1. Purpose. The traffic impact study will enable the Township to assess the impact of the proposed development on the transportation system, both highways and public transportation and pedestrian/ bicycle trails, in the Township. Purpose of the impact study is to ensure that proposed developments do not adversely affect the transportation network and to identify any traffic problems associated with access between the site and the existing transportation network as well as recommend necessary improvements that will mitigate deficient traffic operations and promote pedestrian safety. The study’s purpose is also to delineate solutions to potential problems and to present improvements to be incorporated into the proposed development. The study shall assist in the protection of air quality, conservation of energy and encouragement of public transportation use.
2. Traffic impact study shall be prepared by a qualified traffic engineer and/or transportation planner with previous traffic study experience. Procedures and standards for the traffic impact study are set forth herein. Applicant may provide funds to the Township which may hire a traffic engineer of its choice to conduct the study, if this procedure is deemed appropriate by the Township.
3. When access to a State road is proposed and/or intersections to be studied include state roads, the traffic engineer shall consult with PennDOT during the development of the traffic study.
4. Applicability. A traffic impact study shall be submitted for all subdivisions and land developments that meet one or more of the following criteria:
A. Residential–20 or more dwelling units.
B. Nonresidential subdivision–10 or more lots.
C. Commercial–a commercial building or buildings consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of gross floor space (total floor area on all floors within the exterior walls of the building).
D. Office–a development consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of gross floor space.
E. Industrial–any industrial development consisting of 10 or more lots, or 100,000 square feet or more of gross floor area.
F. Institutional–any medical, educational or institutional development consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of gross floor area.
The Board of Supervisors, at its discretion, may require any other subdivision or land development applications to be accompanied by a traffic impact study; provided, however, that the Board of Supervisors notify the applicant within 30 days following the Planning Commission’s first meeting to consider the proposal. Such a notification shall specify the reason for the requirement, citing the proposal’s particular location or existing problems or type of use (e.g., generation of heavy truck traffic).
5. Definitions.
A. Public Transportation. Transportation service for the general public provided by a common carrier of passengers generally on a regular route basis, or a private operator offering service to the public.
B. Study Area. The study area shall be the area of land within the Township that is likely to be affected by the development. The selected area shall be discussed with and approved by the Township Planning Commission prior to initiating the study. Specific intersections to be included in the study shall also be approved by the Township Planning Commission prior to initiating work.
C. Volume/Capacity Analysis. This procedure compares the volume of a roadway or intersection approach to its capacity (maximum number of vehicles that can pass a given point during a given time period.) The procedures described in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, Transportation Research Board Special Report 209, as amended, shall be followed.
D. Level of Service. Level of service, as described in the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, as amended, indicates how well traffic moves on a particular highway facility or through a specific intersection. There are six levels of servicing ranging from “A” through “F.” Level of Service “A” indicates generally free movement. Level of Service “E” represents maximum capacity of the facility. Level “F” indicates congestion. Level of Service “D” is considered the level of service design threshold.
E. Trip Generation Rates. The total count of trips to and from a study site per unit of land use as measured by parameters such as dwelling units, acres, etc.
F. Warrants for Traffic Signal Installation. This is a series of warrants which detail the minimum traffic or pedestrian volumes or other criteria necessary for the installation of a traffic signal. These warrants are contained in the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways, U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, 2000, as amended, or the most recent version, whichever is later.
G. Engineering and traffic studies shall be prepared in accordance with Pennsylvania Title 67, Chapter 201, “Engineering and Traffic Studies.”
F.Queue Analysis. An analysis that identifies the maximum queue of vehicles in each traffic stream, measured in feet. The analysis shall utilize a computer model typically accepted by the Department of Transportation and the Township, which will calculate the queues and which can be calibrated to represent existing conditions.
6. General Requirements and Standards. A transportation impact study shall contain the following information:
A. General Site Description. The site description shall include the size, location, proposed land uses, any construction staging and the completion date of the proposed subdivision or land development. If the development is residential, types of dwelling units shall also be included. A brief description of other major existing and proposed developments within the study area shall be provided. The general site description shall also include probable socioeconomic characteristics of potential site users to the extent that they may affect the transportation needs of the site (e.g., number of senior citizens).
B. Transportation Facilities Description. The description shall contain a full documentation of the proposed internal and existing external transportation system. This description shall include proposed internal vehicular, bicycle and pedestrian circulation, all proposed ingress and egress locations, all internal roadway widths and rights-of-way, parking conditions, traffic channelizations and any traffic signals or other intersection control devices at all intersections within the site. Also, the description shall include the characteristics of the site users with respect to their transportation needs. In addition, the description for institutional, educational, day care, or other similar facilities shall include a narrative of the shift changes or arrival and dismissal times, student dropoff/pick-up procedures, number of school buses, and number of students, where appropriate. The description shall also include an evaluation of any proposed drive-through facilities to establish adequacy of the proposed design, relative to internal access, stacking, and ingress/egress.
