1 Introduction
1.1 Purpose of the Good Practice Guide
The purpose of this guide is to provide good practice protocols for assessing discharges to air from land transport in New Zealand. The information provided will enable transport and policy planners to determine whether a project is likely to have significant air quality impacts.
The guide only considers the effects of emissions to air from land transport, and principally those from petrol and diesel on-road vehicles. Shipping and aviation transport are not included. Further, projects involving maintenance works and/or minor safety upgrades are not likely to have significant air quality impacts and would not require assessment.
For projects that are likely to have significant air quality impacts, a detailed assessment − including traffic modelling, vehicle emissions estimation and dispersion modelling − may be required. This type of assessment is complex and requires a multidisciplinary approach. The guide provides recommended protocols for these more detailed air quality impact assessments, but is not a substitute for expert input.
This guide is one of a series of Good Practice Guides developed by the Ministry for the Environment including:
- Assessing Discharges to Air from Land Transport (the subject of this guidance document)
- Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling (2004)
- Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry (2006).
There is a strong relationship between the guides. Thus for assessments that require a quantitative estimation of pollution concentrations from transport projects, we also refer users to the Good Practice Guide to Atmospheric Dispersion Modelling (Ministry for the Environment, 2004). It is intended that the Good Practice Guide series, taken together, will provide for comprehensive and consistent management of air quality in New Zealand. The framework for these documents is shown in Figure 1-1.
This Good Practice Guide applies the framework provided in the Resource Management (National Environmental Standards Relating to Certain Air Pollutants, Dioxins and Other Toxics) Regulations 2004 (the standards) and the Updated Users Guide to Resource Management (National Environmental Standards Relating to Certain Air Pollutants, Dioxins and Other Toxics) Regulations 2004 (Ministry for the Environment, 2005).
We make recommendations for the assessment approach to be adopted, while recognising the wide range of potential users. This may include transport or planning professionals, technical experts, council staff, hearing commissioners, and others who may be affected by the air quality effects of transport projects.
This current guide is consistent with the Good Practice Guide on Assessing Discharges to Air from Industry. More specifically, it:
- outlines the legislative and policy drivers for the assessment process, in particular the Resource Management Act 1991 (RMA) and the New Zealand Transport Strategy
- provides guidance on the appropriate level of assessment, given the variety of development types for which assessment will be required
- provides guidance on characterising emissions and the receiving environment
- identifies air quality assessment criteria
- provides guidance on the methods available for assessing the impacts of air quality on human health and the environment.
It is hoped that the guide will promote a nationally consistent approach for all assessments of discharges to air from transport. It should be noted, however, that the guidelines have no legal standing.
There are a number of other good practice guidance documents that are also relevant, as shown in Figures 1-2 and 1-3.
