[Added 4-13-1999 by Ord. No. 995]
A. Whenever a transportation impact study is required, it is anticipated that the study will enable the Township to assess the impact of a proposed development on the local transportation system. Its purpose is to ensure that proposed
do not adversely affect the transportation network and to identify any traffic problems associated with access from the
to the existing transportation network. The study’s purpose is also to delineate solutions to potential problems and to present
to be incorporated into the proposed development. The study shall assist in the protection of air quality, the conservation of energy and the encouragement of public transportation
.
B.
and
for which a study is required.
(1) A transportation impact study shall be required for all
and
that meet one or more of the following criteria:
(a) Residential: 20 or more
.
(b) Commercial: a commercial
or
consisting of 15,000 square feet or more of
or when the Zoning Code (Chapter 255) requires 60 or more
for the proposed
.
(c) Office: a development consisting of 15,000 square feet or more of
or when the Zoning Code (Chapter 255) requires 60 or more
for the proposed
.
(d) Industrial: a development consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of
or when the Zoning Code (Chapter 255) requires 40 or more
for the proposed
.
(e) Institutional: a development consisting of 25,000 square feet or more of
or when the Zoning Code (Chapter 255) requires 100 or more
for the proposed
.
(f) Other: fast-food or drive-through restaurants; convenience stores; drive-in movie theatres; gas stations; car wash.
(2) The Board of Commissioners, at its discretion, may require the preparation of a transportation impact study for any other
or
or other major change of
of property.
(3) The
shall reimburse the Township for reasonable fees and expenses incurred by the Township Traffic
for the review of the developer's transportation impact study and
.
C. A transportation impact study shall be provided for a given study area. The boundaries of the study area to be analyzed shall include those intersections which may be affected by the proposed
or
. If there is any dispute as to whether an intersection may be affected or not, the final discretion shall rest with the Township Traffic
.
D. The transportation impact study shall contain, but not be limited to, the following information:
(1) General
description. The
description shall include the size, location, proposed land
, construction staging and completion date of the proposed
. If the development is residential, types of
and number of bedrooms shall also be included. A brief description of other major existing and proposed
within the study area shall be provided. The general
description shall also include probable characteristics of potential
users to the extent that they may affect the transportation needs of the
(e.g., number of senior citizens).
(2) Transportation facilities description.
(a) The description shall contain full documentation, including
, of the proposed internal transportation system. This description shall include proposed internal vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian and other intermodal circulation, all proposed ingress and egress locations, all internal roadway widths and
, parking conditions, traffic channelizations and any traffic signals or other intersection control devices within the
. The
design shall be shown to maximize potential public transportation usage to and from the development, such as providing adequate turning radii at all access points to allow a bus to enter the development. Bus shelter and sign locations shall be designated where appropriate.
(b) The report shall describe the entire external roadway system within the study area.
adjacent to or across from proposed
access points shall be identified. Major intersections in the study area shall be identified and mapped. All existing and proposed public transportation services and facilities within a one-mile radius of the
shall also be documented. All future highway
, including proposed construction and traffic signalization, shall be noted. This information shall be obtained from the Twelve-Year Highway Capital Program for the Delaware Valley Region and from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. Any proposed roadway
resulting from proposed surrounding
shall also be recorded.
(3) Existing traffic conditions.
(a) Existing traffic conditions shall be measured and documented for all
and intersections in the study area. Traffic volumes shall be recorded for existing average daily traffic, existing peak hour traffic and for the subdivision's peak hour traffic. Complete traffic counts at all intersections in the study area shall be conducted, encompassing the peak highway and development-generated hour(s), and documentation shall be included in the report. A volume capacity analysis based upon existing volumes shall be performed during the peak hour(s) and the peak development-generated hour(s) for all roadways and major intersections in the study area. A volume capacity analyses based upon existing volumes shall be performed, using the procedures of the current Highway Capacity Manual, during the peak hour(s) and the peak development-generated hour(s) for all roadways and major intersections in the study area. Levels of service shall be determined for each location.
(b) This analysis will determine the adequacy of the existing roadway system to serve the current traffic demand. Roadways and/or intersections experiencing levels of service E or F shall be noted as congestion locations.
(4) Transportation impact of the development. Estimation of vehicular trips to result from the proposal shall be completed for both the
system and the development-generated peak hour(s). These development-generated traffic volumes shall be provided for the inbound and outbound traffic movements as estimated. Acceptable source(s) and methodology shall be followed. These generated volumes shall be distributed to the study area and assigned to the existing
and intersections throughout the study area. Documentation of all assumptions used in the distribution and assignment phase shall be provided. Traffic volumes shall be assigned to all access points. Pedestrian volumes shall also be calculated, if applicable. If school crossings are to be used, pedestrian volumes shall be assigned to each crossing. Any characteristics of the
that will cause unusual trip generation rates and/or traffic flows shall be noted.
(5) Analysis of transportation impact.
(a) The total future traffic demand based on full occupancy of the proposed
or
shall be calculated. This demand shall consist of the combination of the existing traffic expanded to the completion year, the development-generated traffic, background growth and the traffic generated by other proposed
in the study area. A volume/capacity analysis shall also be conducted using the total future demand and the future roadway capacity. If staging of the proposed development is anticipated, calculations for each stage of completion shall be made. This analysis shall be performed using the peak highway hour(s) and peak development-generated hour(s) for all
and major intersections in the study area. Volume/capacity calculations shall be completed for all major intersections. Levels of service for all
and intersections shall be listed.
(b) All access points and pedestrian crossings shall be examined as to the feasibility of installing traffic signals. This evaluation shall compare the projected traffic and pedestrian volumes to the warrants for traffic signal installation.
(6) Conclusions and recommended
.
(a) All
and/or intersections showing a level of service below D shall be considered deficient, and specific recommendations for the elimination of these problems shall be listed. Highway capacity evaluations shall consider not only the overall intersection level of service, but also each approach and movement to identify any substandard values which need to be improved. The listing of recommended
might include but not be limited to the following elements: internal circulation design;
access location and design; external
and intersection
; traffic signal installation and operation, including signal timing, signal upgrade, signal coordination through time-based, hardwire interconnection or intelligent traffic systems; transit design
; and
to facilitate transit service.
(b) At locations where the level of service for the design year is deficient without the proposed development, determine
which would not only provide a level of service and delay no worse than conditions without development but which would improve such level of service and delay.
(c) 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.
(d) The listing of recommended
for both
and transit shall include, for each
, the party responsible for the
, a preliminary cost estimate and funding of the
and the phase of development during which the
must be completed.
(e) The Board of Commissioners shall review the transportation impact study or have its own consulting Traffic
review the impact study at the applicant's expense, to analyze its adequacy in solving any traffic problems that will occur due to the
or
and make recommendations to the Board of Commissioners.
(f) The Board of Commissioners may decide that certain
contained in the study on or adjacent to the
or at other locations impacted by the traffic generated by the development of the
are required for
approval and may attach those conditions to the
approval.
(g) The roadway and signal
shall not be submitted to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation until such
are approved by the Board of Commissioners or the Montgomery County Department of Roads and Bridges. This submittal to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation shall be accompanied by comments of the Board of Commissioners and the Montgomery County Planning Commission.