The purpose of Option Generation, Sifting and Development is to derive a range of options which should provide the solution/s to meet the Transport Planning Objectives and alleviate the problems or opportunities identified.
This phase of Pre-Appraisal must not be started until a thorough Analysis of Problems and Opportunities has been completed and, until robust Transport Planning Objectives are set.
It is vital to derive options which fully reflect the range available and at this early phase in the process, this exercise should not be constrained. It is imperative that practitioners cast the net wide in generating options as potential solutions to the identified transport problems and opportunities; both stakeholder participation and wider consultation can have a role to play. In larger exercises, option sifting will be necessary to reduce the number of options and their combinations to manageable levels.
Option Generation, Sifting and Development should be carried out in a logical, transparent and therefore auditable manner. To this end, practitioners may find it appropriate to adopt a formal structured decision making process. Stakeholder and wider consultation may have an important role to play in this process.
To allow alternative options to be considered, outline designs may be required and an assessment made of capital and other costs, and implementation timescales. There is, however, no requirement to develop alternative options (of any mode) to the same degree as those that have a transport planning history. What is required is a pre-feasibility assessment of alternative options, sufficient to allow appraisal to take place.
