CHAPTER 10 – HAZARDS AND HAZARDOUS MATERIALS - sacog

jurisdictions have different goals, standards, and policies related to the provision of public
services.
Emergency response and emergency evacuation plans are designed by the Office of Emergency
Services for each county in the SACOG region to respond to a possible emergency situation
(e.g., fires, floods, earthquakes, etc.). These plans cover all of the land within the region
including both incorporated and unincorporated areas, and university and tribal lands. These
plans provide a process for evacuating people from danger, preventing or minimizing loss of life
and property.
Therefore, given the emergency plans and programs in place on a countywide and individual
jurisdictional basis, and the project-level review required for all individual projects, the potential
for adverse emergency services and emergency evacuation plan impacts related to land use
changes from the implementation of the proposed MTP/SCS at the regional level are considered
less than significant (LS) for Impact HAZ-7. No mitigation is required.
On the transportation side, the region will see about 7,700 lane miles of additional capacity over
existing conditions, including freeway, HOV, auxiliary, arterial, and surface street lane miles.
Class I bicycle facilities will increase by 396 miles, and Class II bicycle lanes will increase by
722 miles.
Projects that increase capacity, such as road widenings, newly constructed roads, and HOV
lanes, have the potential to improve response times for police, fire, and emergency service
providers, especially in heavily-congested areas where such projects will alleviate bottlenecks
and reduce congestion. Overall, congestion for the region is projected to increase; however, the
region will see weekday congested VMT per capita (household-generated) decrease from 1.19 in
2008 to 1.07 in 2035 with implementation of the proposed MTP/SCS, including improved
transit opportunities which allow for more people to move through the regional transportation
system with neutral to improved performance (See Chapter 16 – Transportation). Less
congestion on roadways can potentially help local jurisdictions meet their performance
standards and response time for police, fire, and emergency services. In addition,
implementation of the proposed MTP/SCS will result in the construction of roadway projects
that coincide with new housing and employment developments, thereby facilitating efficient
access to these developments by public service providers.
Additional Class I and Class II bicycle facilities could potentially increase the service areas of
police, fire, and emergency service providers if new trails or bike lanes are constructed outside
of current service boundaries. However, the increase in services required for these routes is
anticipated to be low as most of these routes will be constructed in areas already served by
public service providers.
Transit projects could also potentially increase the size of the service areas of police, fire, and
emergency services providers, as new stations and transfer points will require patrolling in order
to maintain public safety. Transit improvements will include 3,989 new daily vehicle service
hours, 437 new bus route miles, and 56 new light rail route miles. Sacramento Regional Transit
District maintains its own policing services to enforce agency policies and provide for the public
MTP/SCS 2035
Sacramento Area Council of Governments
Draft Environmental Impact Report Chapter 10 – Hazards and Hazardous Materials – Page 10-59