectives
This project, including the final “Climate Resilience Toolbox”,
achieved the following five objectives through engagement with
transit agencies and completion of project deliverables:
Objective 1 – Provide an
actionable climate adaptation and resilience
plan. The Toolbox empowers transit agencies to
conduct their own high level criticality and vulnerability
assessments efficiently and cost-effectively, enabling them to
quickly move to adaptation planning and implementation.
Objective 2 – Identify
critical assets and routes. Through collaboration
workshops with local transit agencies, resources for determining
the criticality of existing transit assets were developed.
Objective 3 – Integrate
climate change forecast data. The Toolbox provides
guidance for transit agency staff seeking to access and apply
local climate change projection data. The toolbox also includes a
summary of projected changes in climate in the SCAG Region,
reducing the need for transit agencies to locate and interpret
projected climate trends themselves.
Objective 4 – Increase
regional transit system disaster recovery and
resilience. Collaborative workshops allowed us to
work with local transit agencies to begin and continue to promote
transit system resilience. The Toolbox also includes resources to
assist agencies in pursuing climate resiliency initiatives.
Objective 5 –Support local planning
efforts. The Toolbox includes guidance for
integrating climate change information and considerations into
existing processes, including those required by local or federal
standards.
Eleven Elements of the Final “Climate Resilience Toolbox”
The final adaptation toolbox includes eleven different elements,
based on input from the workshop process, and intended to help
guide providers to improve their resilience climate change
related stresses.
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Projected Changes in Climate in the SCAG Region
Overview of projected changes in sea level, extreme
precipitation, inland flooding, and extreme heat across the
SCAG region.
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Assessing Vulnerability and Consequences: Getting Started
Guidance on articulating goals, refining the assessment
focus, and using available frameworks and other resources.
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Integrating Climate Change into Transit Planning Processes
Overview of how climate change resiliency can be worked into
three key transit processes: procurement/contracting, transit
asset management, and short range transit plans.
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How to Obtain Detailed Climate Projection Data
For some analyses, detailed data are needed. This resource
provides guidance on where and how to obtain this
information.
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Assessing Criticality
Some agencies may wish to focus efforts on the most critical
components of their system. Different approaches for
assessing criticality are discussed, and a scoring system to
rank assets based on criticality is presented. The
accompanying Excel spreadsheet helps automate criticality
calculations.
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Sensitivity Matrix
Simple to use Excel matrix discusses how common transit
assets may be sensitive to changes in climate.
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Example Adaptation Measures
Discusses different categories of adaptation measures, and
gives examples of actual adaptation measures being
implemented by transit agencies. The accompanying Excel file allows these
measures to be filtered by type.
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Tips for Selecting and Implementing Adaptation Measures
Provides suggestions to consider when determining which
adaptation measures are right for your agency.
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Climate Resilience Planning Template
Simple template that outlines roles, responsibilities,
timelines, and key next steps in the resiliency planning
process.
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Contingency Plan Template
Template for developing a contingency plan in advance of
adverse climate events.
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Transit Resiliency Funding Opportunities
Profiles five
state and federal grant programs that could be used to fund
resiliency efforts.