The report shall describe the entire external roadway system within the study area. All intersections included in the study area shall be identified and sketched. All existing and proposed public transportation services and facilities within a 1-mile radius of the site shall also be documented. All future committed or proposed roadway and intersection improvements within the study area, including proposed construction and traffic signalization, shall be noted. This information shall be obtained from the 12-Year Highway Capital Program for the Delaware Valley Region and from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the Bucks County Planning Commission. The responsible party and anticipated project schedule shall be identified for each improvement.
C. Existing Traffic Conditions. Existing traffic conditions shall be measured and documented for all roadways and intersections established as part of the approved study area and scope and shall be based on the following:
(1) Existing traffic volumes for average daily traffic, peak highway hour(s) traffic, and peak development generated hour(s), and documentation shall be included in the report. Note: often the highway and development peak hours coincide depending on the land use. Documentation regarding all traffic counts shall be included. Figures shall be provided in the report illustrating the peak hour turning movement traffic volumes.
(2) A volume/capacity analysis based upon existing traffic volumes shall be performed during the peak highway hour(s) and the peak development generated hour(s), as applicable, for all roadways and study intersections. Levels of service shall be determined for each location using the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual methodology, as updated and amended. The level of service results of the volume/capacity analysis shall be presented graphically.
(3) A summarization of the most recent 3-year accident data within the study area shall be provided if required by the Township based on accident records from both the local police and State Police.
D. Future Conditions Analysis Without the Proposed Development. An evaluation of the anticipated future traffic volumes and the ability of the roadway network to accommodate this traffic without the proposed development shall be provided. The analysis shall be for the development completion year and any interim years if development phase(s) are proposed. Also, an analysis of future conditions 10 years after the initial development opening year shall be provided, if also required by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. In any event the Township may require that future conditions analysis 10 years after opening year be provided in order to verify roadway/intersection designs. This evaluation shall include the following:
(1) Peak hour traffic volumes shall be projected for the design year(s) based on traffic growth information compiled by the Bucks County Planning Commission, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, and/or the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Projected traffic volumes shall also include anticipated traffic growth associated with other area proposed developments or developments under construction. All assumptions and methodologies utilized to forecast the future traffic volumes shall be clearly documented. Figures shall be provided in the report illustrating the peak hour turning movement traffic volumes.
(2) A volume/capacity analysis based on future without development traffic volumes shall be performed during the peak highway and development hours, for all study intersections. The capacity analysis shall be conducted according to methods of analysis as previously described herein. The level-of-service results shall be presented graphically.
(3) Roadway and intersection improvements committed to by others for implementation prior to the design year(s) should be included in the analysis. The applicant’s traffic engineer shall seek guidance from the Township in determining the appropriateness of any planned, programmed and/or committed future roadway and intersection improvements. An analysis of future conditions both without and with improvements shall be provided, if appropriate.
E. Trip Generation Characteristics. Estimation of vehicular trips to result from the proposed development shall be completed for the design year(s) for the average daily peak highway hour(s) and peak development-generated hour(s) and shall be determined as follows:
(1) Estimation of the number of trips generated by the proposed uses for each study hour and also on a daily basis shall be developed utilizing the most recent edition of the Institute of Transportation Engineers publication, Trip Generation. Other local sources of trip generation data may be acceptable, subject to supporting study information on more than one similar site and the approval of the Township. For proposed expansions or relocation of existing facilities, actual trip generation information may be utilized, if appropriate as determined by the Township.
(2) Traffic volumes generated by the proposed development shall be distributed and assigned throughout the study area for each of the study peak hours and provided on separate figures for review. Documentation of all assumptions used in the distribution and assignment of traffic shall be provided.
F. Future Conditions Analysis with the Proposed Development. A description of the adequacy of the roadway system and study intersections to accommodate future traffic with development of the site shall be provided. An analysis shall be completed for each study peak hour as follows:
(1) Daily and peak hour traffic volumes shall be projected for the design year(s). Projected traffic volumes shall be calculated by adding the anticipated development trip generation to the future traffic volumes without development for the roadway network and site access. Figures shall be provided in the report illustrating the peak hour turning movement traffic volumes.
(2) A volume/capacity analysis based on future with development traffic volumes shall be performed during the peak highway and development hours, for all study intersections. The capacity analysis shall be conducted according to methods of analysis previously described herein. The level-of-service results shall be presented graphically.
(3) A queuing analysis shall be performed during the peak highway and development hours, as appropriate, for each study and site access intersection. The results of the queuing analysis shall be presented graphically and the available storage lengths for all existing and proposed lanes shall be identified to determine the adequacy of these facilities to accommodate the anticipated future vehicular traffic queues.
(4) A traffic simulation computer model shall be completed during the peak highway and development hours, as appropriate, for each study and site access intersection, where deemed appropriate for complex developments or developments located near heavily utilized roads or intersections, as recommended by the Township or the Township Traffic Engineer. The purpose of this will be for the Township, reviewing agencies, and other interested parties to visualize the movement of traffic upon completion of the proposed development and any associated traffic improvements.
G. Proposed Improvements. A description of proposed improvements to remedy and otherwise mitigate for deficiencies and impacts, as established by the analyses required herein, shall be identified, as follows:
(1) Improvements shall be identified which would increase capacity to return to pre-development levels of service. Improvements shall be presented for post-development traffic volumes to operate at level-of service D or better for all movements and the overall intersection. The improvements identified shall ensure that under no circumstances will the levels of service be worse than pre-development conditions. For individual movements and overall intersections that function at level-of service E or F, the volume capacity ratio and delay shall be no worse than pre-development conditions.
(2) The description of improvements shall describe the location, nature, and schedule, as well as the party responsible for the improvements. The listing of recommended improvements shall include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following elements: internal circulation design; site access design location; traffic signal installation/operation; roadway/intersection widening, capacity or reconfiguration improvements; new roadways; and other geometric safety improvements deemed appropriate. Although the improvement recommendations shall be consistent with any current Transportation Capital Improvement Plan of the Township, the improvements listed in the Transportation Capital Improvement Plan shall not be considered unless they are planned within a reasonable schedule, as directed by the Township.
(3) A volume/capacity analysis shall be presented demonstrating the anticipated operating conditions of the study intersections upon implementation of any recommended improvements. The level of service results of the volume/capacity analysis shall be presented graphically.
(4) Access design recommendations shall be provided consistent with the design requirements of the Township and/or the guidelines of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, including the following:
(a) The available safe stopping sight distance measurements for egressing and left-turn ingressing movements shall be indicated for each access, and recommendations shall be provided for any access location that does not provide sufficient sight distance in accordance with the applicable requirements, which may include relocation of the proposed access, provision of separate turning lanes, roadway improvements, or turning restrictions.
(b) The necessity for auxiliary turn lanes at each site access intersection shall be identified per Township requirements minimally based on current design guidelines of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
(c) All access points and pedestrian crossings shall be examined as to the need for and feasibility of installing traffic signals or other traffic control devices, pursuant to the guidelines and traffic signal warrants of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.
(d) Access Management. Shared access, access easements, established or floating cross easements, driveways interconnections, shared parking, and parking easements shall be provided with adjoining lots, where appropriate and deemed necessary by the Board of Supervisors. When it is not yet appropriate to construct driveway interconnections, shared access, shared parking, or cross access easements shall be recorded for future use.
(e) The safety of vehicles and pedestrians utilizing the proposed access shall be considered and improvements incorporated into the access design, if deemed appropriate by the Board based on recommendations by either the Township Engineer or the Township Traffic Engineer.
H. Conclusions and Recommended Improvements. Levels of service for all roadways and intersections shall be identified at the conclusion of each phase of the development, and a level of service matrix shall be provided for comparison of the levels of service. All roadways and/or intersections showing a level of service below “D” shall be considered deficient, and specific recommendations for the elimination of these traffic problems shall be identified. Also, improvements shall be offered to ensure that vehicular queues can be accommodated to provide efficient access and mobility to/from the proposed development for pedestrian and vehicular traffic. This listing of recommended improvements shall include, but not be limited to the following elements: internal circulation design, site access location and design, external roadway and intersection design improvements, traffic signal installation and operation including signal timing, and transit design improvements. All physical roadway improvements shall be shown in sketches. Where appropriate, traffic calming measures shall be considered and identified and incorporated into the site design in order to discourage cut-through traffic and to reduce the travel speed of vehicles traveling through the development. Likewise, best access management practices for the safe and efficient movement of all modes of transportation shall be applied.
Existing and/or future public transportation service shall also be addressed. A listing of all actions to be undertaken to increase present public transportation usage and improve service, if applicable shall be included.
The listing of recommended improvements for roadways, transit, pedestrian and bicycle facilities shall include, for each improvement, the party responsible for the improvement, the cost and funding of the improvement and the completion date for the improvement.
7. Time of Submission. The traffic impact study shall be submitted to the Planning Commission with the preliminary plan submittal. Improvement plans for permits shall not be submitted to PennDOT until after review by the Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors.
8. Implementation. The Board of Supervisors shall review the traffic impact study to analyze its adequacy in solving any traffic problems that will occur due to the land development or subdivision. The Board of Supervisors may decide that certain improvements contained on and/or adjacent to the site and within the study area are necessary for land development or subdivision plan approval and may attach these conditions to the approval. If the Township concludes that additional improvements or modifications are necessary, beyond those recommended by the applicant the applicant shall have the opportunity to re-submit alternative improvements designs to obtain plan approval. The Board of Supervisors may request additional analysis and may also impose upon the applicant additional improvements deemed necessary to accommodate impacts of the development.
(Ord. 163, passed 2-28-2012, § 406)